Sasun Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 I have had quite a few traffic tickets in a short period of time until my insurance got ridiculously high and I started to appreciate cruise control. I was wondering if anyone else had trouble with tickets. Only a few days ago I was pulled over yet again. This time, thank God, just a warning, no ticket no points. The cop was forgiving. I was going to a video rental place after 10pm which I was suspecting could be closing already. I cut an angle at the red light not to waste time waiting for it. Then I saw a cop who actually yielded me and let me pass. I said thank you with my hand, he nodded and smiled to me. Then I saw the flashlights behind me. When he asked why I was in a rush I just told him the truth, that the video rental place was going to close soon. Well, it worked and he let me off the hook this time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Nope not here. Clean record ... one of the benefits of driving offroaders that have a tough time getting up to the speed limits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 (edited) Sasun - You don't want me to get started here...though truth of the matter is that I have gotten off of far more tickets than I've been given....so here are just a few stories (as abreviated as I can manage...LOL) Got off after being stopped for doing 75mph on LaBrea...cop asked me if I was in any particular hurry - I said "no"...(I'm not at liberty to discuss all the reasons he let me off however (nothing sexual BTW...)...just say that he was a patriot... Once did a high speed U-turn (fish tail out type of thing)...going 45-50 mph going south on La Cienega - just before the 10 (?) freeway (where La Cienega splits)...well I was returning to my new girlfriends house after going on a beer run and missed the turn...but knew if I went under the freeway my life/the drive would get complicated...there was a huge group of cars appraoching from the other direction - all crowded together like...well I didn't hesitate (or slow down) - and did a 180 kicking my tail out (rear wheel drive baby!) - and losing no speed shot back to the road I had missed and turned in...I could see the lights flashing as I made my turn - but dammit-all - I wanted the beer to get back cold...so I zoomed along and pulled into her driveway - acting as if I never saw the cop(s)...well the first thing the (first) cop said was - "where did you learn to drive...you ought to be a cop!"...and he was laughing (and was visibly impressed...)...his partner however (the bad cop...) read a list of about 5-7 laws I had violated (apparently it was a business district...no U-turns) etc etc etc - and he said I would likely lose my license for this.....well - they let me off too...totally...(I skipped a bit...but you got the essentials)... And last one (for now...I love these stories - you should have never got me started...) - in Turkey (12 years ago)...I was one of a huge line of cars being pulled over - basically they were motioning everyone to the side...they'd look in your car - and either wave you on or over...I got waived over. There was a line of "offenders" lined up at the cop car with 2 cops - one in the car taking the dough - the other with this faded little notebook. As you passed the first guy he would point to your speed & fine (randomly it seemed)...well of course no one spoke English...and I quite objected to the (equiv of) a $200 fine and started arguing vigourously...My wife got out of the car and was telling me to just pay the fine (and she kept saying "Midnight Express...thought I was going to get hauled away)...meanwhile the line behind me was growing and the cops were getting impatient (so the one pointed to a new figure - about $10-15 worth) - I paid it and went on my way. (This last year I wasn;t so lucky...but not too bad..considering [they always seem to get me when I slow down...shouldn't do that I guess...)...at least the cops told me the exact locations of the next 2 radar traps on the route I was taking - and they were accurate to the kilometer...I had told them that I had no intention of slowing down and that I thought their speed limits (90KPH on a 2 lane road) were too slow...LOL I lied - here is another. I was stopped on the Ventura freeway going towards Pasadena doing about 90 and (according to the arresting officdr) weaving...LOL (all true....but I was actually followig some friends who were driving quite fast...what could I do? I had the directions to the place we were going - so I had to keep up...LOL - we were going to Kabakians restaraunt BTW...oh and yeah - before cell phones...)...so anyway - I get my day in court...and everyone before me was pleading "trafic school" (which I hadn't even heard of - being a new transplant)...so my turn - the cop grimly reads my list of infractions...I plead "traffic school" - (but couldn't help from grinning from ear to ear at the officers recount of my crimes/behavior etc...well the judge was livid 9and he seemed such a softy...) - really read me the riot act - asked me if I thought it funny etc - if I thought I had done anyting wrong..etc etc...well I guess i put on a good show...and got...Traffic School!!!! LOL - So I loved LA - keep it under 1 ticket a year (not too difficult...even with the way I drive...) - and your home free! OK - (sorry) one more (and there are so very many more...) - Once (again in LA (I promiss to tell some East coast/DC ones next time...)