Got a ticket Friday...

It DRIVES me crazy 2 wrote:
> Cory Dunkle wrote:
> > I was turning right on a red. Car was coming in the distance, so I
> took off
> > quickly to get up to speed before he got close. Corner was dry
where
> I could
> > see but right around the corner near the curb was a puddle of
water.
> So as I
> > accelerated out of the turn I was first on dry pavement and
> accelerating
> > quickly (not real hard, just quick with moderate throttle). Then as
I
> passed
> > over the puddle my right tire spun real quick and then caught again
> ont eh
> > dry pavement, chirping. Car was straight as an arrow the whole
time,
> no
> > smoke, and not accelerating real hard.
> >
> > As that was happening a cop was slowing to stop at the light on the
> > intersecting road, which had changed while I was turning. Looking
in
> my
> > mirror I saw him turning around and pulled over in a parking lot,
> figuring
> > he was going to stop me.
> >
> > He pulled in and asked for my papers. I reached for the glove box,
> couldn't
> > reach, so removed my seatbelt and then got my papers and handed
them
> to him.
> > He went back to his car, and came back to give me my papers and a
> ticket.
> >
> > He told me he could have wrote me a ticket for careless driving,
but
> did not
> > because that carried points. Instead he gave me a seatbelt ticket.
I
> asked
> > hif he realized that I had not spun my tire on purpose, and as I
was
> > accelerating hit a puddle, thus the tire chirped as the pavement
was
> once
> > again dry before I let off the gas. He said how is he supposed to
> know that,
> > in such a tone as to convey that he doesn't believe me. I went on
to
> tell
> > him that if I wanted to spin my tires, there would have been a lot
of
> noise
> > and smoke, not a little chirp as I am driving normally and hit a
> puddle. He
> > again said how is he supposed to know that, and to take the
seatbelt
> ticket.
> > I told him I was wearing my seatbelt. He said he didn't see it. I
> responded
> > that regardless of whether or not he saw my seatbelt, it is
breaking
> no law
> > to sit in a parked car without a seatbelt. He then asked if I would
> rather
> > have the careless driving ticket with points, so I told him sure,
if
> I was
> > driving carelessly then that is the ticket I should get, not a
> seatbelt
> > ticket when I was wearing my seatbelt as I always do. He then told
me
> to
> > deal with it in court and it wasn't his job to argue with me. I
said
> okay,
> > and asked where the courthouse was and waht the date was. He told
me
> and
> > left.
> >
> > I then looked at the ticket and say he noted the conditions as dry,
I
> was
> > gonna go take pictures of the intersection where it happened in
case
> they
> > try to give me a careless driving ticket or argue anything like
that
> when I
> > go to court, assuming this cop even shows. As I was driving around
> the block
> > I saw the cop, so I stopped and asked him why he wrote dry as teh
> conditions
> > where it had rained earlier in the day and parts of the road were
> wet, such
> > as around the corner I turned. He told me to leave. I told him I
> wanted it
> > in writing that conditions were wet that day if he did in fact try
to
> change
> > the ticket to careless driving or bring that up when I went to
court
> for the
> > ticket. He said he didn't see any water on the ground and it looked
> dry to
> > him (hmm... just like a took my seatbelt off right in front of him
> and he
> > didn't notice), but he would go check and make a note of it. I
asked
> why he
> > would not give me a copy of such a note. He then asked how old I
was
> and
> > told me to leave, belittling me and disregarding me because of my
age
> (19,
> > will be 20 in a few days). So I left and took pictures on the
> intersection.
> >
> > I'm not sure if I should go file a complaint against the officer or
> what. He
> > disregarded me, belittled me, didn't believe me and was rude to me
> simply
> > because I'm 19. I felt very insulted and frustrated. I never spin
my
> tires
> > on the street, much less in rush hour while turning onto a major
> street.
> > Hell, that big car with a little 302 can't even spin the tires on
dry
> > pavement since I got my new BFGoodrich Radial T/As, and even when
> it's
> > raining they grip very nicely and it takes some doing to spin the
> tires.
> > Regardless, I'm a safe and courteous driver. I don't screw around
on
> the
> > street. Hell, lately on anything but interstate type of highways I
do
> the
> > speed limit or less to be sure I don't have to deal with cops (who
do
> double
> > the limit in residential zones around here and run red lights, when
> not on
> > call).
> >
> > In any case, if all this is gonna be is a seatbelt ticket then so
be
> it. My
> > girlfriend was with me and knows I wear my seatbelt every time I
get
> in the
> > car. She also saw me take my seatbelt off right in front of the cop
> while I
> > was reaching for my papers. I'm half expecting them to disregard
her
> as a
> > witness though, and believe that lying scumbag of a cop. I suppose
> I'll find
> > out when I go to court.
> >
> > Bottom line is I'm not paying for a ticket that is for something
I'm
> not
> > guilty of. If I was driving carelessly and endangering anyone with
my
> > actions when so be it, give me that ticket and if I don't feel I
was
> driving
> > carelessly I'll go to court. If I know I was doing something I
> shouldn't
> > have been, so be it, I know that and am man enough to accept
getting
> caught
> > doing something I shouldn't have been. The cop knows that chirping
my
> tire
> > on a small puddle I didn't know was there and keeping the car
> straight as an
> > arrow is not careless or unsafe, nor was it endangering anyone, so
he
> gives
> > me a seatbelt ticket and belittles me, trying to pressure me into
> accepting
> > it and believe I got off with a good deal so I pay it without
> protest. Yeah,
> > right. I'm not that much of a pushover. In the past I've gotten a
> break like
> > that when I actually was driving unsafely. I took the break and
paid
> the
> > ticket, and that was the end of messing around on the street for
me.
> That
> > was a couple years ago.
> >
> > Anyhow, it just ****es me off that cops do crap like that. I mean
> honestly,
> > if I was doing anything careless or unsafe give me the points.
That's
> what
> > points are for, to add up and get bad drivers off the road. I'd
> rather not
> > have a corrupt system and if I actually do something I shouldn't,
> take some
> > points and so be it. Not this BS like we have where even if you get
a
> points
> > ticket you just go to court and they don't even wanna hear or know
> what
> > happened, you get in a line and tell them whether or not you will
> take their
> > deal of a different fine and no points. It's nothing but revenue
> collection,
> > hence the seatbelt ticket I got. He knows a careless driving ticket
> is BS,
> > so he gives a seatbelt ticket thinking it makes him look good and
> that I'll
> > pay it instead of missing work (cops need a certain number of
tickets
> to be
> > put up for promotions, if they don't write enough tickets it's
> frowned upon
> > and assumed that they are not doing their job). By missing work
yeah
> I'll
> > lose some more money by not working than I would if I were to pay
it,
> but
> > not all that much more being as how I work part time for my
college.
> My work
> > that I actually make money on, computer work and consulting, I
> schedule for
> > whenever is convenient for me.
> >
> > Well, I just had to vent a bit, as this is frustrating. Me and the
> > girlfriend ended up missing the movie we were going to and went to
> the next
> > show. The end result was I ended up leaving for CT an hour and some
> change
> > later than I wanted to, which kinda stunk.
> >
> > Cory
>
> Cory, have to start thinking out of the box...PBA card?, get your
> driving transcript at DMV and see where you stand with points? are
you
> paying insurance surcharge? use a bike? etc.
Use a bike? What are you some kind of communist?

>
> Peter