We receive a number of calls every month about the automatic red light tickets generated when people run through a number of intersections in the Baton Rouge area.
Our general position is that you can pretty safely ignore the tickets.
A recent article in the Advocate said that fewer and fewer people are actually paying these tickets. The City of Baton Rouge recently renegotiated a contract with the company servicing the cameras around town. They are hoping to make over $500,000 more in revenue monthly. About 6,900 tickets are issued every month around town; yet, only about 38% of people actually pay their tickets. The numbers have been steadily dropping for several years with a lack of enforcement.
The city does not have the power to suspend your drivers license or registration on your vehicle. They can boot vehicles they find on the street. Still, they have not done that, and there are probably no plans to take any action. One local resident owes over $26,000 in unpaid tickets and is driving around without consequences.
With the exception of New Orleans, which actively boots cars, no city in the state has taken aggressive measures to collect unpaid tickets.
My advice remains the same...If you want to give your money to the city, go ahead and pay the ticket. Until there are consequences, I cannot recommend my clients pay fines and fees that are otherwise uncollectible.
