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Fighting a Traffic Ticket in Court - UPDATE: I WON!!!!!!!!!!!

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Jdurg:

--- Quote from: patrickl on January 10, 2008, 06:44:15 am ---
--- Quote from: Kremmit on January 10, 2008, 01:59:13 am ---Get a stopwatch and measure the duration of the yellow.  Then measure how long it takes to get through the intersection, assuming you approach the intersection going the speed limit, and then slow down to a safe & reasonable speed to make the turn you were making.  If the yellow isn't giving you enough time from the point of no return to your exit from the intersection, then prove it to the judge- mathematically, and/or with a videotape.  (Don't videotape yourself speeding, though, unless you want another ticket  :D

--- End quote ---
That would work if he claimed that he was crossing the light just as it turned yellow. His claim is that he passed the light just as it went from yellow to red as stated in his first post:

--- Quote from: Jdurg on January 09, 2008, 07:21:57 am ---I was passing through an intersection when the light turned red as my car was directly underneath it.  Thus, my front half of the car was inside the intersection and the back two wheels were behind the "line".
--- End quote ---

JDurg, I'm surprised how you misread the traffic light code.

--- Quote from: Jdurg on January 09, 2008, 11:13:07 am ---Yellow: Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal is thereby warned that the related green movement is being terminated or that a red indication will be exhibited immediately thereafter, when vehicular traffic shall stop before entering the intersection unless so close to the intersection that a stop cannot be made in safety
--- End quote ---
You passed the trafficlight when the entire yellow period was over. Thus you were not close to the intersection when the yellow light came on that you could not stop. That would be when you are under green and the light just changes in front of you.

Basically you have to stop for a yellow light unless you really cannot stop safely. You ran through a yellow just going red and that's not allowed. So you get a fine. Pretty simple.

--- End quote ---

What you guys aren't understanding is the traffic light itself is located in the intersection.  Here in the state of CT, the intersection is defined as the area where two or more roads meet and the intersection itself is the space beyond the white stop line which is present on each road.  At EVERY stop light and stop sign there is a white line in the pavement.  It is required by LAW to be there.  You MUST stop before this white line.  If you progress pass this white line, by the law of the land you are IN THE INTERSECTION.

At this intersection that I am being ticketed for, the white line that denotes the start of the intersection is about ten yards BEFORE the traffic light.  They can't errect a pole in the middle of Route 1 for the traffic light.  So the light that is applicable to the road I was travelling on is located in the middle of the divider that separates northbound and southbound.  I was past the line and should have typed "light" in my initial post.  Sorry about that. 

But this isn't a case where the traffic light is directly above where the stop line is placed.  At this intersection they can't physically place it there.

patrickl:
So you are saying you were driving along the intersection for a "long time" already before the light turned red and that in fact you were crossing the line just after the light went yellow?

BTW funny how the color is different. Americans call it yellow, us dutch folk call it orange and the australians call it amber.

missioncontrol:

--- Quote from: patrickl on January 10, 2008, 12:06:48 pm ---BTW funny how the color is different. Americans call it yellow, us dutch folk call it orange and the australians call it amber.

--- End quote ---


yeah and in Japan they call a green light blue :dunno

shardian:
I think you should cite that scene in Beverly Hills Cop II about the yellow light in your defense.  ;D

ChadTower:

It always makes me laugh when someone I know goes up to NS and one of the first things they say is "WTF is a blinking green?!  I don't know what to do!"

 :laugh2:

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