$800 stop sign ticket!!!

[NemesisX]

Unfortunatly with citywide budget crunches and statewide slashing of budgets, many, MANY places are cracking down on moving violations, parking violations and anything they can do to come up with the money to help in the shortfall. Our new gov said he wouldnt raise taxes so he is looking to other ways to balance the budget. Things that we might have gotten away with in the past are going to get you stopped and fined today. Be cautious, be careful and realize that they are out to balance that budget, one way or another.

Im sure there is one bad habit or two that we all could have gotten ticketed for in the past. Today it may cost us because of shortfalls.

And we will continue to hear about tickets like this until these budgets are flush again.

 

[jjrho]

have money, no problem

got pulled over for wreckless driving 2 years ago on 91 fwy in so.calif... i actually wasn't paying attention and in order to to not hit a car in front of me, i swervedout to the shoulder and got back in.... of course the chp who was about a 1/4 mile away on a shoulder writing a ticket saw this and just about had a cow... 'cause that's how the chp guys get clipped all the time.....
he was so pissed off at me and my car (sc430 - chick car) that i didn't even bother to say anything... it was useless at that time.

long story short - i could't have a misdemeanor on my record so i hired a criminal lawyer, who turns out that he knew the prosecuting atty ( they play golf ) and is liked by everyone in the court system, etc... and he 'took care of it' for me w/o a hassle. i didn't have to show up anywhere and all i had to do was talk to him twice and send a check for $2500. and later do home traffic school for a few bucks and mine record is CLEAN !

it's not fair but $$$ talks.....

jr
02 sc430
95 nsx - worried more with this car !

 

[kenjiMR]

California traffic citation revenue is $1 billion yearly. It is impossible to not get some sort of citation in an urban area in California no matter how carefull you are. Ask anyone that lives here. In my area, it seems that the police are overstaffed and have nothing better to do than give out tickets. They ride around in uber-fancy BMW motorbikes and hand out failure to yeild to them or no seat belt tickets.

I've received half a dozen mickey-mouse tickets in the last several years living here. I'll leave CA sooner or later.

 

[ss_md]

If you think your own insurance is high, try having a teen-aged driver on your insurance with multiple tickets!!!

 

[paladin]

If you think your own insurance is high, try having a teen-aged driver on your insurance with multiple tickets!!!

Your teenager is insured to drive the nsx?!?
That must really be costing you an arm and a leg, much less with the tickets on there.

Its really just a horrible cycle, with us stuck in the middle.
cops write tickets, and generate revenue. they need new cars/motorcycles/equipment, so they write more tickets.
finally a captain comes around, looks at all the tickets, and decides that we need more cops. who then write more tickets.

Yea. CA is all screwed up

 

[DonDavis]

A cop pulls a guy over for not coming to a complete stop at the stop sign, walks up to the driver and asks for license and registration...

"Here you go officer."
"Do you know you didn't come to a complete stop?"
"Well, yes. But I slowed down and no one was around. It's called a California stop."
"Get out of the car please."

Whereupon the cop commences to beat the snot out of the driver for 10 seconds with his night stick. Then the cop nicely asks:

"Do you want me to stop or just slow down?"

Point being, laws are laws. Stop signs are there for a reason, to stop and look in every direction before continuing. Not slow down, cruise through them, etc. I don't see what's so hard about that.

 

[timothyaw]

You know as well as I do that it's almost unheard of to get a ticket for 5 kmph (3 mph) over the limit). If you got two speeding tickets, presumably at speeds for which speeding tickets are issued, then you are a bigger risk to your insurance company than someone who didn't.

Just like with speeding tickets, it's almost unheard of to get a ticket for blowing a stop sign at 3 mph - and he almost certainly blew the stop sign by going at least 20 mph, maybe more. In other words, HE BLEW THE STOP SIGN. If you don't want to get a ticket for blowing a stop sign, then don't do it in the first place. (Or do it at 3 mph.)

I don't know sometimes around here at least, EVEN if you do just barely CREEP through a stop sign they will ticket you. I think thats alot of bull! I do NOT blow through stop signs though.

 

[spartan2-3]

WTF?!?! $800 for one friggin stop sign ticket!!!

Now thats the proper definition of wasting money, you're paying for something you dont even like

 

[paladin]

Point being, laws are laws. Stop signs are there for a reason, to stop and look in every direction before continuing. Not slow down, cruise through them, etc. I don't see what's so hard about that.

