'I got another then another,' cries driver hit with automatic $130 tickets – even cops admitted technology was to blame | 92I449I | 2024-04-29 12:08:01
DRIVERS were shocked when they opened their mailboxes after thousands of incorrectly assigned speeding tickets were sent.
Speed cameras outside a school are at the center of road law debates after drivers say they received hundreds of dollars worth of incorrect tickets.
"I got another [speeding ticket] in the mail," Ann Owens, a Riverdale, Georgia, told Atlanta-based Fox affiliate WAGA-TV.
"Then another and another and another. Until I got five more in the mail."
Owens had driven through a local school zone.
Speed limits in the zone fluctuate in tandem with the students' schedules.
The street has a 35 mph speed limit.
Between 7:30 to 9:05 am and again from 2:35 to 4:15 pm, the speed limit decreases to 25 mph.
Local speed cameras caught Owens traveling 36 and 38 mph during regular speed hours.
But they still hit her with tickets for as much as $130.
Speeding cameras weren't properly synced to the reduced speed clocks, local officials told the station.
Drivers must speed at least 11 mph over the limit to get a camera-based ticket in the mail, according to state law.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> The tech issue sent around 5,600 incorrect speeding tickets to drivers, according to the television station.
Drivers received more than $500,000 in incorrect tickets.
The issue sent public officials and local drivers into a debate as they grappled with the continued use of speeding cameras in the area.
"I don't have a problem with the camera enforcing the speed zone for the kids," Owens said.
"I mean, who wants to hit a kid? Nobody."
<p class="article__content--intro"> Parking on a public street is generally legal, even in front of someone's house, experts say. </p> </div> </div> However, local police officers said the erroneous tickets are impacting local public trust.
Riverdale Police Chief Todd Spivey told the station he was debating if the speed cameras were worth the issues.
"It is sending a bad message," Spivey said.
"If it's not accurate, then it's misinforming them."
This isn't the first time the community has dealt with speed camera issues.
Residents in neighboring Jonesboro received refunds of $76,400 after a speeding camera was improperly synced, the station said.
Chief Spivey said his office is working on a refunding program for drivers who paid the incorrect fine.
"We just want the system to work to keep the kids safe, to slow people down," he said.
"But if there's problems with it, we need to fix it."
Owens said that her tickets had already been dismissed.
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