I got hit with the "Move-over" law ticket and... (Raleigh: lawyer, insurance)

[ALT-X]

Originally Posted by jbognar

I don't like cops because of the tactics they use. In my friends case, she should have been given a warning, since she had never even heard of this law, and shouldn't have been expected to given she was from Illinois. But instead, she was shown no leniency because the cops are trying to 'send a message'.

And I don't like the law because it didn't allow for warnings for out-of-staters. And I'm fighting it by expressing my dislike of it on this message board!!!

Tactics they use? The number one tactic people use when interacting with cops is telling us they've never heard of a law before or were unaware that what they were doing was wrong! Are we suppose to believe every person who uses this "tactic" and gives us the same story we hear from everybody else???

The cop wasn't "sending a message" as you put it. The cop was doing his job and by giving your friend a ticket the cop exhibited one of the traits a cop must possess to be successful in law enforcement, being UNBIASED!!! The best cops are the honest unbiased ones who treat everybody the same and don't try to look for excuses not to cite certain individuals for violations. I'm unbiased when I work and will cite you whether you're handicapped, good-looking, ugly, polite, rude, etc... Too many people want to be given a break and not be held responsible for their own actions whether it be for something minor or major.

If you are going to say you don't like cops at least have a good reason for saying so...

[OmegaBaby]

Originally Posted by ALT-X

Tactics they use? The number one tactic people use when interacting with cops is telling us they've never heard of a law before or were unaware that what they were doing was wrong! Are we suppose to believe every person who uses this "tactic" and gives us the same story we hear from everybody else???

The cop wasn't "sending a message" as you put it. The cop was doing his job and by giving your friend a ticket the cop exhibited one of the traits a cop must possess to be successful in law enforcement, being UNBIASED!!! The best cops are the honest unbiased ones who treat everybody the same and don't try to look for excuses not to cite certain individuals for violations. I'm unbiased when I work and will cite you whether you're handicapped, good-looking, ugly, polite, rude, etc... Too many people want to be given a break and not be held responsible for their own actions whether it be for something minor or major.

If you are going to say you don't like cops at least have a good reason for saying so...

Geeze...I'm sorry if my reason wasn't good enough for you!

It seems like it would be pretty simple to maintain a database of warnings given out. After all, isn't that the kind of stuff you have computers in your cruisers for?

[southernlady5464]

I don't like cops because of the tactics they use. In my friends case, she should have been given a warning, since she had never even heard of this law, and shouldn't have been expected to given she was from Illinois.

Actually, IL has it's own version of the "move over" law.

Approaches to 'Move Over' Laws Vary from State to State

Currently ten states lack any form of a move over law. In alphabetical order they are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

And ignorance of another state's law is no excuse. Liz

[OmegaBaby]

Originally Posted by southernlady5464

And ignorance of another state's law is no excuse. Liz

I don't buy that. How are you expected to know every nuance of laws in every single state that you drive in, especially when those laws conflict with each other? If you drove through Illinois, and they just enacted an obscure law that you never heard of, would you be perfectly fine with it if you got a ticket?

THAT'S WHAT WARNINGS ARE FOR!!!!

Perhaps they should start requiring written drivers license tests at the border!

[ALT-X]

Originally Posted by jbognar

Geeze...I'm sorry if my reason wasn't good enough for you!

It seems like it would be pretty simple to maintain a database of warnings given out. After all, isn't that the kind of stuff you have computers in your cruisers for?

Written warnings are not kept track of since they mean nothing. The only thing that means anything in any court is being officially cited for a violation. I don't know what agency pulled your friend over but the Raleigh Police Department doesn't make it a practice to give people warnings for misdemeanor violations (like the move over law). A misdemeanor is an arrestable offense so a person who is cited for any misdemeanor (including simple ones like forgetting to sign your registration card) is already getting a break by not being arrested. Now for infractions we have a lot more leeway and give warnings (both verbal and written) more frequently. An example of an infraction would be an expired car inspection or not signaling before changing lanes.

Your reason for hating cops was amusing to me because I encounter attitudes/opinions like yours when I'm working and it just shows how no one wants to take responsibility for their actions anymore, no matter how minor. You should not hate cops for enforcing laws, you should dislike the law and try to change it. That's not easy to do so maybe if you are a "hate" type person you should direct your anger towards all the congressmen and others who make the laws.

