Red light cameras are costing drivers big bucks across Western Washington. There is more to the system than just a flash and a photo.

The KIRO 7 traffic team receives tons of questions from viewers asking about the red light camera rules. So we tracked down the people who decide whether to give you a ticket.

Jim Morgan works for the Seattle Police Department. He watches hundreds of cars go through red lights daily. His job is to watch the video and decide once the camera takes the picture, if it is actually a ticket or not.

"Just because you see a flash it doesn't mean you'll get a ticket," explains Morgan.

He has 14 days to press accept and issue the $124 ticket.

Jim says the best way not to be on his mailing list is to pretend a cop is on each corner.

"You can see they come up and no stop at all as they go right, they slowly roll through it," points out Morgan as he watches the video. “That’s a ticket!”

Magistrate Shirley Wilson says the right turn is the one people come in to her court to fight most often.

"They come in and say you can see in the photo I stopped,” explains Wilson. “Not really. It's a still picture. Then they see the video and generally it's a rolling stop, which isn't sufficient."

David Montenegro went to court to fight his ticket.

"As you see, I'm braking the whole time instead of trying to go right through it," Montenegro said as he showed us his video.

Magistrate Wilson listened to his explanation but still pointed out he went through after the light turned red. Because of Montenegro’s clean driving record, she cut his ticket in half, down to $65.

"The good news is because it's by camera, it does not affect your driving record or insurance," Wilson explained to him.

Turning left can also be tricky. Many people are unsure if they can hang out into the intersection on a yellow.

"If you are already in the intersection the camera will not capture that time," said Morgan.

The camera will catch you if your front tires cross into the intersection after the light turns red.

If you get a ticket in the mail, you should always check it closely.

"I looked at the date and saw the time and I was in bed,” said Bee Montenegro. “Then I realized it was because my girlfriend was driving."

If you weren’t driving you don’t have to pay.

"You can fill out a declaration of non-responsibility, and it says I wasn't driving the car," said Jerry Stein from Seattle Court.

Your ticket will be canceled if you make that declaration but the court will ask you who was driving. That person could then receive the ticket.

One interesting note: Every ticket comes with a web link where you can watch the video of your car running the red light. It’s always advised you watch this before you make a decision if you want to fight your ticket or not.

“It can look different in a still picture,” said Magistrate Wilson. “Once people see the video they often leave the court before they even enter my door. You can save yourself the trip by looking before you arrive.”

This has been quite a hot topic on our web site.

Check out what people are saying at this link.

See a lawyer's tips to working out if you should fight your ticket at this link.