i was on a country road at night in the pouring rain. i tried to stop at a stop sign and lost control of the vehichle. i hydroplaned? straight into a corn field. i feel i tried to stop in plenty of time and was not "driving too fast for conditions," but the officer gave me a ticket for "disobeying traffic control device." the ticket is only $75, but it makes me mad. i don't feel it was my fault. do you think i should go to the court date? do you think i have a chance? what would be considered reasonable or unreasonable speed? do you think it's my fault?
2007-07-19 12:32:19 · 9 answers · asked by hihi 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
alright, i now see i did wrong. i only got the ticket a couple hours ago. i hadn't had much time to think about it. i didn't see the ticket coming, but there's no arguing, i should've stopped. i wouldn't want other people to not have control of their vehicles, no matter what the conditions. i feel lucky no one was hurt. i'm still kind of curious what would happen if i did go to the court date, but i'm pretty sure i'll just pay the fine.
2007-07-19 13:22:35 · update #1
He probably took into account how far you went into the cornfield and I would say you were going waay too fast for conditions...
2007-07-19 12:42:39 · answer #1 · answered by commonsense2265 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know what is more disturbing, your failure to accept responsibility for your actions or the knuckleheads that agree with you.
You could not safely stop your vehicle in the given weather/road conditions. You had too much speed and therefore couldn't stop. Which part of "too fast for conditions" are you having trouble understanding?
You got off really lucky, probably because you ended up in a cornfield instead of a storefront, or someone's living room or the side door of a mini-van. In Alaska I get this all the time. "I couldn't stop because the roads were icy."
Okay, I cite you for "Too fast for conditions" "failure to maintain control" in your case "Failure to stop" "improper equipment" and if some one had been hurt "reckless driving" vehicular assault" or even "vehicular manslaughter."
Had I got you, you'd be looking at time.
In your case above, just who do you think is at fault? The corn farmer, the weatherman, the county for putting up the stop sign, anybody but you?
2007-07-19 12:58:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't have a chance in court. By definition, you were going too fast for conditions. You couldn't make an appropriate stop, given the conditions that were present. Ergo, too fast for conditions. Pay the $75 and let it go. Sometimes it's tought to admit that you made a mistake, but when you really did make a mistake, the only sure place to find sympathy is in the dictionary. It's somewhere after suicide.
2007-07-19 12:37:25 · answer #3 · answered by Not my name 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't sound like it was your fault and if I was you I would probably be upset too. But you have to ask yourself this question...is $75 worth the hassle? I have heard that most of the time, cops don't show up in court, but if he does and you somehow loose, you might have to pay court fees, etc. So, make sure you think it over and decide if it's worth it. You might be better off just paying the ticket and forgetting about it.
2007-07-19 12:39:23 · answer #4 · answered by vanjita 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bottomline is you are the driver of the vehicle and it is your fault. Although you did not think you were driving faster than the current road conditions merited the reality is you were. You can attempt to go to court to contest the ticket and although I do not believe you will win often times the court fine is less than the actual ticket.
2007-07-19 12:42:35 · answer #5 · answered by levindis 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You didn't specify the speed limit where the accident took place, but remember, speed limits refer to the limit in optimal driving conditions, not in the pouring down rain. I have a sinking feeling you were driving too fast for those specific conditions, and the cop probably thought so too...
2007-07-19 12:38:41 · answer #6 · answered by gilliegrrrl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you hydroplaned you were OBVIOUSLY driving too fast for conditions. The fact that you don't think it's your fault is mind-blowing.
It's your fault, pay the ticket and get over it.
2007-07-19 12:35:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Accidents due to rain is a valid defense against a ticket. Thus, protest against the ticket and clearly cite the circumstances of the accident.
2007-07-19 12:36:05 · answer #8 · answered by FRAGINAL, JTM 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
while you were there did any other cars come by? if yes, did any of them crash into the cornfield? if they didn't, then he's right, you were going to fast for the conditions.
2007-07-19 12:39:40 · answer #9 · answered by freshprince 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