natman316

Hey everyone

I know this is a car discussion forum but I saw alot of ticket threads and thought you guys are pretty knowledgeable

So Friday night we went to a couple of halloween parties on campus and near downtown. I was DD for the night so I didnt drink. I went with a bunch of girls who wanted a ride back since they had been wearing high heels all night, I let them in my car.

I had 5 girls in the backseat, 2 sitting on laps. We were just driving from one side of the campus to their dorms. On the way, I ended up following a cop car in front. There was then another cop pulled over to the side. The cop car in front proceeded to stop and park infront of my for a good 20 minutes, as if they were trying to mess with me and try to get me to overtake them.

I waited for what felt like 20 minutes but then decided I wasnt drinking so I just drove past the cop....obviously dumb choice as cops around here just love to pull kids over for fun. Got pulled over and got a 110 dollar for having too many people in the back.

I wanted to ask if the cop blocking me for 20 minutes waiting for me to pull in front was somehow unfair and could help me fight the ticket? It just pisses me off the cops here just trap kids like that because they have no real crime to fight.

thanks guys

theunderlord

Aren't un seat belted passengers ticketed, and not the driver?

jordanaf

+1

That's the law in TX. For example; if myself and front seat passenger were belted, but someone in the backseat was not, the person(s) in the backseat would receive the ticket. Not sure what the officer was "messing" with you for. Was your ticket for "too many backseat passengers"?

2012C63AMG

No... And I doubt it was 20mins.... My best friend is a cop and ive ridden along with him multiple times at max he follows are car until the plates come back on the computer and its a safe place to stop the driver which can vary from 1min to 5 mins.

You broke the law grow up live with it, this is whats wrong with todays society of always trying to find some technicality to get out of things...

The crime was your cars made to hold 5 people max, you had extra people that if you would of crashed or been hit could of been hurt very badly or killed. They did you a favor, when you are driving you are responsible for 1. the action of your car 2. your passengers. If you got hit or hit someone you could of been held responsible.

natman316

yeah. here the law is whatever happens the driver gets a ticket

The cop didnt follow me, she parked in front of me in the middle of the street for 20 minutes to (presumably) talk to the cop who was pulled over on the sidewalk

Rsquad911

20mins is a long freaking time.....

You need to get a dash cam. Then you can show whoever or complain that the cop was obstructing the roadway. Still not an excuse to get out of having too many people in your car.

I dunno what to say man... The un-belted passengers should have got the ticket... If they couldn't produce a valid driver's license or government issued ID then you would get the ticket.

natman316

I think in my state the law is that the driver gets it no matter what. Which is fine, I can take it since I let the passengers in my car and I guess its dangerous (again, I'm only giving them a quick lift from one side of campus to the other).

What I just hate about the police at my campus is that they do this kind of **** to find a reason to pull kids over and try to find something they are doing wrong later. Obviously when she first talked to me she assumed I'd been drinking.

2012C63AMG

20 minutes... Really? come on... Your telling me you sat behind a cop for almost an entire sitcom episode?

Go tell that to the judge and why you dont deserve to pay $110 you will get laughed at..

theunderlord

Tell the judge that your extra passengers were intoxicated and needed to get home and you were their only ride.

natman316

I guess. I just got pissed because of the cop blocking me.. 2012C63AMG I really didnt keep track of time, but it felt like a long *** time. I'll just say what "felt" like 20 minutes ok? I just wanted to say it was a long time lol. I might exaggerating a bit idk but I know I waited for the cop for a long time waiting for them to move but then I kinda got they wernt going anywhere so I just went and over took them.

hopefully when i fight it the cop wont show up hahahaha

jordanaf

I have no doubt!! As I do live in Austin, TX, home to UT and the Longhorns, I find officers doing the same thing here. I actually do not drink, AT ALL, and have been pulled over several times for doing nothing, knowing that the officers are assuming that because I'm young(I look very young & could pass for a college student, but an actually I'm 38), that I am drunk. Upon realizing that I am not drunk or have been drinking, I have driving off w/out so much as a warning @ least 4/5 times this year. Interesting how they "target" and "profile" around college campus's.

2012C63AMG: don't get all defensive and hurt because your best friend is an officer. If natman was DD and said he did nothing wrong, why does he have to be trying to find a technicality or blame someone else?

Still seems as though your passengers should have been ticketed, unless you were running a bus out of your backseat and people were hanging out of the window?

jordanaf

Laughed at?? Really??

underlord, GREAT point!!!!! And if natman is telling us the whole story, it would be truthful. 2012C63AMG, he was HELPING drunk people stay off the road. Get off your officer's jock!

bhamg

Did the LEO make the excess passengers get out and walk or did he allow you to drive off with unbelted passengers?

bhamg

Actually IMO too many people just roll over when they should speak up. Not a comment on this specific case...I just don't know enough.

theunderlord

Ok, let me ask the important question, since no one else has; did you get laid?

CoolBDPhenom03

To add to the underlord's point...

I would say that under normal circumstances I wouldn't have done it. It was only because I was traversing the campus and not out on public roads that I allowed myself to undertake this task. I was their only transportation. The alternative would have been to strand drunk friends for who knows how long, which would be enough time for them to get in who knows what kind of trouble.

Emphasize your driving record (which is hopefully pristine) and state repeatedly that you were sober and a DD for SOME of the people. More joined than you intended.

CoolBDPhenom03

So much this!

theunderlord

Judges HATE it when local cops hand out BS tickets, it wastes their time when you contest it. Tell the judge that you were sober, and were making sure some friends got home safe, you'll be fine.

xxGenericSNxx

From what I understand if the non seatbelt wearing passenger(s) are under 16 (or 18 I forget) then the driver gets the ticket. If they're over that threshold age, then that passenger gets the ticket. At least that's how Washington State works.

MaroonC63

Cops these days really have it set out for us amgers. Ive gotten an exhaust violation on a STOCK exhaust, no front plate although it was displayed on my windshield. Don't forget, were good revenue. Even if they know we'll beat the ticket, court fees is what they care about. Also it doesn't help that you look young in a nice car, i know that from experience. I learned to never be a hard-*** when it came to talking to cops, wont do any good other than **** them off and give them an excuse to give you more tickets. In your case though, i see why it would be a problem with 6 drunk people in your car, it can get dangerous. If anything happened you WOULD of been responsible. Although i know how it feels being the one that has to be responsible for everyone else's well-being, you did a good deed keeping them off the streets and should be rewarded not punished. Eh, what the gov does for a little spare $$

theunderlord

It's jealous dumb poor cops that have it out for any young person in an expensive car. Sad, but this is the new America we live in.

MaroonC63

Agreed. I've had a cop give me 4 tickets at once, then proceeded to tell me how nice my car is and took photos on his iphone. Didn't make sense to me AT ALL.

jordanaf

+2


I had a TX DPS officer give me 2 tickets and three warnings on the same stop while test driving with paper plates. He then proceeded to ask me if I was going to buy the car. And then started giving me his opinion on why I SHOULD buy it, based on how bada$$ it was and how much he liked it.

theunderlord

I had a cop write me 7 SEVEN! Tickets in this:



Then ask me all about what I had done to it.

MaroonC63

The nerve huh?