...I was trying to make a left turn - and it was near gridlock (but with traffic moving - just with no break) from the other direction. Well - I saw an opening - just beyonf the light...so I took it - raced foreward - made a perfect U turn right in with traffic (no space to spare)...slid over and made my RIGHT turn...oh so easy and nicely done...well the cop didn't think so...problem was - traffic was so heavy - that even with his lights/sirens on I was able to out do him weaving through...LOL - he even got on the bullhorn and called out my car by type & color - telling me to pull over...was still mouthing off when I finally pulled away out of earshot...LOL Next time maybe I'll tell you about driving on the sidewalk in DC...LOL Oh and Sasun - not that I recommend it - but most of the time when I lived in LA I didn't have insurance...they wanted way too much IMO...but the day after I turned 25 I got it (because the rate went from about $5,000 year - just for liability - (and this is the 1980s were talking about) to half that...and I had a clean record (spotless...can you say "traffic school"? LOL - well on the 4 months after I got insurance I was in 3 accidents (all not caused by me - and all which I collected on - of course I had to stalk & threaten one offender who promissed to pay but whose lawyer contacted me a few days later...I later got that same lawyer to testify against him - got his insurance company to drop him...even they called him a sleazball...and what did he do for a living? Sell insurance of course...LOL) - one of the other accidents was a hit and run - where the guy tried to run me down after I got out of the car (thoguh perhaps the fact that I was brandishinfg a sword may have had something to do with it!) - turned out he was an illegal alien - car not even registered etc...cops gave up on the case - my insurance wouldn't pay..."how do we know he is uninsured" etc...so I tracked him down too (and had him deported...essentially...so don't f with me! LOL) - anyway - to end up here - I ended up going 9 months with no car in LA! (right after finally getting insurance)...took that long to get the sleazballs to pay for the damages they caused - and i refused to pay for it. Turned out I collected many times the cars worth...recovered it from salvage twice...and went on to drive another 80 or so K on it...(used it to haul lumber on that deck I built even...and what a site..it was a Toyota Starlet BTW...my Hollywood Starlet as it were...) Edited October 16, 2003 by THOTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Accelerated Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 thoguh perhaps the fact that I was brandishinfg a sword may have had something to do with it!) hahaha - LMAO. Thats like one of my friends, he used to have a mini axe under the drivers seat. And to prove I could outdo him I carried a fullsized sledgehammer in the boot of my camry. Parents kept taking it out, I claimed I had forgotten to unload it after work. Oh man - we had some fun with that sledgehammer: usually involving alcohol and vandalism.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Thoth, thats quite adventures you had. my record shies in comparison to yours. I don't know about LA, but in New Jersey you can get in a serious trouble driving uninsured. Once I was driving a rental car, was not aware of the laws since I was new to the country and driving. I had a minor accident with a stupid woman, I scratched her bumper. The cop didn't think I should get a ticket for such a small accident, but he gave me a ticket for not having insurance card. I was required to go to court. At that time I had a sort of a girlfriend who advised me not to worry about going to court, just send them proof of insurance. So I just got the insurance card from the rental company and mailed it to the court. A few days after the court date I received a note saying there is a warrant for my arrest unless I post a bail and go to court, I did both and got away with $100 fine. Right now I have 18 points and I pay a lot of for insurance, just liability. Most of my points come from 2 accidents. I have had more accidents though. The biggest speeding ticket I got was when I was testing my old Mazda how fast it can go. Mazda is a crappy car but for its year (91) it went really fast. I reached about 110-115 m/h and I think it could go even faster but had to slow down because of toll boots ahead (I must say that a funny noise was coming from the engine at that speed). Well, as I was slowing near the tolls I heard a loudspeaker telling me to stop. It was a K-9 cop with a dog. Apparently he took a notice of me when I had slowed down to 88 m/h and gave me a ticket for that (still a big offense on a 55 mile highway). He searched my car and was angry because it turned out he had been chasing me for a while, I didn't notice him. Another time I almost got arrested because a woman had called the police and told them that I was following her. I had a beard at that time and looked like a middle eastern terrorist, this was close to Y2K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Nope not here. Clean record ... one of the benefits of driving offroaders that have a tough time getting up to the speed limits. Well, you could still explore the other opportunities to get a ticket.. red light, stop sign, driving on a sidewalk... :0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Wow Sasun - 18 points(!) and many accidents....oh so not good...perhaps you need better driver training. And you shouldn't drive fast (or crazy etc) unless you really know what your doing...