Traffic cams are becoming much more common in areas around the country. This is the case because it allows police to focus on other things beyond low-level traffic stops. However, there is also a large conversation around the legality of camera-generated traffic citations. Recently, a lawyer took to social media to give his input on whether drivers have to pay these citations. 

There’s much confusion around traffic citations from the cams

Recently, Lawyer Kevin Kennedy took to his popular TikTok account to address traffic cams and the citations that they generate. He begins his video, “You get a traffic light camera ticket in the mail. Caught red-handed, or maybe not.” He then starts the conversation about whether drivers have to pay these citations. According to him, the burden of proof is on the “them,” and drivers should actually go to court because the state may not be able to prove they were speeding. 

The attorney doesn’t stop there regarding traffic cams and their citations for speed and other violations. He also says that different states have varying ways of handling this new technology. For some, these traffic citations are civil violations and not criminal. If they are civil, they can’t force drivers to pay without taking them to court. Kevin Kennedy believes most states that make it civil violations won’t go through the court process. Additionally, the man says that cameras don’t understand the context like a police officer would during a traffic stop. For example, going through an intersection on yellow or avoiding crashes. 

Ultimately, the attorney says drivers don’t have to pay these traffic citations without question. Still, readers should check into their local laws as well as reach out to the courthouse to ensure they don’t create more issues for themselves.