Five Simple Hacks to Avoid L.A. City Speed Camera Tickets
Look out! L.A. City turned on its new automated speed enforcement cameras this week. Learn all about the program at the L.A. City Transportation Department (LADOT) program website, earlier Streetsblog coverage, or at KTLA, NBC4, LA Times, Reddit or LAist.
Click here to donate to Streetsblog, or just scroll down for how to hack city speed cameras.
1 – Only Speed up to 10 Miles Over the Posted Limit
The cameras don’t really ticket all speeders. They only ticket you if you drive 11 miles or more over the posted speed limit. So, as long as you want to wherever you want to, but keep within ten miles of the speed limit.
Even if you get a ticket, the less you speed the cheaper the ticket is. If you go 11 to 15 miles over the limit, it’s only a $50 ticket. It’s way more if you go like 150 miles over the speed limit!
2 – Only Speed Now, But Not in 2027
Even though the city wants you to believe that the cameras are live right now, they’re not! Well, sort of. For the first 60 days, the automated cameras only give warnings, which the city mails to you, then you can just throw away.
Speed all you like for the next 60 days – get it out of your system! – and then, make a new year’s resolution to not speed in 2027, and stick to it, and you’ll be just fine.
3 – Only Speed Once
Even after the first 60 day warning period, there’s a simple get-out-of-speed-jail card you can play. The city speed camera program never tickets first-offenders!
Even if you go 100 miles per hour (not recommended), the first automatic ticket that the city sends you is just one of those silly warnings, that we already told you you can throw away.
4 – Only Speed in Certain Cities
According to state law, automated speed camera programs are only permitted in certain cities. As long as you don’t speed in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, or Malibu (and Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose – but really who drives there?) you’ll never get an automated speeding ticket!
If you drive outside these city limits – like say in Santa Monica or Pasadena or Palmdale – they won’t be using fancy AI gizmos to ticket you for speeding!
And, pro-tip, even if you’re driving in those speed-trap cities, they only automatically issue tickets in locations where there’s a sign that shows the speed limit, and says “PHOTO ENFORCED.” If you have quick reflexes, you can speed in places like L.A., then when you see that sign, slam on the brakes before you pass the sign, and you won’t get the automatic citation.
5 – Carpool, Bike, Walk, or Take Transit
And, yes, you’re reading this at a pro-bike/walk/transit website, so it’s all pretty tongue-in-cheek, no?
You know you won’t get a speeding ticket ever when you walk, carpool, or ride the bus or the train. And you have to bike really fast, usually downhill, to get a bike speeding ticket.
Speed cameras save lives. Slow down so everyone can get where they’re going safely.
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