My First Traffic Violation in 59 Years Cost me a Fortune

Red Light Cameras

Last week, I incurred my first traffic moving violation in 59 years of driving here in the US. The sad part is I did not even realized I had run through a red light at the intersection of Sunrise and Folsom Blvd here in Rancho Cordova.

However yesterday I received a notice with pictures of my car and me in that intersection. There was a telephone # to call to pay for the fine without going to traffic court. The fine had to be paid in 90 days. I immediately called that number to find out how much was the fine. I waited for an hour for the answer but I was number 25 in the waiting list. I hung up and this morning I called at 8AM. I was still number 5 waiting on line. After 20 minutes, I was able to talk to the clerk and she gave the following information.

The fine was $500 payable now and within 90 days. This penalty maybe refunded if I signed up for traffic school. Signing up for traffic school I still have to pay in advance $552 and wait for a couple of months for a possible refund. Since I do not have the time to attend traffic school I decided just to pay $500 via my credit card and my case was closed. The $500 fine was a shock. I thought my penalty would be around $100.

How come I was driving at the Sunrise/Folsom Blvd intersection on March 3 at 11AM, about 7 miles from home? To be honest I was lost on my way to purchase a new dishwasher. I was on my way to the Sears Outlet store at the intersection Of Coloma Rd and Folsom. I do not have a GPS system in my car. I looked at the map quest prior to driving since I had not driven in that area before. I overshoot up to Sunrise and had to turn back to Coloma Rd. When I looked at the photo, I realized why I did not see the red light. The red light sign was at back of my car so I did not see it.

What a day that was! The dishwasher cost me $600 ( includes delivery and installation), but my fine of $500 makes it one of the most expensive kitchen appliance I have ever owned. Watch out for video cameras( Big Brother in the Sky) for traffic violation and enforcement.