How do the cameras mounted on traffic lights work?

Question

Yesterday I was driving in Carlsbad, CA, at nighttime. When approaching a yellow light, I stopped, but the car in my right lane just passed the light in red.

One or two seconds later, I saw a blue flicker in the camera on top of the traffic light. I'm afraid that the sensor may have registered an infraction and then the camera took a picture... of my car instead of the car that crossed in red.

Or am I just being paranoid?

Answer 1

lol someones paranoid

Answer 2

Uh, it takes a picture of your licence plate when you do somehting you aren't suppose too.lol. If you were still sitting there in the red slight then I wouldn't worry to much about it. Even if you did get a ticket then you could make them bring up the pic and you'd be off the hook.

Answer 3

You're just being paranoid :)

I'm taking a course in traffic court, and i know for a fact that the red light camera only senses a car going through a solid red, when the other side has already turned green. So if you went through a yellow, you have time.  It was definately the other car that set it off.  Not to meantion, these people who observe the photos have proper training - in the same way a police officer comes and observes an accident, they can look at the positioning of the cars and determine exactly what happened.

You're in the clear :)

Answer 4

we don't know it's a U.S thing

Answer 5

paranoid, as long as you were not in the middle of the intersection, the camera is aimed there. and even if it did get your plate, you can easily debate the ticket by showing that you had stopped.

also, those cameras pick up when you do not come to a stop before making a right on red. so be careful!