Excessive Traffic Citations ???

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by chilicheesefries

And insurance companies are smart - they know that malfunctioning lights are really moving violations that were pleaded down and rate them accordingly.

Speaking of yellow lights/red lights, what about the intersections where you are turning left and you actually enter the intersection on green arrow and it turns from yellow to red before you are through the intersection? Any opinions on those? Especially ones with the red light radar? Do they only trigger if you cross the line after red is turned? Especially the bigger intersections like Littleton Blvd/Broadway, Santa Fe/Bowles, etc?

A friend got one of those red light photos, denied it was him in photo, nothing happened.

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by Dirty-Mill

No, can't find one. I was pulled over about 7 or 8 years ago for the same thing and given a warning. Cop told me he could legally write me a ticket as long as my tires entered the intersection when the light was yellow. He might have been full of ****, although he could argue that I was ignoring the yellow light warning by continuing through the intersection when I had time to stop.

The yellow light legal info for Colorado/Denver is vague. The ticket was for "Disobedience to Traffic Signals".

As I recall, and I am more willing to admit I may be wrong, the rule is if you are able to stop before entering the intersection you should. This always seemed rather vague since there is no way a cop can know just by looking at your car how well it brakes... my other thought was this was a way to allow the cops to write a ticket if you were flagrantly just trying to beat the red light.

[Dirty-Mill]

There's more. My manager wants to send me out of state in April for work so I can't make my court date.

I went to the courthouse today to see if I could get the insurance part of the ticket dropped (more than a month ahead of my scheduled court date).

I went down into the basement and stood in line for about 1 minute. I was then called forward to talk to this really attractive 20 something year old woman.

I presented her with my insurance info. She asked if I wanted to plead guilty, I said yes. She told me I still had to pay ~ $300 ticket. I asked her how many points I was going to get taken off my license. She said a total of 2.

Apparently the cop writing my ticket wrote a four and not an eleven (his 4 was missing the middle part and looked like an 11) before realizing that the insurance card I had presented him with was expired (my ticket should have said '8'). He then just x'ed out the bottom part of the ticket and told me to go to court.

I was happy to loose 2 points off my license. I am also happy that I don't have to go to court in April.

[AmFest]

Originally Posted by Prodigal Native

As I recall, and I am more willing to admit I may be wrong, the rule is if you are able to stop before entering the intersection you should. This always seemed rather vague since there is no way a cop can know just by looking at your car how well it brakes... my other thought was this was a way to allow the cops to write a ticket if you were flagrantly just trying to beat the red light.

The law varies by state. The Colorado driver's handbook doesn't specify what you are supposed to do at a yellow light. Some other state laws are very explicit, for example, in Oregon:

A driver facing a steady yellow arrow signal, alone or in combination with other signal indications, is thereby warned that the related right of way is being terminated. Unless entering the intersection to make a movement permitted by another signal, a driver facing a steady yellow arrow signal shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, shall stop before entering the marked crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if there is no marked crosswalk, then before entering the intersection. If a driver cannot stop in safety, the driver may drive cautiously through the intersection.

In Missouri:

A STEADY YELLOW LIGHT tells you the traffic signal is changing
from green to red. Stop for a steady yellow light unless you are
within the intersection or are so close that you cannot safely stop
before entering the intersection.

Some further examples are mentioned here: http://www.ite.org/membersonly/itejo...f/JCA82A18.pdf

To be on the conservative side, I would assume yellow light means: don't cross unless can't stop

Originally Posted by Dirty-Mill

There's more. My manager wants to send me out of state in April for work so I can't make my court date.

I went to the courthouse today to see if I could get the insurance part of the ticket dropped (more than a month ahead of my scheduled court date).

I went down into the basement and stood in line for about 1 minute. I was then called forward to talk to this really attractive 20 something year old woman.

I presented her with my insurance info. She asked if I wanted to plead guilty, I said yes. She told me I still had to pay ~ $300 ticket. I asked her how many points I was going to get taken off my license. She said a total of 2.

Apparently the cop writing my ticket wrote a four and not an eleven (his 4 was missing the middle part and looked like an 11) before realizing that the insurance card I had presented him with was expired (my ticket should have said '8'). He then just x'ed out the bottom part of the ticket and told me to go to court.

I was happy to loose 2 points off my license. I am also happy that I don't have to go to court in April.

What a great turn of events. Congrats!