Rental Car Companies Are Giving Away Your Personal Info to ATS

You didn't think THEY would pay your fines did you?
I'd have to dig to find the last rental contract I signed, but I have no doubt it states they'll either charge you or turn over the info to the appropriate entities if you use the vehicle improperly.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is also a clause that allows the companies can add additional charges as well.

They should have forwarded the information to the consumer, similar to what they do for missed tolls, etc.

I don't see what the problem is either. I'd prefer them do that than have my rental rates go up because of all the traffic fines the rental company has to pay because they can't collect it from the renter.

Be aware of your surroundings and there will be no problems!

The problem is lack of due process.

When a cop pulls you over he has your license, etc to check.

When a camera takes a click it is indiscriminant, and could issue the ticket to the wrong person. This is especially true for corporate rentals, where employees could be sharing a rental car.

This again is a fundamental problem with cameras - they do nothing to prevent the problem - ie speeding, red light running. It is only about the money.

A real cop could stop the driver and nip the behavior on the spot. Safety, not revenue, should be the main goal. These cameras are nothing but revenue generators.

Problem is if you're not driving the vehicle. Ie a shared rental, etc.

More proof that cameras are not for safety, but another tax.

Use a service like Bank America's Shop Safe when you rent a car....problem solved.

I would rather keep rental car company from this than they tell me "you have unpaid fine(s) from last rentals" when I rent again.

I can see both sides of the discussion here. However, I think it's wrong and I don't like it.

You have due process, just go and defend yourself against it, your car is a different story but then since ticket pictures have the time on them you know who was driving it at the time.

The camera does Nip the problem right on the spot, even gives a glossy picture for your records.
What do you mean they do nothing to prevent the problem? only a total idiot would speed or run that light again.

Of course they are revenue generators,We all know that. If you drive with your head there really is no problem now is there.

People don't really expect a rental car company to pay their tickets do they. When you rent a car you have a contract with the company, in essence making the car yours for the rental period. Unlike just lending your car to someone, where you are responsible for the car as owner. (it's not like you don't already know this.)

You talk about corporate rentals, and employees could be sharing a rental. Ticket pictures have the time it was taken on them and a good employer should know who is driving their cars at that time thus passing the ticket on to them for payment.

I don't agree with the cameras either, as a mater of fact I'm part of the grass roots movement to have them removed from Cleveland. I use the camera files from the Poi-factory to be aware of my surroundings at all times, and don't worry about the cameras plus I drive responsibly.

I wonder what the company does when two or more sign up as drivers of a rental car. It seems then that there could be some legal requirement in identifying the actual driver should the car be observed running a red light.

Don't some rental cars now have black boxes in them that will record speeds actually driven and then charge their own "fine" for excessive speeds???

I guess it depends on the laws of the jurisdiction - in New York, the ticket goes to the registered owner of the vehicle, regardless of who is driving. On a rental, even if more than one driver is listed, there is usually one person responsible - they sign the agreement, produce the credit card, etc. Anyone else is an "additional driver" on that person's agreement.

This is the way it is in Chicago as well.

Very unfair and does not follow the ideal of justice and holding people responsible.

Very big money scam.

...and you are responsible for its operation.

In New York, RLC tickets are not considered moving violations, with points and all on your license. It is more in line with a parking ticket. If you let a friend use your car and it gets a parking ticket, you, as the registered owner, are responsible for the fine. Whether or not you get your friend to cover the cost of the ticket is another matter.

I got a love letter in Chicago for a midday parking overlap, 3 minutes after the allotted time had passed. It was forwarded to my home, and I paid it. I'm used to NY. You don't park there all day....

. . . I DO love the way they clean up bad behavior at a historically dangerous intersection.

Red light runners continue to endanger themselves and everyone else at these locations, but in far fewer numbers once the cameras went up. And call it what you will, it's quite all right with me if they are compelled to contribute to the local authority's coffers.

That few see the video evidence and choose to contest the fine is IMO enough evidence to convince me as to the accuracy of the issued ticket(s). The numbers speak for themselves.

More to the topic in the OP, I'm always appalled upon discovering new ways businesses devise to share their customer data with 3rd parties, and the loopholes and fine type employed to continue without the customer's actual knowledge.

OTOH, my car rental fees already subsidize enough bad behavior behind the wheel by other renters that I wouldn't want to see RLC fines factored into the costs. When it comes to privacy and responsibility issues, society spends an awful lot of time and lawyer fees struggling with where to draw the line(s).