Pulled over today for running yellow light. Let it go or fight it?
10-25-2011, 09:55 PM
#1
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Pulled over today for running yellow light. Let it go or fight it? I got pulled over today on the way to work. I was driving the speed limit in no hurry and approached an intersection. The light turned yellow when I thought it was too late to begin stopping so I kept going. As I drove through the intersection, I looked up and just as my vehicle went under the traffic signal, it turned red. The traffic signals are suspended at the end of the intersection, not the front or middle so I thought I made the right choice. Wrong. I continue driving and look in my mirror and see red and blue lights. No warning, I received a ticket.
I asked the officer to please explain how I should judge a yellow light and whether to go or not. He said if your vehicle crosses the stop line before it turns yellow, you're ok but if it turns yellow before you cross the stop line, you should stop. He confessed that if I hadn't crossed it, I might have been real close but by his judgement I wasn't across.
I told him that I was rear ended badly about 2 years ago and didn't think I could bring the vehicle to a screeching halt safely.
I know you can fight speeding tickets but is this too gray to argue? I wasn't reckless and didn't even speed up to get through the intersection. I really believe I am innocent.
I asked the officer to please explain how I should judge a yellow light and whether to go or not. He said if your vehicle crosses the stop line before it turns yellow, you're ok but if it turns yellow before you cross the stop line, you should stop. He confessed that if I hadn't crossed it, I might have been real close but by his judgement I wasn't across.
I told him that I was rear ended badly about 2 years ago and didn't think I could bring the vehicle to a screeching halt safely.
I know you can fight speeding tickets but is this too gray to argue? I wasn't reckless and didn't even speed up to get through the intersection. I really believe I am innocent.
10-25-2011, 10:44 PM
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That's the whole point of a yellow light though, you have to be allowed to make that snap judgement on if you are too close to safely stop or not without getting rear ended or screeching to a halt halfway into the intersection. As long as the light is still yellow when you ENTER the intersection then you should be good as long as you are not speeding as well. If cops started ticketing everyone that ran a red light, we would begin seeing a LOT more traffic accidents caused by people slamming on their brakes to avoid running a light, exactly the opposite of their intended purpose (to safely move traffic through an intersection)
10-25-2011, 11:02 PM
#9
That's the whole point of a yellow light though, you have to be allowed to make that snap judgement on if you are too close to safely stop or not without getting rear ended or screeching to a halt halfway into the intersection. As long as the light is still yellow when you ENTER the intersection then you should be good as long as you are not speeding as well. If cops started ticketing everyone that ran a red light, we would begin seeing a LOT more traffic accidents caused by people slamming on their brakes to avoid running a light, exactly the opposite of their intended purpose (to safely move traffic through an intersection)
You’re correct!! Like you said people would get in accidents if the cops did that… It's been proven that red light camera's cause accidents for the exact reason.. People get so worried about getting tickets they slam on the brakes to not run the light.
But like one of my buddies told me is, if you see the yellow light start to slow down… NOT SLAM on your brakes…. If you have to slam on your brakes when you see a light you’re probably going too fast. He doesn’t like to give tickets for running yellow light but, he only does this when a person does this when they could’ve safely stopped.
Not saying you didn’t do the right thing or the cop should’ve let that one slide. But it’s a real ticket and not much you could do to get it over turned. That’s my .02
10-26-2011, 09:22 AM
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I will say this, they administer red light camera tickets based upon whether you were past the line or not when the light turns RED, not yellow. If that's the case, then it would make sense that that's the law. Why would it be any different in your situation? I would get a traffic lawyer and fight it personally, it'll be worth it in the end to get it dismissed
10-26-2011, 10:38 AM
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If you're strong enough at math, you can time the yellow light, then calculate the distance it takes your vehicle to stop safely at the speed limit on that road, then measure where you were when it turned yellow and make a case that you couldn't have stopped safely.
The easier route is to pay the fine and the $100 for Deferred Adjudication
The easier route is to pay the fine and the $100 for Deferred Adjudication
10-26-2011, 10:45 AM
#14
If you entered (broke the plane of the crosswalk) before the light was red, you are legal. My buddy who is a cop said they write those tickets all the time because most people pay them, do defensive driving, etc and it is a great revenue generator. You did not run the light. Go fight it.
10-26-2011, 10:49 AM
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The color of the light as you go under it doesn't mean anything. There is a white indicator stripe that is suppose to be painted on the street marking the entrance to the intersection. If the light is yellow as you cross that line, you are to clear the intersection regardless of color of the light as you go under it. If the light is red before you cross that line, you ran the stop light.
10-26-2011, 11:57 AM
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A ticket like this would be pointless to fight. If you do fight it the only way that you will be able to win is the cop not show. His word against yours judge will side with the cop. Defensive driving and its off your record and the headache is gone.
10-26-2011, 12:13 PM
#20
yes...especially the ones where red light cameras are, or were. News2houston did a story on that a while back and the timing was hair shorter than guidelines set forth by txdot. I understand the timing is based on a formula for a speed limit on that road and some lights were a few tenths to nearly a half second off. I am not surprised in the least if the city has done this at multiple intersections, then have their ticket hounds just waiting. I have seen an increase in speed traps as well on I-10 west towards Katy and motorcycle cops hiding right off the hov/eztag lanes along I-10. Just watch yourselves fella's, the revenue collectors have more games than Milton Bradley, especially so considering the state of things.
