Officer's word vs. ours

[kamari]

This absolutely sucks. We were driving west on GBTP between Preston and the tollway when we came upon a state trooper on the shoulder who was monitoring speed. I looked at the speedometer for a sanity check and we were doing 66 (the limit was recently raised to 70). We switched lanes from the center to the left as we were passing the car.

30 seconds later he's flyin up behind us with lights flashing and my GF's like "what's he pullin us over for???" He says he stopped us because of our speed and that we changed lanes without signaling.

WTF!!??

Both of us in the car were well aware that we were well under 70, and I know with 100% certainty that the signal was on when we switched lanes. He issues a warning for the speed (never did specify what he clocked us as) and a citation for the signal violation. This is nuts. Called the number on the ticket this morning to hear that its $170 for the switching lane violation. Now its on to court where its his word vs. ours.

I'm trying to keep a neutral attitude on this because I certainly appreciate what state troopers and other law officials do for us, but this is a classic case of human misjudgement and it absolutely sucks.

[texkam]

Yeah that sucks. I hate to play the stereotype card so I'll say this with tongue in cheek but it sounds like:
1. you were driving a red sports car. 2. you are young 3. you are black 4. It wasn't rush hour

I was pulled over on the interstate in nowhere CO. for not signaling. Not a sole on the road, I come up on a trooper that was going like 60 in the slow lane so I ease over a quarter mile before passing and ease over a quarter mile after. I think in this case it was the TX plates. ....or maybe I'm too cynical. He gave me a warning. In your case a warning would have accomplished the same thing. Good luck.

[kamari]

No sports car, it was a Tahoe. Some might consider me young, (I hate the fact that I have to begin my age with the preface of the number thirty. I usually just say I'm celebrating the 10th anniversary of my 21st birthday). I'm gonna try to stay far away from saying it was a racial thing. I can understand how it could have been interpreted as we switched lanes without signaling. I'll admit that the turn signal was turned off before we were fully in the lane, but the signal d@mn sure was on before the turn began and thru the majority of the lane change. We gave a demonstration of how the turn signal operates when you tap it. He acknowledged that but still insisted that we never even did that.

[cooltouch]

It sucks when the subjectivity of a "highly trained" peace officer ends up costing you a hunk of money -- and time (traffic school, eh?).

But it sucks even worse when you get caught up in a blatant revenue generating scam, which is what happened to me (and dozens of other drivers) one morning back in January. Apparently the HPD spotted an intersection on I-10 that had ambigous left turn directions, and they were doing a land office business taking advantage of the ambiguity. About a week later, after I'm sure a few folks much more influential than I fired up some folks in the Mayor's office, directions on "proper" left turns were hastily erected at that intersection. How convenient. Covering up their transgressions.

I hired a lawyer, determined to fight it, and even then it comes down to who the jury will believe, me or the cop. The lawyer didn't hold out much hope, though, so I took his recommendation and went for deferred adjudication. Cost me $200, but at least I didn't have to screw with traffic school.

I have a few friends who are cops, and I have a lot of respect for what they do to keep us safe, and I appreciate that their jobs are often thankless, especially with all the bureaucratic political correctness going on these days. But I draw the line at blatant underhanded practices like this.

In the OPs instance, I am reminded of the unreliability of eyewitness accounts. What one thinks one sees is often not what one sees. But how to prove it?

Michael

[Tom]

Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt flies right out the window on something like this. Who cares if your rights are trampled? Revenue-generating cop is right and you are wrong, no matter what the truth is. They can't actually prove it, but the courts dont seem to care.

[texkam]

He acknowledged that but still insisted that we never even did that.

So what purpose does the ticket really serve? Whether you signaled or not, being pulled over, I think you got the point, so that leaves revenue. Look how much anger and disrespect has been created. How much does that cost? Sigh.

[Atfulldraw]

Sorry to hear it.

How long until we all have the ability to record (and more importantly, play back) a video of what happens in and around your vehicle?

I guess you could set up a recording system -- they have dash cams, why not level the playing field??

Lots of new cars already monitor and record events that happen prior to an accident -- this seems like a possible next step.

[kamari]

Careful there...that may hurt the average driver a thousand times before it'll help him

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by Atfulldraw

Sorry to hear it.

How long until we all have the ability to record (and more importantly, play back) a video of what happens in and around your vehicle?

I guess you could set up a recording system -- they have dash cams, why not level the playing field??

Lots of new cars already monitor and record events that happen prior to an accident -- this seems like a possible next step.

I seem to remember a news story that manufacturers are starting to put "black boxes" on cars so that in really serious accidents they can see the last 14 seconds or so of the cars/drivers actions

[athompson]

I'm in Houston, around 1989. I park at a meter and go in for a meeting. Come back out, meter is not expired, but I have a parking citation. I see that it has been timed for the future, when the clock would have run out.

I drive around for a few minutes looking for a meter person so I can prove I hadn't earned the citation. Found one but they refused their badge number.

So ... I drive to the courthouse and get a parking lot ticket which is timed at almost the exact same time as the parking citation.

I go inside (not knowing any of the procedures) and they tell me that the only option is to go to court. I join the queue to get a date.

They won;t give me one because the number on my British drivers licence is too long for the space on the computer screen. Go back the next day (as requested) with my passport. Supervisor says I wasted my trip and gives me a date.

Night court! They offer to halve the fine for anyone who pleads guilty. Not a chance. Court begins and I'm called forward. I show the judge that I was physically somewhere else at the time of the ticket. His final offer is to split the difference on the fine.

I'm fined $2. And then they won't take a check...

-ANDY

[texkam]

His final offer is to split the difference on the fine. I'm fined $2

Should have appealed. :)

In Dallas, I had a meter person write me a citation as I was shooting a pic literally across the street. I fed the meter but it apparently expired faster than it should have. Drove over to City Hall, showed them my pics with the argument "I was only there long enough to get these shots. It worked, they notified me by mail the citation was dropped. Thank you Dallas!

[C!LLY]

I was driving in Houston on my way home from Florida back in March. I was going through the toll and it was around 11pm and as I came out of the toll it looked like the lines on the road shifted, so I "shifted" with them. Apparently I changed lanes without signaling. I got pulled over by a constable. I showed him all of my info and asked why I got pulled over. He told me and I asked if the lanes shifted over there because it looked like they did. I had all of my luggage, dog, kids, and dog kennel in the truck and another constable comes over and asks me "are you traveling?" while the first one was running my info. I wanted to hand him his "sign" and say nope...I live in my truck in this parking lot. I ended up getting a warning, but it took like 45 minutes off my trip and I really wanted to get home. I didnt get home until almost 3am because of that and had to go to work at 8am. Wasnt fun.

[SCone]

If it was me.... I'd turn it over to my attorney and let him handle it..... move on with life

[groovyone]

Parents are using GPS to challenge an officer's claim against their kid:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/18/r...ng-citation-w/

If they win it could be very interesting.

[sldi]

plead not guilty. find out the officers schedule, then get a court date that is on his day off. Chances are he won't show up in court and since there is only you, you win... at least that is what some of the books say to do about a false speeding ticket.

On the parking issue someone spoke of.. back in the 70's while I was in high school. We parked on the streets around the school and one of the students parked in a normal spot as usual only to come out after school and see a newly erected "NO PARKING" sign and a ticket on her windshield. She went to court over it along with our government class, she won and is now a lawyer.