I was pulled over today!

michael_w

I don't know aout NJ but here the speed limit is the speed limit. It doesn't matter if everybody else is doing 70 in a 50 zone, you have to do 50 otherwise you risk getting a ticket. If you just say that you were following the flow of traffic they'll probably laugh at you.

More often than not if you are pulled over for speeding and you're just going along with the traffic flow it's probably because you also did something else (like sped up to pass someone).

heiney9

kingsqueak wrote:

Or the guy ran your plate before he decided to pull you over....which can be a bit shady as they aren't supposed to run the plate unless you did something wrong (though since the advent of mobile terminals, everybody does this)....and if they see you have a previous record, they could then decide you have done something wrong and pull you over anyway (this happens _constantly_ particularly in the suburban revenuer mode of policing).

That's what happened to me. I was coming back from Subway after lunch heading back to work. I was pulling out on a 4 lane route thru town and as I was pulling into my owm lane a police car passed in the other (going the same direction). I had turn signal on, etc. For about a mile the police car is about 4-5 car lengths ahead of me. I'm in the right lane she's in the left lane and she starts to slow down below the speed limit, so I make sure I'm atleast going the speed limit (don't want to speed) and she continues to slow down almost 10 mph under the speed limit, I pass in the normal flow of traffic and she eventually pulls in behind me and follows me real close for about 1-1.5 miles more.

I come up to a stop light and signal to turn right on the road that my work is on. After about 3-4 blocks, her still following me, I turn into the parking lot at work and pull into a parking space she pulls perpendicular behind me and the lights come on. I'm like WTF . She asks me if my plates are for my car, I say well what does your computer say......of course these are the plates for my car. She could obviously see on her screen. She said your plates come back as expired. I said well if you look at the sticker (in Illinois we have different colored stickers for each month of the year and in big letters it says '06) you can see it's current. She walks up to the car and rubs the sticker like it's not real or something. She says well it comes back expired. I show her my license and registration (which shows it's current) and then we BOTH discover my DL expired on my b-day and I forgot about it. Damn!!! More money for city.

I got a ticket for $50 all because for no apparent reason (I asked why she ran my plate and she said because it was expired) she ran my plate randomly and wouldn't answer when I asked why she ran my plate. I have a normal car I was dressed in work clothes coming out of restaurant at lunch time in a busy business area with the correct color and year tag. Plus my car is not very common anymore so I know it wasn't because of a similar suspicious vehicle. I was very angry that she could just randomly run plates and pull me over for soemthing that she could clearly (visually) see was not an issue. That's the kind of crap that gives cops a bad name, IMO. I mean atleast be honest with me when I ask why you ran my plates. You expect us to be honest and forthwith when you are asking questions.

H9

MacLeod

michael_w wrote:

More often than not if you are pulled over for speeding and you're just going along with the traffic flow it's probably because you also did something else (like sped up to pass someone).

Or have a 20' long, 7' tall solid white Dodge Ram 4 door. They tend to stick out so when John Q Law is sitting on the side of the road with his little lazer gun, he will be drawn to the big white truck and see that Im doing 67 in a 55 even tho everybody else is going 67, Im the one that gets nailed. Then when he sees Ive got a CDL, his eyes light up and Im screwed!

brettw22

I've been driving around a LOT here in IL and IA and they've been using Laser a lot more than I've experienced in the past...... (my radar detector doesn't lie).....

I'm seriously considering getting a laser scrambler...

1996blackmax

Today I called the nice lady that helped me out earlier, she was the supervisor I spoke with. She said the paperwork was faxed over to Sacramento, where the head office of the DMV in California is. She really got on the ball with this. She received my stuff on Tuesday (I mailed it out over night on Monday), and got this to the judge, and then out to the DMV the day after. She was nice enough to also check the DMV records, which now show nothing. All is clear .

george daniel

Okay,, I'll bite,, what's a CDL

heiney9

george daniel wrote:

Okay,, I'll bite,, what's a CDL

Commercial Drivers License

exalted512

CDL is what big rig drivers have to have. But getting a ticket is 10x worse than a regular license. Youre on a points system and if you get too many tickets you lose your license, then youre out of a job. Also, if you get into a wreck, even if it wasnt your fault, you get penalized for it. I dont know all the exact details, but its very, very strict.
-Cody

98thumpin

dude i hope it gets straightend out for ya

MacLeod

exalted512 wrote:

CDL is what big rig drivers have to have. But getting a ticket is 10x worse than a regular license. Youre on a points system and if you get too many tickets you lose your license, then youre out of a job. Also, if you get into a wreck, even if it wasnt your fault, you get penalized for it. I dont know all the exact details, but its very, very strict.
-Cody

Yup. They dont classify wrecks by your fault or not, its either preventable or non preventable. Many truckers have been screwed over by some dumbass running a red light and slamming into the cab of the truck as it passed thru the intersection. Well guess what, thats a preventable accident. They figure if you were hit in the front then you shouldve seen he wasnt going to stop and avoided it.

