Just got screwed (non-sexual)

[FastbackJon]

Was driving through a small town in June in my '74 Dart Swinger with my seat belt on and stopped at a stoplight behind a few other cars. I took it off to change my CD (that is mounted under the passenger's dash since I didn't want to cut the dash up). As I go to put it back on a cop pulls along side me in the turn lane and eyes me carefully as I finish buckling it. My light turns green and I go past him, but he pulls in behind me and pulls me over. Asks why I wasn't wearing the belt, and I say that it isn't illegal to have it off in a parked car.

Because the law states under RCW 46.61.688:

(3) Every person sixteen years of age or older operating or riding in a motor vehicle shall wear the safety belt assembly in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner.

Well he writes the ticket anyway. And I just went to court over it. I said exactly what I said here, that I was not operating the vehicle at the time of my belt being off, I was parked at a stoplight and not moving. The judge disagreed and said that anytime I am on a public road, whether the car is moving or not, that constitutes "operating a motor vehicle" and therefore it is illegal to take my seatbelt off. I can't believe it, $116 out of my pocket for such a stupid thing as that.

[psykicpup]

if they want to be anal its the same law here too
Sorry to hear you got stung tho
maybe if you had been 'parked'?rather than stopped at a light???

[andy74]

that sucks - i had a talking on the cell phone ticket last year,same situation,middle of no where,stopped at   a stop sign.police man gave me a ticket,because i was "in control of my vehicle"i didnt want to argue with him,figured i wouldnt win,and sent a letter to the district attorney,who saw reason and let me off with a warning,sorry about your luck

[Dale The Bold]

I got a fine for an "illegal U-turn" one time when I stopped to check my stinky Grand Am since the ABS light came on.  Turns out, the wheels locked up and I very slowly slid across the road (It was extremely icy, middle of December at 1:00 AM).  The sheriff pulled me over and gave me a ticket, completely ignoring my explanation.  Then acted shocked when I asked him how I can turn around without getting another fine.

Had I been going fast, he would have seen it was a slide and not a "turn."  The DA smoked the same crack and insisted I pay off the badged thief.  Crooked cops, one is worse than a 1,000 criminals.

They got you on a technicality, though.  For me, they had to lie, cheat, and steal, strutting around like a bunch of roosters.  Shame on all the cops who allow fellow cops to be so crooked.  It's a disgrace.

[Charger4404spd]

Same law here, but the bastards dont care if you live or die, its a money thing. In fact, alot of stupid laws are a money thing. Frankly, it should be a personal choice. I do wear mine, but not because "ITS THE LAW"

[Ponch ®]

Was driving through a small town in June in my '74 Dart Swinger with my seat belt on and stopped at a stoplight behind a few other cars. I took it off to change my CD (that is mounted under the passenger's dash since I didn't want to cut the dash up). As I go to put it back on a cop pulls along side me in the turn lane and eyes me carefully as I finish buckling it. My light turns green and I go past him, but he pulls in behind me and pulls me over. Asks why I wasn't wearing the belt, and I say that it isn't illegal to have it off in a parked car.

Because the law states under RCW 46.61.688:

(3) Every person sixteen years of age or older operating or riding in a motor vehicle shall wear the safety belt assembly in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner.

Well he writes the ticket anyway. And I just went to court over it. I said exactly what I said here, that I was not operating the vehicle at the time of my belt being off, I was parked at a stoplight and not moving. The judge disagreed and said that anytime I am on a public road, whether the car is moving or not, that constitutes "operating a motor vehicle" and therefore it is illegal to take my seatbelt off. I can't believe it, $116 out of my pocket for such a stupid thing as that.

how exactly did you get screwed? the judge and the cop are right, you were on a public road (not parked) with your car running. What if you get rear ended while waiting for the stoplight to change? What if for some reason you took off your foot off the break and hit another car...or worse, a pedestrian? That's his point when he tells you you were on a public road. 

Whether or not seatbelt laws are right or wrong are the subject of a different thread, but the fact is that you did not comply with the law.

Why not just admit that you were wrong instead of whining about "getting screwed"?

[Ponch ®]

Same law here, but the bastards dont care if you live or die, its a money thing. In fact, alot of stupid laws are a money thing. Frankly, it should be a personal choice. I do wear mine, but not because "ITS THE LAW"

whatever the reason...the "bastards" are just doing their job. It is your responsibility to know the rules and regulations when youre driving.

