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A Missouri man reached out to the Just Answer website’s “Ask a Lawyer” page with a dilemma. He’d received two separate speeding tickets from an automated police traffic camera in Arizona. The only problem was that he wasn’t speeding in Arizona. His daughter had been driving his car. An expert revealed that he might be able to get out of the speeding ticket, even without throwing his daughter under the bus for breaking the law.

You might think that the owner of the car would have to reveal his daughter was driving it in Arizona, leaving her with an expensive speeding ticket. That is, if he wanted to avoid getting a ticket himself. But a lawyer on JustAnswer.com revealed that the car’s owner might have a third option. If he could simply prove that he wasn’t driving the car, he well could get out of a speeding ticket. And in certain jurisdictions, he might not even need to reveal who was actually driving. But the expert warned it would depend on the jurisdiction.

There are two ways that automatic traffic camera speeding tickets can be enforced. In the first situation, the investigating officers need to prove someone was driving and speeding–then give them a ticket. So if the photos of the speeding car don’t show the owner, the ticket is null.

In the second situation, the owner of the car is responsible for it speeding–even if they clearly weren’t the driver. In such jurisdictions, the owner would need to prove who was driving the car to escape having the speeding tickets land on their record.

The car’s owner asked if a scan of his driver’s license–with picture–would be sufficient proof that he wasn’t driving it. The lawyer on JustAnswer.com explained that if the vehicle owner wanted to contest the ticket, he would need to show up in court. In Arizona.

So would he need to turn in his own daughter for speeding? That completely depends on the local laws. The expert recommended the vehicle owner just contact the municipal court and ask what would happen if he proved he wasn’t the driver but refused to identify the driver.

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.