Photo radar is basically a computer system hooked up to a radar speed gun, with a camera attached. What happens is when the radar gun detects a certain speed the computer triggers the camera to take a picture of the front and rear of the vehicle aiming at the license plate and the driver. Afterwards, the citation is written up and mailed to the driver at their registered address. Its all very neat and simple for the law enforcement agency.
However, it is extremely easy to beat this type of ticket in court. Your easiest defense is to simply throw the ticket away. If it does not come with a return receipt that requires a signature, there is no proof that you actually got the ticket and they cannot prosecute you on that. What the legal system wants you to do is just send in the fine and not ask any questions. This can be a big money maker for some communities. One other form of defense to utilize on your behalf is the fact that when you are accused in court you must be faced by your accuser. Obviously the computer cannot appear in court as a defense method for the prosecution. Also, you do not have to identify yourself as the driver of the vehicle because it would violate your sixth amendment rights against self incrimination. There are two ways to beat a photo radar unit, and basically make the photos useless in a court of law. First, remove your front license plate. At the worst you could get a minor repair ticket, which would be very easily corrected. Or you could put a clear coat of paint over the license plate. The coat allows you to read the license plate with the naked eye, but causes an extremely high glare on the camera lens and therefore the numbers underneath the glare are indistinguishable.
Potential sources of defeating the ticket are usually not needed simply because statistics show that most of the radar photo pictures are not legible because either the license number cannot be clearly read, or the make and/or model cannot easily be determined, and the driver is obstructed and therefore cannot be identified. The photo radar speeding ticket is one of the easiest to defend against, most cities and states have abandoned the system all together.
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PHOTO RADAR UNITS