Silly Traffic Ticket (San Antonio, Howe, Anton: house, dangerous, safety)

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by Rasero

First of all, it is silly because there was no one behind me, except the cop. Second of all, I wasn't even in the left lane for that long (less than one minute) before he pulled me over. I'm a very good driver and also get ticked off at people driving in the left lane, I am NOT one of those people who drives slow in the left lane. They deserve the tickets.

Regardless, there was a vehicle behind you and you failed to move over to allow them to pass. If you read the law I posted, you will realize you violated it and had the unfortunate luck of doing so in front of a police officer who actually enforces this law. I say good on him!

It is the same for people who think they can sit in the far left lane doing the speed limit and blocking traffic from passing. Little do they realize that they are breaking the law when they do this! Texas law requires you to move to the right to allow traffic to pass on the left. As a matter of fact, it is technically against the law to pass on the right side. So inasmuch as people like to act all righteous when they sit in the left lane doing the speed limit, they are in fact breaking the law.

You can probably request deferred adjudication or take a defensive driving course, but regardless the first thing you really need to do is acknowledge the fact that you were indeed breaking the law!

[svg210]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

Sorry, you were breaking the law...



...and you deserve your "silly" ticket! If you want to look it up, it is under TITLE 7. VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC, SUBTITLE C. RULES OF THE ROAD, CHAPTER 545. OPERATION AND MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES, SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS of the Texas Transportation Code.

I agree, I'm glad that they are finally enforcing the laws. but to the OP now you'll know for next time. It does have more of an effect when there is no traffic as you said. Left lane is for passing.

[Rasero]

Originally Posted by kevcrawford

But you DID break the law. Didn't you?

Not on purpose.

[Rasero]

Originally Posted by eastontracks

i don't get why you were in the left lane. were you passing a vehicle? if so, the cop wouldn't have stopped you. it seems you turned onto the left lane just because, then you saw the cop and decided to switch back to the correct lane. a minute or so?? you prob drove a few miles at least which is indeed a nice stretch.

you mention you don't like seeing people drive slow in the left lane, yet you were going 68 on the far left lane?

oh wait, now you say you were going less than a minute. hmm. now the story just keeps changing.

Story hasn't changed. I looked at my speedometer when he pulled me over, it was 68 mph. It wasn't much more than a minute if it was even that. The cop turned on his lights (unmarked vehicle) while I was in the left lane. I said everyone else was going around the same speed I was. No one was trying to pass me, I would have moved over if they had. It all happened so fast anyway! I drive down that stretch of road about 4 times a week and never drive in the left lane; the only reason I was there in the left two lanes was because I was going to take the I-35 N exit later down the road, which are the two left lanes of the freeway where I-10 and I-35 meet up.

Sure hope you're not my prosecutor.

[Rasero]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

Regardless, there was a vehicle behind you and you failed to move over to allow them to pass. If you read the law I posted, you will realize you violated it and had the unfortunate luck of doing so in front of a police officer who actually enforces this law. I say good on him!

It is the same for people who think they can sit in the far left lane doing the speed limit and blocking traffic from passing. Little do they realize that they are breaking the law when they do this! Texas law requires you to move to the right to allow traffic to pass on the left. As a matter of fact, it is technically against the law to pass on the right side. So inasmuch as people like to act all righteous when they sit in the left lane doing the speed limit, they are in fact breaking the law.

You can probably request deferred adjudication or take a defensive driving course, but regardless the first thing you really need to do is acknowledge the fact that you were indeed breaking the law!

The only vehicle behind me was the cop, if there were any others they were at least 4 seconds behind me, doing exactly what I was doing.

I'm not one of those self-righteous people that sit in the left lane going the speed limit. I usually run up on them and flash my brights at them to get them to move over.

Sure, I admit I broke the law if you get down to the technicality of it. But it was unintentional and I have my reason for doing so.

I bet you 100 bucks you broke the law also today, if you went at least 1 mph over the speed limit.

[spursfan]

I hate people that sit in the left lane too, but it looks like you just got really unlucky. My father got a ticket for not slowing down 20 mph while passing a stopped policemen a few months ago. Yeah it's pretty bogus and I would be pissed, but you were breaking the law. And most everyone breaks the law every day by speeding, but we don't get caught

[Rasero]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Let's put this one to rest. I broke the law (inadvertently), I'm not a habitual self-righteous left-lane driver, and I hope the judge dismisses my case because I'm a good driver. I'll bring up the case of what happened to me the day before (see earlier post, I almost got hit by an SUV at an intersection and a good cop was there to catch the idiot) and say I'm grateful that the cops are enforcing these laws, even if I was "caught in the act", as it were.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by Rasero

I bet you 100 bucks you broke the law also today, if you went at least 1 mph over the speed limit.

Maybe so...but we didn't get caught...you did.

[kevcrawford]

I truly do hope that the judge dismisses the ticket, but you can't expect the cops to know what you did and didn't do on purpose.

Think about it...any time a cop stops anyone...from a traffic violation to drug possession to murder, the first thing they usually hear is an excuse. To properly do their job, they have to live in a black and white world. They hear excuses all day every day.

We may get of easy every now and again on a traffic violation, but that doesn't mean we didn't deserve it. If we break the law, we get punished. Regardless of intent.

It's the way it has to be and it works well. The only true way to make sure you don't get a ticket is to not break the law. The cops have the ability to let us off sometime, but they don't owe us anything.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by edubya

Sorry, no sympathy from me, either. Left-lane cruising is a major problem all over the country. I understand getting a ticket is frustrating because the law is only selectively enforced, sort of like failing to display a front license plate, but it's an important law nonetheless.

Well, this wasn't a "major problem" back in the 60's and 70's. To me, it's just an excuse for the aggressive fast drivers to speed while they weave in and out of the fast and slow lanes. Yeah, I'm seeing lots of SAFE driving because of this law.