Name of my state: California
I received a ticket for an estimated 70 on a 55 posted Freeway 17 between Saratoga and Santa Cruz.
The officer said he paced me and wrote a ticket for Infraction 22349(b) speeding.
He added a comment: verbal: 21703 following too close.
I am wondering if:
1. he can use 22349(b) because that is dedicated to 2-lane undivided highway,
while 17 is a 4-lane divided road.
2. it happened at night with not too much traffic, but occasional clumps of cars doing
less than the speed limit, because it is a curvy road. I was switching lanes a couple times to pass the other cars and the cop had the same issue - he switched his lights on while more than 1000 ft behind me, stuck behind a clump of cars. How accurate can his pacing of me be in such a situation?
3. I was trying to stay close to the speed limit (really!) as I know that stretch of road changes from 55 to 65, so I let my speed go up from near 55 to 65 but noticed a couple
hundred yards later that I was too early when I passed the 65 sign. The cop pulled me over half a mile further down the hill.
I am not sure how long the cop followed me, I think I saw from the corner of my eye that a car entered just after I passed a side-street about a mile before the speed changed from 55 to 65. I was not speeding there, I think the cop saw me change lane to pass other cars and decided to follow me.
I have a commercial drivers license so even though I was driving my own car, I can't go to traffic school.
What is the best approach for Santa Cruz?
Thanks,
I received a ticket for an estimated 70 on a 55 posted Freeway 17 between Saratoga and Santa Cruz.
The officer said he paced me and wrote a ticket for Infraction 22349(b) speeding.
He added a comment: verbal: 21703 following too close.
I am wondering if:
1. he can use 22349(b) because that is dedicated to 2-lane undivided highway,
while 17 is a 4-lane divided road.
2. it happened at night with not too much traffic, but occasional clumps of cars doing
less than the speed limit, because it is a curvy road. I was switching lanes a couple times to pass the other cars and the cop had the same issue - he switched his lights on while more than 1000 ft behind me, stuck behind a clump of cars. How accurate can his pacing of me be in such a situation?
3. I was trying to stay close to the speed limit (really!) as I know that stretch of road changes from 55 to 65, so I let my speed go up from near 55 to 65 but noticed a couple
hundred yards later that I was too early when I passed the 65 sign. The cop pulled me over half a mile further down the hill.
I am not sure how long the cop followed me, I think I saw from the corner of my eye that a car entered just after I passed a side-street about a mile before the speed changed from 55 to 65. I was not speeding there, I think the cop saw me change lane to pass other cars and decided to follow me.
I have a commercial drivers license so even though I was driving my own car, I can't go to traffic school.
What is the best approach for Santa Cruz?
Thanks,