My picture was taken while i was making a left turn, how much would this ticket be?

Question

I was driving through downtown sacramento, running some errands in my sisters car. I am still a minor, however I do have my permit & I had someone who was 25+ years in the car aswell. As I was making a left turn at the light, lights started flashing so I'm guessing the traffic cam captured a picture of me. I'm not sure why because when I made the turn, the light was yellow. I didn't run a red light. I'm not sure if I'm going to get a ticket for this or not, but if I do how much would it cost? Will I have to appear in court?

Answer 1

You should check the Sacramento web site. Every town is different.

Generally, the fines for these camera captures are fairly low - they want to generate maximum revenue and give you a slap on the wrist without involving police or courts. They make the fines so low it doesn't make sense for you to fight it, but high enough to be a little bit painful.



In my town, I was nailed for running a red light (same as you - it was yellow when I started ...) and the fine was $50. The appeal process seemed complex, so much easier to just pay it. The ticket did not come to me, it came to the registered owner of the car - they only have a picture of the license plate.

Answer 2

If you were already in the intersection when the light changed, then it isn't a violation, so there is no fine. For example, you could have been there, in the middle, waiting for on-coming traffic to clear and allow your left turn to proceed. That traffic did not stop until it was facing its own red light, which often means that YOU were also facing a red light at that point. Perfectly legal. You then proceed to make your left turn, now that you have the right of way. That's how a left turn is SUPPOSED to work -- it's not a violation at all.

Answer 3

Wait until the notice arrives in the mail and look at the cost.