(and yes - you shuld have insurance...though I'm not even sure you should be driving...LOL) I once did the entire New Jersey Turnpike from Deleware (or threreabouts where it starts) to the George Wshington Bridge - where I only dropped under 100 mph for tolls and such! (and through NYC I was basically only below 70 when [briefly] behind a truck or several...)...made it from Washington DC to NY in around 3 hours (perhaps 3 1/2)...and to beyond Bridgeport Ct (Stratford?) in under 4 1/2! My passenger - a good friend - normally very skittish with me driving...was totally calm and had no problems...(I sometimes have passengers get sick & lose it...LOL) - turned out - and I only found out several years after - he had loaded up on valiums prior to the drive!!!! (good man!) Man though 18 points...thats scary (heh - if they do have drivers ed or such - some states will reduce your pints a bit...just a thouhgt...and in some states you can take it every year...worth considering) I have one good friend (the guy who built my deck with me actually) who had to spend 6 months in jail - just on the basis of his (very extreme/3 pages long) traffic record (and when he was building my deack he still was in the middle of a 2 year period where he was not allowed a license...LOL)...he had (used to...) a screamer Porsche 911 (bored out, balanced and all race set up) ...and some sort of a speed bike...his philosophy was - why stop for cops when he could outrun them...well they very often showed up at his door after the fact - and with a bright yellow 911 well...hard to claim it wasn't him (etc)...The few times I ever went out with him we would roll his car down this hill before he started it (it was very very loud and unmistakable)...then he had to shoot out of town - with cops in tail (they were always looking to nail him...as he got away from them far more often then not)....he drives a beat up ole pickup now...says he can't be tempted because he can't control himself...LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Actually 18 points for insurance, for the DMV it's less, they drop points as you go. I think they take away your license if you have more than 13 points with the DMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Wow Sasun - 18 points(!) and many accidents....oh so not good...perhaps you need better driver training. And you shouldn't drive fast (or crazy etc) unless you really know what your doing...(and yes - you shuld have insurance...though I'm not even sure you should be driving...LOL) Sometimes I also think that I shouldn't drive but I can't I wish I lived and worked in a city. Luckily none of my accidents (5-6) were major and not even a tiny injury on myself or other people. It was not easy to get a drivers license. I failed 2 driving tests, the 3rd one was not good either - I hit the cone when doing the parallel parking. Normally it is an automatic fail. But the woman said I had been there enough already and she gave me a pass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sev-mard Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Damn...18 points! You're still on the roads man! I can't afford 18 points, "DWB" Driving While Black is like 20 points from the beginning. =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Damn...18 points! You're still on the roads man! I can't afford 18 points, "DWB" Driving While Black is like 20 points from the beginning. =D I know what you mean. You are not the first black guy who says this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 What points you talking about? In california, 3 points and you are DONE. License is gone. As far as I've heard. I've had 2 speeding tickets my entire life. 1) Obvious speed trap Sunday 8AM on sunset in pacific pallisades (rich neighborhood). No one around .. speed limit is 30 and I'm doing 45. Boo HOo Hoo 2) Somewhere in northern Cali at 6AM ... flat road, visibility is perfect for miles. Not a single sole around ... I'm doing 65 in a "40" zone (it's completely a rural back road with farming fields on each side ... FLAT, straight. At some points I saw headlinghts approaching from front but by the time I realized it was a cop, he passed me. Made a nice U turn and came and slapped the ticket in my hand. That one, I went to online traffic school !!! It was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 Sip - If thats the same speed trap on sunset in Pacific pallisades...well I'll be....guess keep with what works (sorry to hear about that)... And online trafic school now! gosh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sip Posted October 16, 2003 Report Share Posted October 16, 2003 It was actually a few years ago. You