1 preventable accident on your record and you wont get hired by anybody good til its off. Same with tickets, you have 2 or more and youll not get a job. You cant go to defensive driving class either, once you get a ticket, its on there forever.

This and the EVIL trucking companies are why I got out of trucking.

98thumpin

i got pulled over for a stupid inspection sticker yesterday on my way to work
86 doller fine for a damn sticker.

bobman1235

Even worse - it's considered a moving violation, and therefore points on your license, at least in NH / MA. I'm STILL paying for my expired inspection sticker from 4 years ago.

98thumpin

well i live in virgina but still its a damn sticker big **** deal u know. i mean yeah i could understrand if i actually did something bad no its a sticker,

george daniel

once in georgia,I got a ticket for not having an inpesction sticker,on a car that was registered in another state,(which did not require one),went to court and the judge threw it out--had to take the day off though

1996blackmax

I am just glad I can drive again........... At least legally

MacLeod

Inspection stickers are the biggest load of crap every. And dont feed me this "safety" crap either. Its a fee grab plain and simple.

They just started one here in Hamilton county. The dimwit politicians caved in to the communist environmentalists and so we have to have a emessions test done before we can get our tags. Its caused so many problems its not funny and there is a huge uproar over it. A buddy of mine has a late model Lexus and failed the inspection cause his computer was acting screwy. $1400 to get it fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant wait til I move back into Georgia in a few months.

1996blackmax

Better for the environment though .

exalted512

down with ozone!
-Cody

MacLeod

1996blackmax wrote:

Better for the environment though .

Give me a break! Its about more taxes and bigger government and thats all its about.

1996blackmax

Try driving around in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or even here in San Diego. When coming driving on certain road I could see the smog over the city.

1996blackmax

I do not agree with elevated fines for not having your sticker, but your car should be at a certain limit for pollution.

Kirk

Buy an SUV.. No emissions inspection just safety. You can thank Al Gore for that...

MrNightly

kingsqueak wrote:

Or the guy ran your plate before he decided to pull you over....which can be a bit shady as they aren't supposed to run the plate unless you did something wrong (though since the advent of mobile terminals, everybody does this)....and if they see you have a previous record, they could then decide you have done something wrong and pull you over anyway (this happens _constantly_ particularly in the suburban revenuer mode of policing).

I don't know where you worked the street, but that is the stupidest statement I've ever heard. Nothing on your vehicle, especially the tag, is private. Hence, the tag. Anyone can copy a tag number down, especially police. I would ALWAYS run tags, and it the furthest things from "Shady" in the book. All tags are fair game... when I wore blue, I made tons of arrests off warrants on tags. Run the tag, find a warrant, book 'em. Probable Cause in the tag.

Anyways, had to comment on that.

Out

PoweredByDodge

tisk tisk tisk -- if you can't pass emissions, it means you're **** with equipment that is mandated and controlled by the federal government during vehicle manufacture. either that, or said equipment broke down, in which case, it is covered, by law, by the manufacturer for 8 years or 80k miles... www.epa.gov.

MacLeod

MrKnightly is right, and to get technical about it, a tag is government property. Evidenced by the fact they can take it back and/or suspend it. Just like your drivers license is government property.

And no Vinny, it can also mean that some tiny, trivial part of the computer isnt working properly although the car is running just fine. Emissions testing is a crock and a revenue source plain and simple. It has no effect on the "environment".

And the reason for smog is because of the volume of cars. I dont care how much emissions testing you have, you stick a billion cars in gridlock on the freeway for 8 hours a day and I guarantee you youll have smog. And smog is mainly cosmetic. Its not **** up the atmosphere or depleting the ozone layer. If you consider the ENORMOUS size of the atmosphere, thinking the amount of smog is damaging the atmosphere is the same as sitting in a row boat in the middle of the Pacific with a dropper of black dye thinking youre going to change the color of the ocean. Not only is the atmostphere tens of thousands of miles across, its also a couple hundred miles thick. We couldnt destroy the atmosphere if we wanted to.

1996blackmax

I guess all that data is incorrect..........

For us who live in these areas, having cars that are gross polluters is a problem. I know that you can fail emissions due to sensors. Heck I had a heck of a time passing the test just because my computer sensors said they were not ready. Took me a while to get them to kick in. The car's emissions were fine, just those monitors would not kick it. I think that is ridiculous.

1996blackmax

Also if enough of drops of oil fell it would be an issue. Just because someone is dropping a little "oil" and ours are small drops too, it does not make it right to drop oil in the ocean.

MacLeod

Dude, you know that on the oceans floor there are geysers of oil spewing into the ocean up from the earths crust at the rated of millions of gallons a day? This has been going on for eons. Notice that there arent any pools of oil on top of the ocean and its still blue?

This planet has been here for BILLIONS of years and bigger than most people can comprehend. We couldnt change the climate or destroy the oceans or atmosphere if we wanted to.

exalted512

you obviously havent seen the Day After Tomorrow
-Cody

MacLeod

Oh you mean one of the DNC's recent sci-fi political ads?

Now go ask a scientist about that movie and watch him ---->