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Old 09-03-2013, 08:18 PM
 
246 posts, read 895,965 times
Reputation: 177

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I was caught by COP to use HOV lane on I-10 during peak hour. I drive alone. I know that day will happen, but I don't expect the ticket is so expensive, $450, and I have to go to court to defend myself. What should I do?

I have seen many people doing the same thing, drive alone and use HOV lane on I-10. It is not fair......
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
2,052 posts, read 5,880,513 times
Reputation: 1298
You know, you can use it by yourself IF you pay the toll via an EZtag. You have to pay to use it, one way or another, and sorry for you that you took the gamble and lost.
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:48 PM
 
246 posts, read 895,965 times
Reputation: 177
no...eztag starts from HWY 6 back to the 610, but HOV starts from Manson road. HOV only.
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:49 PM
 
675 posts, read 1,455,402 times
Reputation: 733
Take this as a lesson learned. If you don't want to pay the toll get on the regular lanes of traffic. HOV is an "incentive" for people that have multiple occupants. There is NO getting out of that one.
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Old 09-03-2013, 08:51 PM
 
Location: Pearland
114 posts, read 302,133 times
Reputation: 90
thats bad...$450 is lot of amount for fine...

Man uses skeleton for carpool lane - CNN.com Video

some tips from online...

""""""""""""""
1. Here's my advice -- I would go to court for one reason: there's a chance the cop won't show up, in which case it'll be dismissed. I would also look closely at the ticket and make sure EVERY piece of information on it is accurate from the officer's standpoint. Your license number, time of infraction, down to your eye color, sex, everything. If he marked 'female' and you're male, it's also dismissed - because it's an erroneous ticket - and that kind of thing happens all the time.

From there, I would rehearse my plea - in this case, I wouldn't plan on pleading innocent, but would try to just plead my case. Tell the court that you're new to the area, and you weren't paying attention to the HOV only ramp, etc etc.. They could get the fine reduced with no points on your license, which would be the best-case scenario that you could hope for.

2. You can take pictures of the entrance and claim the HOV restriction was not marked.

3. Just pay the fine and be done with it. Claiming excuse for this - Jude will know...coz you have 100 people behind you with the same ticket

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""
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Old 09-03-2013, 09:19 PM
 
Location: Sugar Land
2,465 posts, read 5,798,874 times
Reputation: 2733
Don't worry. I have 2 people on my car taking the HOV line and I got an "electronic" ticket of $79 without even being stopped by a Metro COP. Pigs at work inventing new ways to rip people off.
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Old 09-03-2013, 09:35 PM
 
246 posts, read 895,965 times
Reputation: 177
Thanks for reply. I am planning to pay for this fine. Lesson learned/



Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamzdecora View Post
thats bad...$450 is lot of amount for fine...

Man uses skeleton for carpool lane - CNN.com Video

some tips from online...

""""""""""""""
1. Here's my advice -- I would go to court for one reason: there's a chance the cop won't show up, in which case it'll be dismissed. I would also look closely at the ticket and make sure EVERY piece of information on it is accurate from the officer's standpoint. Your license number, time of infraction, down to your eye color, sex, everything. If he marked 'female' and you're male, it's also dismissed - because it's an erroneous ticket - and that kind of thing happens all the time.

From there, I would rehearse my plea - in this case, I wouldn't plan on pleading innocent, but would try to just plead my case. Tell the court that you're new to the area, and you weren't paying attention to the HOV only ramp, etc etc.. They could get the fine reduced with no points on your license, which would be the best-case scenario that you could hope for.

2. You can take pictures of the entrance and claim the HOV restriction was not marked.

3. Just pay the fine and be done with it. Claiming excuse for this - Jude will know...coz you have 100 people behind you with the same ticket

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""""""""
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Old 09-03-2013, 09:42 PM
 
Location: Sugar Land
2,465 posts, read 5,798,874 times
Reputation: 2733
Go to court mate. They may meet you in the middle. The prosecutor will give you some options for sure. All you have to do is waste a day but you may end up paying less or have better options. If the prosecutor is no go don't go to trial by jury. They will kill you there. Just don't pay it yet

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsmith View Post
Thanks for reply. I am planning to pay for this fine. Lesson learned/
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Old 09-03-2013, 09:42 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX (Bellaire)
4,900 posts, read 13,750,299 times
Reputation: 4192
I've been on a traffic jury before. Trust me when I tell you that "a bunch of other people did this and didn't get caught" is not a good defense.
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Old 09-03-2013, 09:48 PM
 
568 posts, read 902,748 times
Reputation: 547
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris_ut View Post
I've been on a traffic jury before. Trust me when I tell you that "a bunch of other people did this and didn't get caught" is not a good defense.
Indeed. Many cops will say it's just like fishing because you can't catch them all. Or were they talking about Pokemon?
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