Even if you changed lanes he probably would have pulled you over for some other reason. Like not signaling long enough prior to changing lanes. I got a ticket in 'light' traffic for following to close. When I went to court to ask for a lowered fine the judge actually said 'tailgating' you actually got a ticket for tailgating, that's rare.

I almost said well I was tailgating in a lowered truck while being a teenager, but I figured that wouldn't help my cause.

Ticket quotas people, they might not be 'official,' but they still have them.

 

If no points will be deducted then I am glad to pay the fine. I am more concerned about leaving points on my record (currently no points) than financial loss. If I go to Virginia to argue my case, I may end up paying a lot more plus travel fees, overnight motel fees (since it's 7-8 hr away from my home).

If however points will be added and I think it maybe worth the risk to go there and ask for a reduced sentence or something. I heard that one can take a driver's ed course to reduce points or sentences or something. Does anyone know about that? Is it true in Virgina?

 

Honestly if a cop wants to pull you over, they will find a reason.

 

I am seriously thinking about replacing my vanity plate w/ a "normal" plate. it just attracts too much attention.

I just did some research and Georgia will access points for out of state violations. it maybe worth going to Virginia just to see if I can get the charge reduced. Does anyone know if Virginia has some way to allow bargaining the ticket down to a non-moving violation of some sort?

Thanks to all of you who responded. This community is wonderful!

 

the dropping it to a non moving violation will be dealt with by the prosecutor... honestly its a weak case for them if u meet with him b4 court, and be firm with him or her i would not be surprised if u got it dropped say some thing like you are outraged that the police there target out of state drives and you are seriously considering never going to virginia again, the theory is you wont spend money in that sate so they will loose income (tax revenue). it has been known to work and most state cops are leaner on out of state drivers so they don't scare tourist away, the LAST thing any state wants is a rep. that they target out of state drivers, which VA does have that rep. hope this info helps, and pardon my language but don't be afraid to be a bitch or asshole if you do fight it....

 

The two words you might be looking for are revenue and generation. VA, like many states is running a little short on money these days and they can, and do, resort to ticketing out-of-staters for niggling offenses because they figure you'll just cough up the dough instead of fighting what is a legally questionable ticket. I would suggest going to court on principle. Tell the judge what you have told us, that you would be more than happy to pay the fine; however, you were unaware of the law and never intended to endanger the officer. I would specifically mention that his lights were not on when you passed him. I would be interested to know what he ws doing on the side of the road. Do you recall whether or not he was in uniform, and if so was he wearing his hat? In VA a state trooper is not in uniform if he isn't wearing his Stetson and the ticket is invalid for that reason. State employees are also not allowed to use their cell phones while driving (personal phone or business) so if he was on the shoulder making a phone call you have him there as well. I'm not suggesting you attack the guy, but these are things that can help you in court should you choose to fight it out. Hope that helps!

 

What is your vanity plate?

Cat :x

 

Actually I am not sure if his light was on before I passed him. There's a 50% chance that it's not but I simply don't remember - I didn't pay too much attention to this guy because i wasn't speeding and i was driving very smoothly and steadily and I just couldn't imagine that i would be breaking some kind of law. I am never a reckless driver and never will be(never a speeding ticket). I would be happy to pay the fine, and I am not betting on having the ticket entirely dismissed. I only wish that the charge be reduced enough that my home state wouldn't access many points on it. Actually I think GA's "move-over law" calls for more severe punishments so it's probably not the worst thing in the world that can happen to me.

This is a good lesson for all of us who spend a lot of time on the road - always stay as far away from the cop as possible!!! even if you think you are perfectly legal and perfectly fine. you just never know. maybe a new law will be enacted from now on in somewhere and ignorance of the law is never a defense in the court of law.

 

same here in tennessee.

 

Seems like common courtesy to move to another lane, while it may seem trivial lots of emergency personnel are injured or killed every year due to car strikes.

With that said if you are in heavy traffic I think just easing off the gas should be fine if you can't change lanes.

I think in your case a warning would have sufficed (providing you didn't graze him on the way by).