I recently got a ticket for having a loud exhaust. Im not calling the cop a bastard...in his estimation it is too loud. It is up to me to get it tested and make sure that it complies with the vehicle code.

[Drache]

I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with Mojo/Ponch. Although we might not like the laws that we have, alot of them are here not only for your safety, but for the safety of the people around you. Some like the loud exhaust are kinda silly but those are mainly bylaws that are different from every location.

You were in a running vehicle and you were still on the road. You were not "parked at a stop sign" as you put it. I'm not saying you're bitching because I would be kinda piffed about taking it off just for a sec just to reach the CD player or to reach the glove compartment.

You were not screwed in anyway. If you were charged double the normal ticket or if you never took off your seatbelt and were still fined then I would call that being screwed. Take Dale The Bold's story... if what he says is the absolute truth (not saying it isnt) then HE was screwed lol.

[Charger4404spd]

Same law here, but the bastards dont care if you live or die, its a money thing. In fact, alot of stupid laws are a money thing. Frankly, it should be a personal choice. I do wear mine, but not because "ITS THE LAW"

whatever the reason...the "bastards" are just doing their job. It is your responsibility to know the rules and regulations when youre driving.

I recently got a ticket for having a loud exhaust. Im not calling the cop a bastard...in his estimation it is too loud. It is up to me to get it tested and make sure that it complies with the vehicle code.

Guess I need to clarify what I said. The "Bastards" I was talking about is the JUSTICE SYSTEM as a whole. I meant no disrespect to our police officers.
I know the officers have to enforce the "LAWS", but I will say again, there are alot of laws meant only to collect revenue.

[Ponch ®]

and yes, I do find a certain amount of humor in the fact that I'm lecturing you about rules of the road and the law in light of my current screen name and pic. 

[RD]

man.... i thought this thread was to state that you and silver r/t finally hooked up!

[moparjohn]

In New Jersey I just found out that there is a law that you can't flash you high beems to get a slow poke out of the fast lane (or warn oncomming traffic of a cop 's speed trap!)   How are you supposed to get the left lane dick out of your way?   Blow your horn? or are you just suposed to sit behind him for 4-5 miles until (if your lucky) he pulls over to the slow lane where he belongs.   I have a major problem with this where I live because Pensylvania is only 9 miles away and those people REFUSE to keep right except to pass, which means if you are not actively passing a person in the slow lane you should be in it. That is my pet peve and I'm sure that's were road rage begins. Then some a-hole will call me an agreesive driver. I see it every day some slow poke doing 45-50 maybe 55 in a 55 where traffic flows at 60. RANT OVER

[nh_mopar_fan]

We don't have a mandatory seat belt law in NH for anyone over 16.

I think the motto they have on the highway is somtheing like "Under 16 buckle up, common sense for all".

They just went through this is Mass a few years ago. It was voted down multiple times but they kept bringing it back again and again.

One of the arguments against it was that while the law as written would've made it a secondary offense, that is, you couldn't get pulled over for not wearing a sealt belt but if they pulled you over for something else, they could tack it on, it eventually would be made a primary offense.

The people pushing the bill claimed that would never happen.

Two years later, guess what. It's a primary offense!

The other argument was that there would come a day that the insurance company could refuse to cover you if you were not wearing your seat belt during an accident.  That's not that far of a stretch when you realize that the liberal do-gooders who want to be your mommy and daddy were being backed by some pretty big insurance $$.

We'll see.

In the meantime, I always wear my seatbelt, both in NH and in Mass. I don't need the government to legislate common sense to me. I certainly don't need to give them a reason to intrude into my life any more than they already are.

[Old Moparz]

It must have been racial profiling.

[FastbackJon]

Did I also mention that I have a medical exemption that the judge would not accept it because it is from out of state? Even though we have no law that says the medical exemption needs to be from in the state. Oregon is the only state with that rule that the medical excemption to be from within the state.

The judge should not be allowed to make his own additional rules for people to have to follow, like not allowing my out of state exemption, even after he and the clerk verified the information. That kind of thing should be highly illegal and he should get in trouble for that.

I shouldn't have to pay an additional $140 to appeal it and prove him wrong.

[Shakey]

We don't have a mandatory seat belt law in NH for anyone over 16.

Do the license plates in New Hampshire still read:

LIVE FREE OR DIE

[Mopar440+6]

I wont even get into my recent run in with one of the local boys. All I can say is thank God my mom works for a very good criminal lawyer because reckless driving isnt something I want permanently on my record...

