Well....I don't know if you can call it "legal advice" but it concerns a couple of tickets I got last week.

In California, apparently, it is illegal to make a right turn at a 4 way intersection without coming to a complete stop. I was never aware of this but maybe that is my fault. Anyhow, the first night I got the ticket, I was cool with it because it was my fault. The second time, I slowed down to almost a hault but I did not come to a complete stop because it was not really necessary. Both tickets I received after midnight, with no visible traffic or pedestrians. The second time, the police officer strolled to my car with a cigar in his mouth and started giving me attitude right away, yelling at me that I would kill someone driving like that... No traffic, clear night, no people walking, I looked both ways, and resumed my right turn. Is there ANY way I can try and get the second ticket overturned or anything like that?

This is seriously going to prevent me from getting my S2000 this summer. My insurance is going to sky rocket and I'm not going to be able to afford the insurance and the payments at the same time. I need to find a solution or I will no longer be able to buy this car. I need help and help quickly. ANYBODY!?!?

 

nobody...?



nobody ever responds to me anymore.

 

Sorry, mrkim019. I'm a lawyer, but this does not really qualify as legal advice. You blew it. Stop at those stop signs. The law doesn't say anything about time of day, lack of traffic, etc. And, nothing says that a cop can't have an attitude. Sorry, you got no one to blame but yourself.

Marc

 

 

Oh, and it wasn't a stop sign. It was a stoplight.

 

Doesn't matter . . . .

 

umm Mr Kim..... I'm assuming the stoplight was RED?!

In which case, yeah that's kind of a problem. Who cares which direction you're going, you stop at red lights, isn't that self evident

In the unlikely scenario that it was green, you would be able to fight it with no problem, but I'm assuming again that it was the scenario above and it's probably a good idea for your own sake you got a ticket.

 

mrkim019,

Personally, when I'm making a right turn at a red light, and there's no traffic coming down the street, I also never come to a complete stop. I used to, but after realizing that it's rather pointless, and after nearly being rear-ended several times when doing so, I no longer do it.

That having been said, the law says you're supposed to come to a complete stop when the light is red, so unfortunately, you're probably pretty much shit outta luck.

 

How is it a good idea for my sake that I got a ticket?

Just think about the situation and try to be in my shoes. I'm not arguing that it's fine to blast through that red light. It was late at night, NO VISIBLE TRAFFIC FOR 20394823409 yards, I slowed down to a crawl just to make sure and coasted through the turn at around ~5 mph. Do you guys honestly, at the wee hours of the night when no visible soul is out on the street, that you follow ALL traffic rules? I know most of you have not done so and you would be lying to yourself in thinking that you do.

I just think this infraction is one of the stupidest rules and stupidest tickets that I have ever gotten.

 

And I don't do this in the daytime. That I'm not lying about.