A ticket-busting smartphone app ceased operations in Los Angeles, San Francisco,
and Oakland; medium-sized jurisdictions, like Kern County and Fresno County,
are probably next.
Co-founder David Hegarty claims that Fixed has thrown out 10,000 parking citations since it launched in 2013. But the service’s relationship with these cities has been strained, to say the least, with officials in San Francisco offering especially stiff resistance. When the city refused to accept parking ticket challenges that were submitted online, Fixed began faxing them in, until the city turned off the machine. Fixed also accuses the city and Xerox of conspiring to block the app from the city’s website; the company and the city of San Francisco both deny these allegations.
Parking tickets generate about $130 million per year in revenue for The Golden Gate City.
Speeding Ticket Defenses
As defenses in court, the Fixed app largely relies on technical defects on the ticket. While some tickets are thrown out on this basis, relying on these errors is almost as misguided as hoping that the officer will not show up. There are several other methods that are infinitely more reliable, such as:
- 85th Percentile: If the speed limit is not in line with the vehicle traffic on certain types of roads, the roadway in a speed trap under VC 40802. For example, if the average speed in 65mph and the speed limit is 55mph, there must be a current engineering study on file that justifies the difference.
- Special Circumstances: Children must be present in a school zone at the time the ticket was issued in order for the lower speed limit to apply.
- Missing Signage: Over time, signs are run over, covered with graffiti, hidden behind red light cameras, or otherwise obscured. While “ignorance of the law is no excuse,” drivers cannot conform to a speed limit if they do not know what the limit is.
Even if they cannot get the ticket thrown out, experienced lawyers can leverage these defenses, and others, into reduced fines or points.
Getting Legal Help
The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.