Cops and Tickets

[fullmetalscooter]

Glad you got most of these tickets thrown out.

[quasigentrified]

i got pulled over on my sportcity 250 two months back.

got a warning.


despite 51 in a school zone!

[hugemoth]

Got a ticket for going 84 mph on the San Francisco bay bridge one night many years ago. I was riding my souped up Vespa 200. Took the owners manual to court and showed the judge where it said "maximum speed with rider in the prone position, 68 mph". Case dismissed.

[JerryH]

I have no respect for traffic cops anymore. It's not like it was back in the days of ADAM 12. Now all they want to do is harass you and see how much money they can extort from you. It has nothing to do with safety.

[Paul Mihalka]

Originally Posted by JerryH

I have no respect for traffic cops anymore. It's not like it was back in the days of ADAM 12. Now all they want to do is harass you and see how much money they can extort from you. It has nothing to do with safety.

I fully disagree with you. I rode about 30K miles a year all around in this country for the last 30 years. Most of my encounters with the law (plenty, I wasn't slow) were correct, reasonable, some times fun. My estimate is about 4 stops/one ticket. Got forgiven a 87 in a 65. Got forgiven running (very slow riding) a stop sign. Cop stated I should have stopped but he saw me looking left and right. Got a warning. There were some a**holes, but I could count them on one hand with fingers left over. I think you get back what you give.

[strongbad]

Originally Posted by Paul Mihalka

... I think you get back what you give.

Did the two Asian women delivering papers in a blue pickup truck that remotely resembled one driven by a "cop killer" get what they deserved?

[klx250sfguy]

[Speedo66]

Originally Posted by klx250sfguy

Was it because she wasn't wearing eye protection?

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by Paul Mihalka

I fully disagree with you. I rode about 30K miles a year all around in this country for the last 30 years. Most of my encounters with the law (plenty, I wasn't slow) were correct, reasonable, some times fun. My estimate is about 4 stops/one ticket. Got forgiven a 87 in a 65. Got forgiven running (very slow riding) a stop sign. Cop stated I should have stopped but he saw me looking left and right. Got a warning. There were some a**holes, but I could count them on one hand with fingers left over. I think you get back what you give.

All I can say is come to AZ, USA and find out. They may very well not be that way everywhere, but they are here. I have been stopped about 20 times in 2 years, 3 times in 3 miles by 3 different cops for having a license plate light out. 3 times in 3 miles. I was also stopped sometime later in another vehicle for the same thing. I was stopped a couple of times for going 5 mph UNDER the speed limit. I was stopped 4-5 times on motorcycles for going 5-6 mph over the speed limit. All these happened when the speed limit dropped about 20 mph for curves, and I didn't slow down quite enough. Sport bike riders usually have louder aftermarket pipes, and many have been given speeding tickets just because their bikes "sounded" faster than they were actually going. I was given "warnings" every time, but warnings are no longer free here, they cost you $100. They just don't put points on your license. The tickets were for, of all things "wasting natural resources" ie gas. AZ is covered with photo red light cameras and photo radar cameras. On the photo radar cameras, they have shortened the yellow, in direct violation of federal law. AZ is known nationwide as "the surveillance state" Every cop I have dealt with has been extremely rude and condescending, while I was very polite and cooperative.

[Wentwest]

I've been waved slower by the California Highway patrol twice, on motorcycles. Once going about 90 just east of the Oakland Bay Bridge. He rode up next to me on the freeway, beeped, I looked over, he waved his hand palm down, I waved OK back, slowed down, and he took off. The other was farther east, about 85 mph, same exact story.

One time I met a CHP motorcycle cop in a gas station and I asked him if it was OK to follow him as fast as he drove, as long as he wasn't chasing someone. He laughed at me, and said it was OK, just don't ever pass.

I think that local cops and highway patrol cops will pull you over if it's a slow day, with little traffic and not much activity. If it's busy and you are riding safely, signal lane changes, don't blow past a lot of cars, just drive reasonably but fast, you can get by OK.

Around here they are looking for wackos and jerks. If you act like that, you get busted.

[Eladbern]

I had a cop here tell me they hate to stop scooters because around 75 percent are stolen and its just more trouble then its worth to haul a kid off to jail impound the bike and fill out the stack of paperwork so unless your just being blatently stupid they just let them go. he told me that when i had him out to the house to inspect the new to me scooter i had just bought to make sure it wasnt stolen before i put it on the road lol.

[B02S4]

Originally Posted by hugemoth

Got a ticket for going 84 mph ...my souped up Vespa 200...owners manual to court and showed the judge where it said "maximum speed with rider in the prone position, 68 mph". Case dismissed.

[scootrboi]

I have never been pulled over on my scooter.

[Dranrab Luap]

Originally Posted by JerryH

All I can say is come to AZ, USA and find out. They may very well not be that way everywhere, but they are here. I have been stopped about 20 times in 2 years, 3 times in 3 miles by 3 different cops for having a license plate light out. 3 times in 3 miles. I was also stopped sometime later in another vehicle for the same thing..

Let's examine this. Your license plate light was out. I guess I have been lucky and never even managed to burn out a license plate light. Had I done so I would have fixed it. 3 times in 3 miles. That should tell you that having a license plate out is likely to draw LE attention and I can see how it would. Can't you?

[Dranrab Luap]

Originally Posted by JerryH

All I can say is come to AZ, USA and find out. They may very well not be that way everywhere, but they are here. I have been stopped about 20 times in 2 years, 3 times in 3 miles by 3 different cops for having a license plate light out. 3 times in 3 miles. I was also stopped sometime later in another vehicle for the same thing. I was stopped a couple of times for going 5 mph UNDER the speed limit. I was stopped 4-5 times on motorcycles for going 5-6 mph over the speed limit. All these happened when the speed limit dropped about 20 mph for curves, and I didn't slow down quite enough. Sport bike riders usually have louder aftermarket pipes, and many have been given speeding tickets just because their bikes "sounded" faster than they were actually going. I was given "warnings" every time, but warnings are no longer free here, they cost you $100. They just don't put points on your license. The tickets were for, of all things "wasting natural resources" ie gas. AZ is covered with photo red light cameras and photo radar cameras. On the photo radar cameras, they have shortened the yellow, in direct violation of federal law. AZ is known nationwide as "the surveillance state" Every cop I have dealt with has been extremely rude and condescending, while I was very polite and cooperative.

There are quite a few spirited riders on this site from AZ. I don't know of any other AZ rider who has been stopped half that many times. That rider may exist, but is far from the norm. It may be time for a little self examination. It is YOU Jerry. Nothing excuses a rude cop, but something tells me that you probably have a hand in that too.