pay like $20, they give you some web pages that you are supposed to be reading ... they supposedly had a timer that would not allow you to advance too quickly but obviously you can do other things while that timer is going. And at the end of each section there was some rediculous quiz. Paid the ticket online, request traffic school online, took traffic school online and they sent me the certificate and court docs in mail. Very convenient but not every court had that at the time. It's much more convenient than the 8 or 12 hour regular traffic school although the time I went, the cop told us a lot of cool stories so it wasn't all wasted. Actually I learned a lot about laws too ... for example the red light law. I always had assumed you shouldn't cross at yellow but the cop told us you are only breaking the law if your wheel crosses the first pedestrian white line after the light turns RED. Otherwise, it's not running a red light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 I asked my insurance agent how much I would save if I went to a driver eductation school, they said only $20. So, no point to take those classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azat Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Wow. It is interesting how we form mental images of people in our head and I would have never guessed that Sasun had lead in his shoes. You seem such a calm person one would have never guessed that you were a maniac in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 Wow. It is interesting how we form mental images of people in our head and I would have never guessed that Sasun had lead in his shoes. You seem such a calm person one would have never guessed that you were a maniac in the car. I only seem calm, in reality I am a danger to the society Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azat Posted October 18, 2003 Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 it is best that you and Thoth tell us when you are on the road so I can stay home at those hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasun Posted October 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 it is best that you and Thoth tell us when you are on the road so I can stay home at those hours. Very wise decision. In general Thoth and I shouldn't drive on the same road either, better yet in different states Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted October 18, 2003 Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 Don't worry Azat...in a few seconds (if that) i would be passed you and far down the road anyway...part of my philoshophy...if I lessen my time on the road (by going faster) - I lessen the time that I'm out there for some idiot to turn into me or some such...etc I've actually had very very few accidents in my time (and I've been driving quite a bit and put on at least 20K miles/yr)...(caused by me I mean - I've had plenty of idiots hit me though...)...and all (but 1 I guess) have been very minor. I did once cruise through a stop sign that I didn't see and was hit by another car. I wasn't speeding or anything - just the sign was a bit blocked and I just didn't see it. Still not good - a lapse certainly - but I've never had any problem at speed as it were... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armat Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 I had the worst sat. Got stuck in traffic on my motorcycle due to an accident for 45 min,late for work then zipped between cars to get going and shocks just passed a state trooper on a harley.Could not say or do anything.She gave me two hundred worth of citations.Sucks! I felt miserable! That was way too much punishment.The cop was pissed !I guess 'couse I was riding a sportbike verses a cruiser.This is true there is a whole culture about Harley and everything that goes along with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THOTH Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Ouch - that does suck - big time...sorry about that. Its interesting - in california motorcyles zoom along betwee cars all the time...but don't see it so much at all on the East Coast...don't know what the legal issues are - but appparent;ly - by your experience - it is more then just timidness on the part of riders eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harut Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 a couple of weeks ago i was going to crash a police with his bike.i was going on the rightmost lane with 15mph over the limited, as were everybody else including the police. the police was going right behind me, close to the second lane. and there was another car right next to my left, going at the same speed. then i noticed a hole on the ground right next to the curb. so i sharply moved to the left within my lane. at the same time the police was trying to pass us between me and the car next to me. the police hit the breaks sharply and almost lost control of the bike.it was a hillerious scene (though very dangerous). i thought, that's it, he's going to get pissed and stop me. but he didn't do anything. just caught up with me and rode another 10 mins behind me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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