Don't worry, I'm never take opinions like yours personally, it never bothers me or affects the level of service I offer to the citizens of Raleigh. I'm a true professional and know people who think like you are all over the place. Attitudes like yours are good because it keeps me motivated and they certainly provide us all with good entertainment...

[playnice]

Hire an attorney. From what I hear, the courts are tough on these tickets and they come with quite a few points to your license. Seems worth the time, trouble and money, money, money to have an attorney (esp in Wake County).

[Chimp]

Actually, when I am visiting another state and I will be driving...I make it a point to look up common driving laws. Like for instance...The law that states you must have your lights on if you have your windshield wipers on. Now in Oregon we did not have that law but many other states do. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse...as it says in many drivers manuals and many states even post that on signs. And I am sure that many out of staters (myself included) break laws and do not even realize it....Your best bet is to do what is most safe. Example....if there is someone on the shoulder, you should move over. This should be common sense. It is the SAFEST thing to do. Why would you NOT move over?

[southernlady5464]

Well, since the move over law is law in 40 of the 50 states, the chances are pretty good, I would have moved over or slowed down.

And since I just moved here from another state that also has the move over law, I do move over or slow down.

If I get ticketed for ignorance of the law in another state, so be it. MY fault for not knowing it. Liz

[ALT-X]

Originally Posted by jbognar

I don't buy that. How are you expected to know every nuance of laws in every single state that you drive in, especially when those laws conflict with each other? If you drove through Illinois, and they just enacted an obscure law that you never heard of, would you be perfectly fine with it if you got a ticket?

THAT'S WHAT WARNINGS ARE FOR!!!!

Perhaps they should start requiring written drivers license tests at the border!

That's what warnings are for??? Are you kidding me.... Warnings are used to prevent someone from doing something before they do it... EXAMPLE: Do not mix gasoline with fire... EXAMPLE: Do not swim unsupervised... EXAMPLE: Do not drink and drive.... If your child is going to drive your expensive sports car you might say to him/her, "Have fun but don't drive fast".... Those are all warnings and those are examples of when warnings are supposed to be used. A warning is a preventative measure used to alert others to possible danger, injury, etc...

You don't warn somebody after they've already broken the law. If you travel to a foreign country you try to learn about the rules/customs so you don't get in trouble you weren't aware of and you should do the same in any state you visit. Failing to do so is your own fault if you get in trouble. I know not to speed in VA because the troopers don't play around up there and won't give breaks to anybody including another law enforcement officer... TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS, I can't emphasize this enough...

[jfre81]

Hate to say it, but NC drivers are reaping what they have sown.

I used to routinely see people fail to make way for emergency vehicles - even changing lanes so as to block them from passing through traffic to get where they need to go. It is probably the most boorish and selfish act a person can do behind the wheel, aside from hitting a pedestrian and neglecting to stop and render aid.

Once such incident nearly had me getting killed last summer on Cleveland School Road. Narrow two-lane two-way road. One way was occupied by me. The other was occupied by a guy in a truck pulling a trailer - and a speeding 500+gallon capacity ladder-equipped fire engine speeding behind it, lights and siren. Then we have Bubba in the truck with the trailer, who didn't care to pull off the road or pull into the subdivision road (actually our subdivision road - we were going home. The road loops around and Bubba would not have had to do any tricky maneuvering with his trailer to get turned right around where he was going. Instead, the fire engine (those do not stop on a dime, btw) ended up having to go into the opposite lane (where I was) to avoid rear-ending Bubba and knocking him halfway into Wake County, and I had to park the car in the ditch to reduce NC's 2006 traffic fatality count by two. Thankfully I managed to work my way out of the ditch and back onto the road without having to be pulled out (it helped that it had been dry).

My fiancee was in the car with me. She was in a state of shock for four hours. At least one of us kept our calm.

As for Bubba, well, I have no respect for the Bubbas on the roads out there. I hope it was Bubba's house that was on fire.

The cop in the OP's story sounds like he was a jerk, and I know first-hand about how NC cops deal with out-of-staters. I only observed the move-over law because A) I did that as a courtesy to start with before it became a law and B) it became a law in Texas around the same time it did in NC. So it was nothing new. Deal with it, and put yourself in the place of that officer who has to get out of his cruiser just mere feet away from someone speeding by at 60 mph just because they're in a hurry to get where they're going.