[bull]

and yes, I do find a certain amount of humor in the fact that I'm lecturing you about rules of the road and the law in light of my current screen name and pic.  

Good to see you finally came around to my way of thinking. Now if only Vain would change his username to Jon Baker and put this picture under his name we'd have a matched set.

[nh_mopar_fan]

We don't have a mandatory seat belt law in NH for anyone over 16.

Do the license plates in New Hampshire still read:

LIVE FREE OR DIE

They sure do. But, we do have some transplants moving in who have been known to cover the phrase with black tape. Apparently, it's offensive to them.

[Drop Top]

Lesson Learned? Always look around to if there are any officers in the area before you unbuckle your belt. 

In my mind. The seat belt law and the helmet law is a BS law. Its an invasion of privacy. I don't think we should be forced to wear them. It would help to get rid of some of the not so sharp people we have on the road now days.  Honestly, I used them before they became a law and made my children use them also. But like was stated before I use them because I want to. Not because its the law.

[nh_mopar_fan]

We don't have a mandatory helmet law either.

[Orange_Crush]

In New Jersey I just found out that there is a law that you can't flash you high beems to get a slow poke out of the fast lane (or warn oncomming traffic of a cop 's speed trap!)     

This is unenforceable. 

A few years back, one of the midwestern states tried ticketing drivers who were flashing their headlights at oncoming cars to warn about speed traps.

The ACLU got involved (freedom of speech issues) and they quickly abandoned their little money-making scheme.

[6pkrunner]

Officers have discression to use. This sounds like either a guy who had a fight with the wife that morning or trying to make the quota for the month. As good old Mark said "The law is a ass." Seems there are many laws that can be taken out of their intended context and turned into a ass.

[Steve P.]

I am pretty pissed at a local policeman at the moment myself.. Here's the readers digest version..

Picture this. Two  left turn lanes. I am stopped behind an Explorer in the far left turning lane In front of him at the crosswalk is a motorcycle cop. The light is red and both lanes are full of stopped vehicles. Suddenly I hear a Harley next to me on my right. I look over just in time to see the rear view mirror of his bike hit my passenger side mirror. Then I hear a scratching sound.. The cop is squeezing between the stopped cars and trucks.. I think to myself, (shit), then, (I wonder who they are going after)... About 20 seconds later the arrow turns green and off they go.. No lights. No sirens.... The first cop turns right into a closed up Publix parking lot.. I think to myself, (They aren't going after anyone at all)!!! So I start chasing the cop that hit me. He hauls ass West on SR 54.
(speed limit is 40 mph), I am passing 55 trying to catch him or at least get his vehicle number.. No good.. He pulls a U-turn and hauls ass the other way..   Now I'm pissed!! 

At the next light a guy in a Vette puts down his window and says, (THAT COP NEARLY HIT ME BACK THERE, DID HE HIT YOU)? Yes, I answered. He said pull over and I'll give you my info.. We do..

I call 911 to report this. A policeman that I know pulls up and we go through the entire ordeal. He goes to the radio in his car and reaches their boss.. Tells him the story and NONE of the 5 bike cops are admitting to it.. The boss says,( Ok, I want all the bike cops to meet at the 7-11 at 54 and Seven Springs Rd. for a line up). He then ads, (and this person also has a witness)... Now the lousy basserd owns up to it..  We did all meet at the 7-11 and I was surrounded by no less than 15 cops. I felt like I was the bad guy here.. Now I have no idea what will come of it. 

First the cop ran up between two lanes of traffic on the white line.  ILLEGAL.....
Then he left the scene of an accident. ILLEGAL.......
Then this upstanding pillar of the comunity was willing to let someone else take the fall for it. ASSHOLE.......
Then I'm feeling like I just took the entire police force off the streets for a scratch.. I'm a turd..
Now I don't know what to do.....

[gsmopar]

I got a "suspicion of speeding ticket" once.  There are good cops, and there are those guys we picked on in Highschool that have something to proove now that they have a badge.  Oh, and I also agree that there are several laws that their sole purpose is to generate revenue. 

Here is one for you:  If the government/laws/the man/whoever was really concerned with safety, all cars would be mechanically limited to the 75mph speed limit.  Instead, we have Photo Radar and speed traps.  Yes, I prefer the later, but don't blow smoke up my butt and say it's for our safety!