CanadianBeerSucks
02-03-2003, 06:46 PM
Hey guys,
So coming home a few weeks ago, I was stopped coming into my town. Usually our police is pretty cool with the locals, but either this guy had it in for someone, or I talked myself into the ticket (I think the later). Basically all the streets in my town are 1 ways with a few exceptions, and most intersections have stop signs. The street I normally come in on is a one way with only one stop sign the whole length, so I use it litterally every day.
I was about 3/4 of the way down the street to my house, when I noticed lights behind me. I know I stopped at the only stop sign at the begining of the street, as there was cross traffic. I start pulling over to the side expecting the cop to go around me, as I was not speeding (narrow streets, lots of kids and peddestrians and double parked cars make it almost impossible even if you want to). Well anyway the cop pulls in behind me. I think to myself, oh, he must be going here, and start pulling away. Well he toots his horn and points at me to let me know he is actually stopping me. I turn off the car and wait for him.
When he comes up to the car he asks for license and registration (strangely no insurance). I give him my paperwork and he then asks if I know why he stopped me. I said, honestly, no, as I was not speeding, and there were no stop signs for me to pass through that I may have missed, seeing as I come this way every day. He replied that I did not slow down while going through the intersections. I said that I was unaware I had to (honestly being civil, I have the utmost respect for police), seeing as there were no pedestrians around and the other directions all had stop signs. I did not even have so much as a yeild. His response was that it was a state law that you had to slow down going through all intersections. I apoligized, said I never heard of it, but would make a point to be more careful in the future. He then went on again saying how it was a state law, and he saw me pass through 3 intersections without slowing. Once again I apoligized (honestly not being a wiseass, and being civil). He then went back to his car and came back with a 2 point careless driving ticket.
Well I need to go to court for it now. What I know is the town will lower it to another ticket with no points but the same 120 dollar fine. A friend of mine got into a similar situation a few years ago. He took the plee, but his insurance still went up. At this point my license is clean, so I do not really care about dmv points, I just do not want my insurance going up. I did some checking and found no law stating that you had to slow down in intersections. The only mention I found was in the driver handbook it says you "SHOULD slow down when entering unfamiliar intersections". However, the law for careless driving that I was cited with is extremely vague. More or less anything considered to be the police officers opinion of careless driving can be considered that, regarless of if any other laws were broken.
Basically if I accept the deal, my insurance will go up 200 bucks a year, which is high enough seeing as where I live. If I fight it and loose, not only does my insurance go up, but now I get DMV points and have to pay extra court costs as well.
Anyone here ever get a careless driving in NJ, and if so, fight it successfully?
So coming home a few weeks ago, I was stopped coming into my town. Usually our police is pretty cool with the locals, but either this guy had it in for someone, or I talked myself into the ticket (I think the later). Basically all the streets in my town are 1 ways with a few exceptions, and most intersections have stop signs. The street I normally come in on is a one way with only one stop sign the whole length, so I use it litterally every day.
I was about 3/4 of the way down the street to my house, when I noticed lights behind me. I know I stopped at the only stop sign at the begining of the street, as there was cross traffic. I start pulling over to the side expecting the cop to go around me, as I was not speeding (narrow streets, lots of kids and peddestrians and double parked cars make it almost impossible even if you want to). Well anyway the cop pulls in behind me. I think to myself, oh, he must be going here, and start pulling away. Well he toots his horn and points at me to let me know he is actually stopping me. I turn off the car and wait for him.
When he comes up to the car he asks for license and registration (strangely no insurance). I give him my paperwork and he then asks if I know why he stopped me. I said, honestly, no, as I was not speeding, and there were no stop signs for me to pass through that I may have missed, seeing as I come this way every day. He replied that I did not slow down while going through the intersections. I said that I was unaware I had to (honestly being civil, I have the utmost respect for police), seeing as there were no pedestrians around and the other directions all had stop signs. I did not even have so much as a yeild. His response was that it was a state law that you had to slow down going through all intersections. I apoligized, said I never heard of it, but would make a point to be more careful in the future. He then went on again saying how it was a state law, and he saw me pass through 3 intersections without slowing. Once again I apoligized (honestly not being a wiseass, and being civil). He then went back to his car and came back with a 2 point careless driving ticket.
Well I need to go to court for it now. What I know is the town will lower it to another ticket with no points but the same 120 dollar fine. A friend of mine got into a similar situation a few years ago. He took the plee, but his insurance still went up. At this point my license is clean, so I do not really care about dmv points, I just do not want my insurance going up. I did some checking and found no law stating that you had to slow down in intersections. The only mention I found was in the driver handbook it says you "SHOULD slow down when entering unfamiliar intersections". However, the law for careless driving that I was cited with is extremely vague. More or less anything considered to be the police officers opinion of careless driving can be considered that, regarless of if any other laws were broken.
Basically if I accept the deal, my insurance will go up 200 bucks a year, which is high enough seeing as where I live. If I fight it and loose, not only does my insurance go up, but now I get DMV points and have to pay extra court costs as well.
Anyone here ever get a careless driving in NJ, and if so, fight it successfully?