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If you have a red light ticket in Georgia, understanding the state’s relevant laws is your first step in fighting the citation.

After all, there are two types of red light violations in the Peach State, and each of them entails its own fines and penalties. A successful challenge in court will free you of paying hefty fees and increased insurance premiums.

Keep reading this article to learn all that you need to know about Georgia’s red light tickets and how to fight them in court.

Types of Red Light Tickets in Georgia

In the Peach State, there are two types of red light citations that you may receive: A ticket from a police officer and one from a camera.

Red Light Tickets from a Police Officer

You will get a ticket from a police officer if they catch you crossing an intersection when the red traffic light is on.

How much does a red light ticket from a police officer cost?

These citations could cost you up to $1,000 in fines.

Will points be added to my license?

Yes, 3 points are added to your license after a police officer tickets you for ignoring or disobeying red light rules. This is important because your license may get suspended when you accumulate 15 points in 2 years.

Red Light Tickets from a Camera

Some Georgia traffic lights have installed cameras that detect, photograph, and automatically cite those who drive past a red signal. Camera-issued tickets have different fine amounts and penalties from the ones that a police officer would hand you.

How much does a red light ticket from a camera cost?

Firstly, the owner of the vehicle incurs a $70 fine, regardless of whether or not they were driving it when the camera caught the car crossing a red light.

Secondly, those who don’t pay the ticket amount or challenge the citation in court within 30 days will face $25 in late fees. Moreover, they have to pay a further $25 penalty for every 30-day period that goes by while the ticket remains unpaid, up to a maximum of $100 in late fees.

Will points be added to my license?

Luckily, no points are added to your license when a camera catches you violating red traffic light rules. In the same vein, your auto insurance rate isn’t impacted by a camera-issued citation.

How to Fight Your Ticket in Georgia

If you received a ticket for crossing a red light, here is what you would have to do to challenge it in court:

• Check the payment due date on the ticket and confirm that it isn’t past due.
• Read and follow the instructions that are included on your ticket for how to prepare for your hearing.
• Hire a traffic attorney, which is something that we strongly recommend.
• Assemble and organize your evidence.

When you gather your proof, you want to make sure that it’s related to the defense argument that you (or your attorney) will use in court.

Defenses for Red Light Tickets in Georgia

Georgia’s traffic laws consider the following defenses to be acceptable for red light violations:

• Bad Officer View: Police officers are required to be able to clearly see whether or not you were fully stopped behind the line. Otherwise, a traffic judge might consider their view as insufficient and become more likely to rule in your favor.
• Bad Camera Position: Similarly, cameras must capture an image that encompasses your license plate and the color of the traffic light in the same photograph. When they don’t, traffic courts will consider your citation as an invalid one and, as a result, dismiss it.
• Medical Emergencies: If you were in a rush and had to drive through a red light to attend to a medical emergency, you need to prove it in order to successfully fight the charge. Traffic courts accept documents like hospital forms as evidence.
• Poor Timing: When you cross an intersection right as the yellow light is turning red or if the camera didn’t take the photograph in a timely manner, a judge will probably accept your defense.
• Unsafe Conditions: In a few words, you aren’t required to stop at a red light in situations where it is unsafe to do so (for instance, the car behind you was going too fast). However, those who rely on this as a legal argument should be ready to watch the camera footage and demonstrate to the judge why it wasn’t safe to stop.

Working with an experienced traffic attorney is one of the best ways to improve your odds of winning in court.

Hire an Attorney Through the WinIt app to Help You Fight Your Ticket!

With an app like WinIt, you don’t need to worry about researching traffic laws, trying to fight your ticket, or defending yourself in court. Instead, WinIt’s experienced attorneys take care of all of that (and more) for you.

Not only will a successful court challenge to your ticket prevent you from getting points added to your license, but it could free you of any monetary and non-monetary penalties. You also save a lot on insurance!

Above all, we don’t expect you to pay a dime until our partnered traffic lawyers successfully represent you in court. Even then, we only charge you a percentage of your original ticket amount. Click here to start fighting your red light ticket in court. With WinIt, you save plenty of time, effort, and money!