Chicago DUI attorney comments on the governor putting the brakes on red light cameras

This Chicago DUI attorney has posted here and here on red light cameras.  The governor has decided to reel in the use of these safety devices.

July 9, Springfield, IL:

Traffic tickets from much-despised red-light cameras will be a little easier to fight next year under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Pat Quinn.

The new law gives motorists more leeway in filing an appeal to a red-light citation and requires independent verification of an alleged violation before a ticket is issued.

The measure bans the city of Chicago and suburbs from tacking on a fee to the standard $100 fine if a ticket is appealed, a common practice that can deter a motorist from fighting the charge.

Critics say the law still falls short of what is needed, but it represented a compromise in response to the rising number of complaints that have proliferated across Chicago and suburbs in recent years. But the battle lines have been drawn between proponents who believe traffic safety improves when cameras are present and staunch opponents who believe the red light cameras are a menace that should be eliminated.

“Red light cameras in Illinois should serve the public good and improve public safety,” Quinn said in a statement. “It is important that we protect consumers by putting an end to abuse of red light cameras. This new law is a step in the right direction by properly regulating these cameras while improving the rights of Illinois’ motorists to appeal red light camera tickets.”

Other elements of the new law:

*Give drivers more wiggle room to creep up to the edge of an intersection before stopping. A complete stop would still be required before making a right turn on red, but drivers could come to a halt after the painted stop line without getting a ticket as long as pedestrians were not nearby. Drivers awaiting a green light to head straight into an intersection also could make stops past the stop line without being nabbed by a camera.

 

 Hold your horses; this law doesn’t go into effect until January 2011.