Thats a typical sheepish way to think about it, inferring that a law is important simply because its a law.
That begs the question and doesnt really prove anything. Stop signs are there to briefly merge 2 or more roads that are at intersecting paths, to keep people from flying through a danger zone at 60 MPH. the 2 or 3 mph roll doesnt affect this purpose one damn bit, it just goes to show that the letter of the law becomes paramount to intent of the law.

 

[Jonathan]

Knowing the insurance policies is also very helpful. I recently made a huge mistake (on hindsight) regarding insurance and now I will also be paying for it for the next 3 years.

We hit a piece of a metal grate from the side of the road with the E55 and it tore up both rims on the right side of the car and trashed the tires pretty good. It was unavoidable given the road conditions.

Because the rims were costly, I filed an insurance claim for the $2500 (or so) damage which they accepted and paid without question or comment.

Renewal just came up, and my premiums have tripled because I have a single car accident on my California record due to hitting the debris and making a claim. Apparently by law they have to report that I was in a single car accident that I caused, giving me an accident point. I also have a previous ticket from Oregon (41 in a 35), so now I get to pay for it. To me, that's ridiculous. The amount they paid for the rims will cost me about 3X before my rates go back down, if only I had known how the insurance policies worked in California.

I do now.

 

[LeftLane]

Thats a typical sheepish way to think about it, inferring that a law is important simply because its a law.
That begs the question and doesnt really prove anything. Stop signs are there to briefly merge 2 or more roads that are at intersecting paths, to keep people from flying through a danger zone at 60 MPH. the 2 or 3 mph roll doesnt affect this purpose one damn bit, it just goes to show that the letter of the law becomes paramount to intent of the law.

What? If there is a stop sign, the law is that you must come to a complete stop before proceeding. I have yet to see a differently shaped sign that indicates a "California Roll". Who cares if most people roll through slowly? A stop sign is not a yield sign, it is a stop sign. Hence, if you don't stop, you can get a citation, and the "California roll" defense is sure to fail. I hate insurance just as much as the next guy, but this has nothing to do with your insurance company and everything to do with you getting busted breaking a traffic law.

I'm with Ken on this one.

 

[paladin]

Actually, after visiting my parents' new house in Nevada i came across some really interesting stuff. Rather than litter the road with 4-way stops, they utilize round-abouts.
Essentially, it functions similar to a 4-way except you are able to keep moving, i was really impressed.

Of course an idea such as that would never work in CA, too many cell-using-squids would doom that idea to failure.

And though i see your point about it being the law, i still adamantly believe that rolling a stop sign in many situations is as safe or safer than a full complete stop

 

[W]

91 X,

you broke the law and were caught, so now you should pay the penalty. Lame or not, you had your chance to prove your case to a judge. If you don't like how your insurance rates are being calculated, find another company.

I wouldn't think it fair for my rates to go up to include drivers like you in my 'good driver' category.

 

[hlweyl]

Let's all pretend we've never done the "california roll". Oh brother

There's a big difference between blowing a stop sign and doing the "roll" in an empty intersection.

 

[91 X]

Just like with speeding tickets, it's almost unheard of to get a ticket for blowing a stop sign at 3 mph - and he almost certainly blew the stop sign by going at least 20 mph, maybe more. In other words, HE BLEW THE STOP SIGN. If you don't want to get a ticket for blowing a stop sign, then don't do it in the first place. (Or do it at 3 mph.)

Ken, where do you come up with these???
LMAO!!!

I didn't come to a COMPLETE stop(over one second),I actually stopped and rolled through at "less then 3mph" in a quiet nieghborhood at 10:30 at night...The cop just wanted a reason to pull me over, at the time I was driving my lowered Integra, and so I got a stop sign violation ticket...Letter of the law type ticket....

so quit with the "HE BLEW THE STOP SIGN" crap, like you where there or something...

 

[91 X]

91 X,

you broke the law and were caught, so now you should pay the penalty. Lame or not, you had your chance to prove your case to a judge. If you don't like how your insurance rates are being calculated, find another company.

I wouldn't think it fair for my rates to go up to include drivers like you in my 'good driver' category.

I shed a tear for you my "good driver" friend


what ever???

 

[paladin]

Ken, where do you come up with these???
LMAO!!!

