Red Light Ticket for turning on red

I received a $150 ticket in the mail a couple of months ago. Anyway, I admit that I made a right on red at the intersection. To my defense, my drivers manual said that you can make a right turn on right. I don't remember, but I thought that I came to a complete stop. I'm a good driver, so I can't imagine that I didn't stop. Also, there wasn't a No Turn On Red sign posted. Long story short, I decided to fight the ticket. Check out a picture of my so-called illegal maneuver and tell me what you think.

As you can see there is a gray Volkswagen Bug in front of my car. They are going through the red light. They should have received the ticket. Now you see why I thought that the ticket was sent to me in error. Also did you notice that the camera took a picture of my car behind the line. How do you get a ticket before you commit the crime. I was tagged before I went through the light. I denied the ticket through the mail-in Adjudication Service. Yesterday, I received a hearing record saying that I'm liable for the ticket. Did they even look at the picture? Adjudication's response was that I didn't come to a complete stop. WHAT THE???? How does a camera tell if I came to a complete stop. This is crazy! My next thought was to appeal the decision. Unfortunately, you can't appeal it in person. You have to send in the amount of the ticket and a $10 appeal fee, which brings the total up to $160. Absolutely Ridiculous! What type of craziness is this? There goes the money for my new digital camera. :-(

The moral of the story is make sure you come to a complete stop before proceeding right on red, or expect a red light camera ticket in the mail.

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