PHOENIX — In the latest effort to try to make our streets safer, the city Phoenix continues to move forward with plans to bring back red light cameras.

Traffic court attorneys say drivers need to know a few things about their rights if they get a ticket for running a red light.

A notice that your car may have run a red light normally comes in the mail.

“It looks like a ticket, a real-life ticket, but it’s not,” said attorney Christopher Corso.

Corso says the state has 90 days to officially give you the real thing.

“This is just their way of trying to get you to pay, take the class, address it, call the court,” Corso said. “But you have the right to be formally notified.”

Red light violations also carry additional penalties over other tickets, such as speeding.

Attorney Candy Maruffo of MayesTelles says drivers should get to know them before thinking paying the fine will make them go away.

“It actually comes with two points on your license, traffic survival school, which is an eight-hour class you have to take and pay for, in addition to any fines you pay,” Maruffo said.

The state is also responsible for proving that you were the driver, which is sometimes difficult if there are obstacles in the picture.

Sometimes you’re not behind the wheel and someone else is driving your car.

“If it wasn’t you, you can nominate who it was and say ‘this was the person driving,'” Corso said.

This can still cause problems for the registered owner, especially if they need a clean driving record to keep their job.

“I’ve seen with clients, they don’t really understand and they think they can go to court and pay a ticket and it will go away,” Maruffo said. “Then their license is suspended, their job is suspended and they can’t get it back.”

Both attorneys say their firms, MayesTelles PLLC and Corso Law Group, will answer preliminary questions about your red light tickets for free.

“I want everyone to understand their rights, and I don’t have to charge a fee to do that,” Corso said.

The city is still working to see which intersections the cameras will be located in Phoenix. The council wants them up and running by autumn 2025.