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Old 06-10-2009, 12:59 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,226 times
Reputation: 11

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Any advise on how to handle reckless driving ticket, son is 18. He was in school parking lot in Cobb County and he had just finished his last class of high school and two of his friends jumped up on his trunk and he drove like 3 feet and then got a reckless driving ticket Apparently, it took 3 officers about 45 minutes of looking to figure he should get a reckless driving citation. In GA, if convicted, he will lose his license. He is suppose to enter the Air Force, his physical is next week. Any help????????
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Old 06-10-2009, 03:57 PM
 
Location: Cobb County, Georgia
750 posts, read 2,276,651 times
Reputation: 291
Will the charge keep him from the Air Force?
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Old 06-10-2009, 05:18 PM
 
9,124 posts, read 36,382,644 times
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He won't need his license while he's in the Air Force- they'll do all the driving. By the time he gets out, the suspension should be over.
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Old 06-10-2009, 08:03 PM
 
Location: Georgia
63 posts, read 284,862 times
Reputation: 22
If it won't hurt his going into the Air Force then it isn't such a huge issue. You probably won't like this but: although it is a pretty heavy punishment it also sounds like it is needed. You don't sound that worried, and I'm not giving you a hard time, but I think you should be. He isn't fully assessing risk. THAT IS NORMAL, his risk assessment and cause and effect/consequences skills will not be completely finished maturing until around age 25. I didn't learn this until my husband had to take an enormous amount of education classes. I think this losing of the license may be one of the things your son needs to finish growing up and learning which actions are ok, which aren't, which are dangerous, etc.
Now, I know you're thinking what he did wasn't that major, but it could have been. A family friend was riding on the hood of a car in the parking lot at her high school in GA. Something happened and she ended up under the car with it dragging her. It burned her badly, especially her torso. It burned her breasts off, and her legs were very badly injured. Years afterward she had to indure skin grafts and multiple painful surgeries. A video about her story was made and is shown at the high school every year.
I know the story is graphic, but I know you don't want your son to ever have to tell how he did that to a friend, or how it happened to him.
I hope he is able to get into the Air Force without a hitch, and I appreciate him wanting to serve our country. If it seems like there will be a problem with his enlistment try writing a very apologetic-I've learned a lot kind of letter to his officials/recruiter/whoever and maybe that will help. I wish you guys luck and a safe tour of service to your son.
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Old 06-11-2009, 12:18 AM
 
Location: sowf jawja
1,941 posts, read 9,240,699 times
Reputation: 1069
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoreCowbell View Post
You probably won't like this but: although it is a pretty heavy punishment it also sounds like it is needed.

Give the kid a break. Sure it was foolish, but who hasn't done something foolish? It was the last day of school; he was excited. I've done worse and turned out fine.


Quote:
Originally Posted by MoreCowbell View Post
You don't sound that worried, and I'm not giving you a hard time, but I think you should be. He isn't fully assessing risk. THAT IS NORMAL, his risk assessment and cause and effect/consequences skills will not be completely finished maturing until around age 25. I didn't learn this until my husband had to take an enormous amount of education classes.
If its part of normal development, that would mean there's nothing she could do about it; so why be worried? I'm just asking . . . . .



Quote:
Originally Posted by MoreCowbell View Post
Now, I know you're thinking what he did wasn't that major, but it could have been. A family friend was riding on the hood of a car in the parking lot at her high school in GA. Something happened and she ended up under the car with it dragging her. It burned her badly, especially her torso. It burned her breasts off, and her legs were very badly injured. Years afterward she had to indure skin grafts and multiple painful surgeries. A video about her story was made and is shown at the high school every year.
People ride on hoods, trunks, etc. . . all the time and don't get hurt. 30k+ people get killed every year on the highway, and they're sitting inside the car.

I'm just saying. . . . he was understandably in a chipper mood, got a wild hair, and was just having a little fun. someone could've got hurt, but they didn't. do you talk on your cell phone while you drive? Do you makeup behind the wheel? These things are equally dangerous.
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Old 06-11-2009, 07:36 AM
JPD
 
12,138 posts, read 18,295,927 times
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The key question is this: Was the vehicle in motion when the kids jumped on the trunk?

If the answer is NO, then he deserves the ticket. If the answer is YES, then he acted properly, responsibly and lawfully by stopping the vehicle.
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Old 06-11-2009, 08:28 AM
 
Location: West Cobb County, GA (Atlanta metro)
9,191 posts, read 33,885,851 times
Reputation: 5311
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPD View Post
The key question is this: Was the vehicle in motion when the kids jumped on the trunk?

If the answer is NO, then he deserves the ticket. If the answer is YES, then he acted properly, responsibly and lawfully by stopping the vehicle.
That's going to be very hard to prove even with witnesses, unless it's on a security video somewhere. Some will say it was moving, others say it was stopped. The way it usually goes. Then they'll question "intent". In other words, did the kids just jump on the car, or was he actually intending to drive around with them on the car for a while, etc etc.

The laws can be strange or not so clear. Another example - if you leave a bar and have been drinking a good bit, and go to your car and get in, and start the engine so you can rest a while and run the A/C... you can at that moment technically be arrested for DUI. It doesn't matter that the car isn't in motion and is "parked" and you had no intention of driving - you got in it and started the engine, so an officer if nearby will say your intention is to drive - and you can (and it's been done) be arrested for DUI.

It's hard (if not impossible) to make teens be on their best behavior when driving, and seemingly an impossible feat for them to utilize a ton of brain power it seems anymore when they're behind a wheel. But, this is one of those "the wrong people were close by at the wrong time" type of events, and it'll be up to the judge as to how they'll view it and treat it. I'd worry less about the license and more about if he has to show up in court at the same time he's supposed to be off to the Air Force. Not sure how that'll work out.
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Old 06-13-2009, 07:17 PM
 
3,972 posts, read 12,661,614 times
Reputation: 1470
Call J Tom Morgan, a great attorney who can advise you. He gets really irritated when the police overstep with young people but he will also be brutally honest if the charges are deserved.

Here is his contact info:

About J.Tom Morgan, author of Ignorance is No Defense

And, while your son has entered adulthood, if you have any other children, or anyone else has teenagers, I highly recommend his book:
Ignorance is no defense
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Old 06-13-2009, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Marietta, GA
7,887 posts, read 17,192,862 times
Reputation: 3706
Quote:
Originally Posted by shannonkosz View Post
he drove like 3 feet and then got a reckless driving ticket
Are you sure that's actually what happened? I'm the parent of teens and understand that sometimes you get a somewhat filtered truth.

Unless you plan to get a lawyer and try to get an acquittal, can he plead nolo or plead guilty to a lesser offense and take a fine? Cobb will play ball with you if you ask and if he's got an otherwise clean record. Either way, let's hope he learned a lesson.
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