If you've been on the Loop 101 in the past year heading toward Scottsdale and beyond, you've undoubtedly slammed on your breaks. Hopefully you narrowly missed having a candid camera moment with Scottsdale's often-criticized photo radar system.
Whether you believe Scottsdale is grubbing for money or simply trying to save lives, cameras are stationed on the seven-mile stretch of highway that runs from Shea Boulevard to Scottsdale Road. If you travel 11 or more miles above the speed limit, you can expect a camera flash and a ticket in the mail.
Motorists can also find cameras on certain Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Chandler intersections, as well as photo radar vans in Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe.
While SPM doesn't endorse dangerous driving, we understand how easy it is to speed. So here's what to do to get out of paying your photo radar ticket, or ideally, avoid getting ticketed at all:
Hide
Ignoring your ticket altogether is your best bet for getting away without paying, but it comes with consequences. Under Arizona law, if motorists don't respond to their tickets after four months, they must be dismissed. However, the city often sends servers door-to-door to surprise ticket-ignorers and collect their fines.
Sgt. Mark Clark of the Scottsdale Police Department says ignoring a photo radar ticket will get you a personal visit. "If they choose to ignore [tickets], then a court officer or process server will visit them and provide actual in-person service," Clark says.
Dick Baranzi of the photo enforcement unit of the Scottsdale Police says a person shouldn't ignore a server.
"If a finding is made by the court that the citation has been 'served' and the driver does not respond, there is a finding that an infraction was committed," Baranzi says.
Clark says if people are faced with ticket servers, they must take care of the citation, or their license will be suspended.
On the bright side, your newfound reclusive lifestyle could help you avoid the blistering Arizona summer ahead.
Fight the man
For those who are serious about avoiding penalty, check out Roy Reyer, known as Radar Roy, and his line of products designed to beat photo radar. Reyer is a retired law enforcement officer and certified traffic radar instructor who has set up business in Wickenburg. He says he started selling these products because he feels photo radar is about cities making money, not helping drivers stay safe.
"We sell a lot of anti-photo radar stuff," Reyer says. "Our most popular is the NavAlert ($225), which is a GPS-based system that alerts people of the traps in advance. We have sold several hundred in the Phoenix-area alone. It is a big seller."
Reyer mentions that because the NavAlert is simply a GPS system, it is completely legal to own and use. Clark confirms that these devices are legal in Arizona.
A bevy of other products are available on Reyer's Web site, photobuster.com, including a photo radar spray that makes your plate invisible to cameras ($20) and a line of license plate covers that reflect the camera's flash ($25). But Clark says drivers need to be aware that these products are illegal.
"A license plate must be visible from any angle of view," says Clark. "If it is obscured when an officer observes it, the driver can be issued a civil citation for illegible display of a license plate."
Plan accordingly
Know where you could get caught. Permanent camera locations are listed on cities' Web sites. Weekly lists of photo radar van locations for Tempe and Mesa can also be found there.
"We provide this information [on the Web site] to the public in the hopes that they will use it," says Brandon Banks, public relations officer at the Tempe Police Department.
Have some morals
If you feel guilty about messing with the law, you could try obeying it. You can still speed up to 10 miles over the limit without a camera snapping your mug, and you'll probably be safer.
If you do get the dreaded ticket in the mail, you can take comfort in at least knowing that your misfortune might help others. While there is no proof that photo radar saves lives, the cameras do affect driving habits.
"The data we processed from our 2006 test period showed that the cameras slowed drivers down and created a safer environment on the freeway," says Clark. "Photo radar and photo enforcement on the streets of Scottsdale has showed similar results over the past 10 years."
Reach the reporter at: amanda.fruzynski@asu.edu.
