['97Trek2.0]

yesterday i got a ticket for "headlamps to be lit" but i have day time running lights. i explained to the officer that there is no way that my headlights weren't on because of this. so in fact it should be a "Defective/No tail lamps" ticket. he wouldn't budge. but then when i get home and looked at the ticket i notice that he put a check mark in the carless drving box but he didn't fill out the bottom part where you write in the citation. did he just check that to be a jerk and i'm not actually being charged with that to? I don't understand? how can i get a a ticket for not having my headlights on when i can't drive with out them on even during the day and how can he just mark carless driving also. thats like giving sombody a ticket for speeding and saying they were driving carlessly and marking the carless driving box also? so basically by not having my tailights turned on i got a 2 point no headlights ticket and a 4 point carless driving ticket instead of the 0 point no tail lamp ticket.
what would you guys do about this?


[Modified by '97Trek2.0, 1:32 PM 3-28-2002]

 

[timmybgood]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

you shoulda asked to touch his night stick

 

['97Trek2.0]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (timmybgood)

yeah right this guy was a dick

 

[EuroStyle]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (timmybgood)

Go to court with your owners manual that shows you have DRL's....and leave the anti-cop attitide at home, it will get you nowhere fast...
Sean

 

['97Trek2.0]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (EuroStyle)

yeah i know that an attitude at court will get me nothing. i was even thinking about going as far as to get a letter from the local VW dealership saying that i can't drive without them.

 

[gin8122]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

quote:[HR][/HR]yeah i know that an attitude at court will get me nothing. i was even thinking about going as far as to get a letter from the local VW dealership saying that i can't drive without them.[HR][/HR]​

Probably not a bad idea. The more legal ammo you go in with the more likely this will be dropped.
Good luck to you

 

[gti.vr6_narcissist]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

*scratches head*
that is definetely sucky.
so...did you make fun of the cops mother or something, sounds like he was being a really big d|ckhead...

 

['97Trek2.0]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (gti.vr6_narcissist)

i tried to be as nice as humanly possible. i even showed him that it was impossible that my headlights weren't on. i just flat out got screwed by this guy.

 

[BMW M Coupe]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

there is a thing on the ticket where you can write that you want to go to court instead of paying the ticket. thats what i did and the cop never showed up. so the judge dismissed the ticket.

 

[ToughGuy]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (timmybgood)

no no, you ask him how long his night stick is, then you ask him to touch it
or the policemans ball one

 

[Volkscience]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

Yeah, get out your manual, and whatever else you can get. Then bring it to court. I imagine he gave you careless driving because he thought you were driving with no headlights on... not because he thought you were speeding. I got pulled over once around sundown. It was still bright out though, and the cop cited me for not lowering my high beams for oncoming traffic. I told him I hadn't even put my headlights on, It was only my DRLs. I had to prove it to him 3 or 4 times by flicking my lights on then my brights. Totally clueless, and I didn't have anything but stock oem headlights. He didn't write me a ticket afterall... It happens, everyone makes mistakes, it just sucks when they are jerks about it.


[Modified by Volkscience, 4:29 PM 3-28-2002]

 

[2lowA4]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (Volkscience)

i wouldnt worry about it. Just make sure you fight the ticket. Did you do anything wrong? No. So take the ticket to court.

 

[charles bronson]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (Volkscience)

remember, it only takes a high school diploma to become a cop...

 

[EastCoastSponger]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

Was your E-brake all the way down? Sometimes mine doesn't go all the way down and if it doesn't your DRL's wont come on.

 

['97Trek2.0]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (EastCoastSponger)

yeah my e-brake was all the way down. i just got a brand new one put in so if it is up at all i can totally feel it. i think i got my plan. the ticket say "Headlights to be lit" so i will bring in my onwers manual, a letter from the car dealership and then i should be out of it. i hope. so many cops are crooked in colorado. it seems like atleast one gets arrested a month for f%$king up.


[Modified by '97Trek2.0, 8:24 PM 3-28-2002]

 

[Evilbeetle]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (charles bronson)

quote:[HR][/HR]remember, it only takes a high school diploma to become a cop...[HR][/HR]​

What an ignorant comment.

{dares charles to say that to an on-duty cop's face}

Hey, 97Trek2.0 didn't have his headlights on. His DRL's may have been on, but those are daytime running lights. If this happened at night, whether his DRLs are on is irrelevent. Without the headlight switch turned to the "on" position, the side markers are not illuminated, the tail lights are not lit up, the license plate light is not lit, and the instrumentation (including speedo) remains off. A lack of effort to make yourself be seen and know how fast your going will be construed as "careless" in most states. Arguing with the officer and insisting that the DRLs were on certainly doesn't win any points with the police or the judge. It just makes the driver sound belligerent (as well as ignorant) and will compel The Man to throw the book at the unfortunate driver.
Folks, don't encourage him to contest the headlight ticket. He'll go to court, the judge will ask him what position the headlight switch was in, he'll have to say "off," and the case will be closed.
Instead, if you plead no contest to the headlight charge, apologize profusely for not having it turned on, make it clear to them that you will not let it happen again, they will probably drop the "careless driving" charge. Heck, if you seem repentant and sincere enough, they might even make the headlight ticket a 0-point violation. It's amazing what a little contrition and humility will accomplish.
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

['97Trek2.0]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (Evilbeetle)

i think i like your idea evil. because that was very true, the switch was off. i also think that having the DRL will make my apology and excuse more believalbe. it was a very well lit street to.

 

[Black94GLX]

Re: cops are jerks!!! ('97Trek2.0)

From what I understand, seperate citations=seperate tickets. I also think that if he was citing you for careless driving he would have mentioned something about it to you.

 

[_GoatPunishment_]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (Black94GLX)

-leave the anti-cop attitide at home-
My father is CHP, and I know most cops don't really enjoy looking like idiot's so I would suggest going to court with your owners manual to prove your lights were on, and fighting the ticket. The cop more than likely will not show up. Unless of course he is a real idiot.

 

[spoonie]

Re: cops are jerks!!! (_GoatPunishment_)

i think since 1990-1991 all cars in canada have to have DRL - which includes low-power headlights, sidemarkers *and* taillights.
weird ticket to get, sorry if the cop was having a bad day about it

cops are ppl too
~spoonie