What is the name of your state? Oregon.
I just moved to Portland, OR. I was merging onto 5 N, and I saw 3 cars: a black car, a police motorcycle, and another car pulled over on the shoulder near the merge. I was going well below the speed limit (speed limit is 50mph, I was going about 40 at most the whole time I was behind the 3 cars). I downshifted, finished merging, passed the 3 cars and accelerated to about 45mph. Then, the black car pulls behind me, and it turns out to be an unmarked police car and pulls me over.
He said that it is the law that I need to either change lanes or slow down when approaching emergency vehicles. He said that I sped up, and gave me a citation for failing to maintain a safe distance from emergency vehicles. He will probably argue that the 3 cars were after the merge, and so when I changed lanes I still wasn't a lane away (the 3 cars were in the merging area, and I was a good distance away). He probably thought I sped up because when I downshifted, my engine revved, and my car "looks" fast.
When I asked if I could get a warning, the officer said that he could not because another officer was injured during a traffic stop by oncoming traffic, so he was being extra strict. That does not sound like a valid reason to me. Also the unmarked car was partially obstructing the other two cars, which confused the issue a little.
I have to work, and going to trial is unrealistic for a $242 fine. Is trial by declaration a good option or will that get me nowhere? Will they even allow it, or does it need to be special circumstances?
I just moved to Portland, OR. I was merging onto 5 N, and I saw 3 cars: a black car, a police motorcycle, and another car pulled over on the shoulder near the merge. I was going well below the speed limit (speed limit is 50mph, I was going about 40 at most the whole time I was behind the 3 cars). I downshifted, finished merging, passed the 3 cars and accelerated to about 45mph. Then, the black car pulls behind me, and it turns out to be an unmarked police car and pulls me over.
He said that it is the law that I need to either change lanes or slow down when approaching emergency vehicles. He said that I sped up, and gave me a citation for failing to maintain a safe distance from emergency vehicles. He will probably argue that the 3 cars were after the merge, and so when I changed lanes I still wasn't a lane away (the 3 cars were in the merging area, and I was a good distance away). He probably thought I sped up because when I downshifted, my engine revved, and my car "looks" fast.
When I asked if I could get a warning, the officer said that he could not because another officer was injured during a traffic stop by oncoming traffic, so he was being extra strict. That does not sound like a valid reason to me. Also the unmarked car was partially obstructing the other two cars, which confused the issue a little.
I have to work, and going to trial is unrealistic for a $242 fine. Is trial by declaration a good option or will that get me nowhere? Will they even allow it, or does it need to be special circumstances?