I didn't come to a COMPLETE stop(over one second),I actually stopped and rolled through at "less then 3mph" in a quiet nieghborhood at 10:30 at night...The cop just wanted a reason to pull me over, at the time I was driving my lowered Integra, and so I got a stop sign violation ticket...Letter of the law type ticket....

so quit with the "HE BLEW THE STOP SIGN" crap, like you where there or something...

wh-hoa there hoss, dont gotta go gettin excited here. its obvious he was thinking along the lines of something else when you said you had a stop sign ticket. When chatting online with people from around the world, you have to realize that many have not heard the same slang or terms as you have.
Besides, where were you expecting the thread to go in the first place?
Yea, it sucks. Yea, traffic police generally are the lowest forms of officers, and many have a huge chip on their shoulders(driving an exotic often doesnt help) Its just the world we live in. Dont blame your insurance company because they have no way of discriminating between a 3mph roll ticket and a 40-mph-talking-on-the-cell-phone-almost-killed-someone ticket.

 

[91 X]

Are you serious???

Yes.

an $800 difference in price for one lame infraction??? it wasn't like I had a DUI, or blew right through a stop sign..it was a lame ticket to begin with and you are asking me why I'm mad??? I've never had one accident or ever even filed a claim, but one "california roll" and they bend you over on insurance...

Then move to a "kinder" state.

Does that sounds fair to you?

It's really not a question of fairness.......you break law, law fines you. Lobby Sacramento if you think the fine is too high. Unless Arnold drives an NSX, nobody here can help you.

For one, it wasn't an $800 fine..The law fined me about $100 then the insurance companies times it by 8 every six months...
I'm not asking for anyones help, just expressing my disgust with the insurance system...

By the way, your signiture says "Happy V-TECing"
It sounds as if YOU drive like your engine never even sees V-TEC.

 

[W]

By the way, your signiture says "Happy V-TECing"
It sounds as if YOU drive like your engine never even sees V-TEC.

I don't think the above is called for.

BTW, why didn't you do traffic school or have you already used it up?

 

[Tony Montoya]

You know as well as I do that it's almost unheard of to get a ticket for 5 kmph (3 mph) over the limit). If you got two speeding tickets, presumably at speeds for which speeding tickets are issued, then you are a bigger risk to your insurance company than someone who didn't.

You are right about this, in my Province I don't think I would ever get a ticket for 5kmph over the limit. Sorry I exaggerated but it was based on theory.Worst I ever got was 10-14, I forget, over the limit in a 50. I was doing 20 over the limit according to my OBC and the set limit warning went off. I glanced at it to see what the gong was about and then I saw a patrol car pass me the opposite way. He and I both slowed, looked at each other, and then continued on our ways.
I guess "don't do the crime if you can't do the time" is a true statement.

 

[91 X]

I don't think the above is called for.

BTW, why didn't you do traffic school or have you already used it up?

You are right, sorry but I just don't believe anyone on here drives to the letter of the law every time they drive...It's hard driving slow in an NSX

BTW, I tried fighting the ticket because it was such a lame ticket, he basically just wanted an excuse to check me out.It was in a area known for gang activity I guess, but it was on my way to In-N-OUT for my lunch break at work...The car I was driving is what got me pulled over...But the cop showed up to court and of course I lost

once you fight a ticket, you can't take traffic school if you lose....

 

[Yellow Rose]

By the way, your signature says "Happy V-TECing" It sounds as if YOU drive like your engine never even sees V-TEC.

Well 91, you need some correcting. You see, I never claimed to be perfect like my friend hlweyl says that I am. What I did say to you and him are two things (a) if you don't like the law in your state, then move or otherwise put a zipper on your mouth (b) yes, I do engage VTEC, but if I get caught, I pay the fine and not whine about it here. Shall I get you a pacifier?

 

[Yellow Rose]

Let's all pretend we've never done the "california roll". Oh brother.....There's a big difference between blowing a stop sign and doing the "roll" in an empty intersection.

On a practical level, yes, I agree. However, on a technical level (and this is what the law is based upon, that results in a ticket) NO, there isn't a differnece.

 

[W]

Let's all pretend we've never done the "california roll".

I have to admit, I did a California roll the other day. It was the first time in many years and it felt very awkward, like changing lanes without looking. Don't they call it a Texas roll in Texas?

91 X, I didn't mean to come across harsh and apologize if it was taken that way. I agree that $800 is still $800 and it sucks to have to pay so much extra. One option is to keep your current policy and call your agent in a month. Explain to him that one offense is past its probationary period and ask if they will re-evaluate your rating because another insurer is offering a significantly lower rate.

 

[91 X]

Let's all pretend we've never done the "california roll". Oh brother.....There's a big difference between blowing a stop sign and doing the "roll" in an empty intersection.

On a practical level, yes, I agree. However, on a technical level (and this is what the law is based upon, that results in a ticket) NO, there isn't a differnece.

spoken like a true......well, lets just say anal traffic cop