Red light ticket :(

[dullard]

I know there are hundreds of these posts. If you don't like my post, don't read it.

Just got a ticket supposedly for running a red light. I was turning right. The light was yellow as I crossed the crosswalk, but it did turn red while I was turning. Cop was on a motorcycle on the street where I was going to. He had time to pull out the motorcycle, turn around, and pull me over before the oncoming traffic had a chance to move (so that is one piece of evidence that I didn't run a full red light).

Oh well, thats $100 down the drain.

The thing that bothers me is that 3 years ago I was driving when someone ran a red light and hit me. I was given a ticket that time since the officer said she could run a red light if it turned red while within 5 feet of the crosswalk. So now I've gotten a ticket for both. One of them therefore must have been incorrectly given to me.

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: dullard
I know there are hundreds of these posts. If you don't like my post, don't read it.

Just got a ticket supposedly for running a red light. I was turning right. The light was yellow as I crossed the crosswalk, but it did turn red while I was turning. Cop was on a motorcycle on the street where I was going to. He had time to pull out the motorcycle, turn around, and pull me over before the oncoming traffic had a chance to move (so that is one piece of evidence that I didn't run a full red light.

Oh well, thats $100 down the drain.

The thing that bothers me is that 3 years ago I was driving when someone ran a red light and hit me. I was given a ticket that time since the officer said she could run a red light if it turned red while within 5 feet of the crosswalk. So now I've gotten a ticket for both. One of them therefore must have been incorrectly given to me.

thats the part that would piss me off...

 

[Medicine Bear]

Were you on a cell phone?

 

fight it man!!

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Medicine Bear
Were you on a cell phone?

No I don't own one.

 

[Queasy]

Go to court and contest it.

 

[SouthPaW1227]

You should've shot the cop with his weapon.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Go to court and contest it.

Yeah...and be sure to print a copy of this thread so the courts know how silly their police officers are for wasting their time with stupid tickets.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

$100 is nothing. Depending on the intersection (don't ask me how that works) the signs say that there is a $350-$425 minimum fine around here. And of course, they have cameras and short yellows (2.7 seconds vs. 3.3)

 

[maziwanka]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
$100 is nothing. Depending on the intersection (don't ask me how that works) the signs say that there is a $350-$425 minimum fine around here. And of course, they have cameras and short yellows (2.7 seconds vs. 3.3)

i'll have to agree here. my parking tickets from NYC were 120 a piece.

 

[733SHiFTY]

Yeah, definetly contest.

In the past two months, i've had two speeding tickets, for 17 and 22 over the limit (47 in a 30, and 87 in a 65). I went to court for both of them, and before the trial started, the DA offered to reduce, the 17 over to parking on pavement, and the 22 over to running a stop sign. All in all, I ended up with a little over 125 in fines ($50 and $75, respectively), which is nothing compared to the uncontested cost, around $500 in fines, and tons more on insurance costs.

However, this might be because they were given to me in the middle of nowhere (little falls, and bethlehem NY), and the state trooper didnt feel like showing up.

Still, 40% of the time the cop doesnt show up, so right there you have a chance of getting off free.

Fight the power, and dont let the man get you down

 

[Legendary]

If you have records from your old case, bring them in to court and point out the obvious contradiction you pointed out here. Ask the judge how both parts of the law could be true.

 

[Jeraden]

Originally posted by: dullard
The thing that bothers me is that 3 years ago I was driving when someone ran a red light and hit me. I was given a ticket that time since the officer said she could run a red light if it turned red while within 5 feet of the crosswalk. So now I've gotten a ticket for both. One of them therefore must have been incorrectly given to me.

I don't understand this one. What were you doing wrong that you got a ticket?

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Jeraden
I don't understand this one. What were you doing wrong that you got a ticket?

I didn't give her the right of way. Even though it was red for her, she supposedly had the right of way to be in the intersection. So in the collision, it was supposedly my fault.

 

[spanky]

prolly worth fighting... insurance and dmv surcharges = butt rape

 

[piasabird]

In Illinois it is illegal to enter an intersection after the light turns green untill the intersection is free of traffic. This is a kind of catch-all Rule. Even if the light is green and you go you cant just run into people running a red light.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: Jeraden
I don't understand this one. What were you doing wrong that you got a ticket?

I didn't give her the right of way. Even though it was red for her, she supposedly had the right of way to be in the intersection. So in the collision, it was supposedly my fault.

BS... I would have taken that to court w/o a doubt. although, I'm a little confused, was the person who hit you a cop? or just that's what the cop said when she got there?

if that person was a cop.. the only way they'd have the right of way is if their lights were on

 

[jlee]

Take it to court..maybe you'll win

if that person was a cop.. the only way they'd have the right of way is if their lights were on

In the state of FL, an officer running a light assumes personal liability for any accident resulting in said action (hence why many/all here almost stop before entering the intersection if the light is red)..not sure how it is elsewhere, though..so technically they have right of way, but they're really careful about it. Again..not sure how it is everywhere else.

 

[isekii]

i'd be more worrieda bout the points than the $100 fine.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: SouthPaW1227
You should've shot the cop with his weapon.

Then morphed into his form, affording you the perfect disguise of authority to hunt down John Conner with.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: isekii
i'd be more worrieda bout the points than the $100 fine.

Points aren't an issue for me. I've only had two tickets in 13 years of driving (both mentioned in this thread). And I did a stop class for the first to avoid points. I'll probably pay the $60 for stop class again. Insurance is another issue though. I think I needed to be free of tickets until October (3 years from my accident) for it to not affect my insurance (I need to find out if the stop class will help me here).

Edit: I guess the stop class is just $60. The price must have decreased.

 

[AdamMT1618]

You should take this case to court.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: lnguyen
BS... I would have taken that to court w/o a doubt. although, I'm a little confused, was the person who hit you a cop? or just that's what the cop said when she got there?

if that person was a cop.. the only way they'd have the right of way is if their lights were on

It was my word vs hers. I said she ran the red light. She said she didn't know what color it was (but later changed her mind and said it was green). The cop told me that it probably was red, but from my description she was close to the crosswalk (less than 5 feet behind) when it turned red. So he said she had the right to go those last 5 feet, cross the crosswalk, and enter the intersection. The officer who taught at the stop class agreed with the cop.

 

[Medicine Bear]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: lnguyen
BS... I would have taken that to court w/o a doubt. although, I'm a little confused, was the person who hit you a cop? or just that's what the cop said when she got there?

if that person was a cop.. the only way they'd have the right of way is if their lights were on

It was my word vs hers. I said she ran the red light. She said she didn't know what color it was (but later changed her mind and said it was green). The cop told me that it probably was red, but from my description she was close to the crosswalk (less than 5 feet behind) when it turned red. So he said she had the right to go those last 5 feet, cross the crosswalk, and enter the intersection. The officer who taught at the stop class agreed with the cop.

WTF? That is some messed up logic.

 

[KarenMarie]

He will probably just claim that you were not in the crosswalk when the light turned yellow, and you should have stopped at the yellow.

I would try to fight it, but I would also fully expect the judge to side with whatever the cop said. They usually do.

Good Luck though. I hopeyou fight it and win.