Received a parking ticket from a camera? You might not have to pay it

Many drivers who receive a parking ticket by mail from a municipal camera rush to pay it, but an investigation by Channel 13 News reveals that many of these fines may not be legal at all. It turns out that the field of parking enforcement using cameras suffers from a lack of serious oversight.

Hila Freiman Kariv, an expert with over 15 years of experience in the field of enforcement and co-founder of SAFER PLACE, warns:

"There is no regulation, there is no standard. Everyone interprets it as they wish."

The chaos in question receives alarming backing. A recent report by the State Comptroller reveals an alarming jump in the number of surveillance cameras over the last two decades: in Jerusalem there was a 47-fold increase, in Petah Tikva a 67-fold increase, and in Be'er Sheva an unprecedented figure of 271-fold was recorded. State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warned:

"It is unacceptable that no authorized body knows how many surveillance cameras there are and what their technological characteristics are."

Beyond the potential infringement on privacy and the fact that procedures have not been updated for eight years, drivers are forced to wait for long months until the fine lands in their mailbox. So how can you know if the fine you received is legal?

First of all, the law requires the local authority to place clear signage near the cameras. In addition, for the report to be valid, a human inspector must review the documentation within just ten days from the moment the offense was committed and decide whether to approve the fine, while strictly maintaining the privacy of innocent citizens. The municipality is also required to keep and present the documentation of the offense. If one of these conditions is not met, it is quite possible that you have grounds for cancelling the ticket.