Red-Light Convictions in St. Peters Now Result in Penalty Points

In the past, drivers who ran a red light, and got caught on camera doing it, didn’t receive penalty points against their driver’s license. Recently, however, legal issues have emerged regarding the no-point policy and now penalty points have been established in St. Peters, Missouri.

Overruled Red-Light Camera Case

Things started rolling to enact penalty points when Circuit Judge Ted House properly dismissed a ticket issued to a St. Peters resident. House felt the use of the red-light cameras conflicted with Missouri state law requiring points to be assessed for any moving violation of a municipal ordinance.

“Failing to stop at a red light is by any definition a moving violation,” House said. As the city ordinance says no points shall be assessed for red-light convictions, it “is in irreconcilable conflict with state law.”

St. Peters Revised Ordinance

The new ordinance revision passed with a unanimous vote and was signed by the mayor. House’s choice to overrule a ticket conviction was the main turning point. It was argued that House’s ruling made it difficult for the city to obtain future convictions. Anyone could walk in with House’s ruling to dismiss his or her violation. Now, violators of the St. Peters red-light camera ordinance are subject to penalty points being added to their driver’s license record.

The issue with points wasn’t the only thing that changed. The revised camera ordinance also increased the maximum fine from $200 to $500. An attorney involved with the voting processes stated, “I think what this shows is how addicted cities are to these revenues.”