Pulled Over on the Left Shoulder of the Highway - Failure to Yield to ER Vehicle

[jfider]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington

The cop pulled me over for AT FIRST because I failed to signal 100', but then the real biggie was that I pulled over on the left shoulder of the highway instead of the right. I was already in the HOV(carpool) lane when the cop turned into my lane and flashed his lights. Me being very terrified since I have a clean record and never been pulled over..got really nervous and went ahead and pulled on the left shoulder lane, it was big enough to pull over and such and had NO IDEA it was illegal, so the cop is pretty much yelling at me and telling me why the hell did i do such a thing? At first I thought he meant why am i in the carpool lane since I was the only one in the car. All I could do is apologize repeatedly. So he said were going to pull to the right shoulder lane and do this again.

He gives me a ticket for $1,064 which I thought was RIDICULOUS and the $124 for the failed to signal 100'. He said if I had pulled ot the right shoulder lane, he would of gave me a warning and He told me "good luck explaining it to the judge" and gave me a lecture on this and that of rules of the road, which of course I paided no attention to because I was so upset.

My question is...will I be able to get the ticket deferred since I have a clean record? If not, will you think the judge will lower the ticket price, if I do a mitigation hearing? ANY helpful advice would be much appreciated!!What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[The Occultist]

How long have you been driving? If you've been driving less than a year, then a clean record won't really mean much. However, if you have been driving for quite awhile and have maintained a clean record, then that may indeed give you some leverage into obtaining some sort of plea bargain.

I recommend you find a traffic attorney. Local attorneys know best what the courts want to hear, and as such present the highest potential in yielding the most favorable results. Many attorneys will offer a free/cheap consultation, so you should take advantage of this and sit down with a couple to see what insight they may have to offer. An attorney might seem expensive to you, but what these tickets can do to your insurance premiums may make the attorney the cheapest path to take.

 

[racer72]

Sounds like you were cited for multiple violations, you can only defer one of violations, not all of them. Do see an attorney as suggested

and gave me a lecture on this and that of rules of the road, which of course I paided no attention to because I was so upset.

If getting pulled over is so upsetting to you, perhaps you should find another mode of transportation.

 

[reactive]

Get a $1000 ticket, and report not being upset.

What exactly was the ticket for? I'm confused. If you go to court and get the officer to admit that he otherwise would have given you a warning, and you have a long clean record.... But, yeah, probably getting a lawyer should be the first step.

 

[jfider]

How long have you been driving? If you've been driving less than a year, then a clean record won't really mean much.

I have been driving for almost 6 years now with a clean record.

I got the $1,064 ticket for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle to answer the last post.

I was only very upset about this ticket because I have never ever been pulled over in my life, and being this the first time, i was a little afraid.

I will try my best to find an attorney of some sort and get this thing figured out, hopefully I can get the expensive violation deferred.

 

[Jim6]

I dont understand why he gave you that "failure to yield" ticket. You did pull over, just not where you were supposed to.

 

[jfider]

Apparently its illegal to pull over on the left shoulder of the Freeway in Washington, which I had not known until the officer told me...If I had only knew.

 

[patstew]

Apparently its illegal to pull over on the left shoulder of the Freeway in Washington, which I had not known until the officer told me...If I had only knew.

But I think Jim6 has a valid point -- you DID yield to an emergency vehicle. Your citation should have been issued for whatever law says you can't pull over on the left. You might have some basis here.

 

[Zigner]

I would be interested in knowing the actual code section our op was cited for...

 

[reactive]

I finally understand what happened. He ran into a *** who got him with trumped-up citations. One time my car broke down and I was forced into the left shoulder - very scary place it can be, but I didn't know until now it is illegal anywhere (except maybe as above) and many others probably don't know that. I am not sure how one gets a lawyer without risking paying more for services than one gets in fine reductions, but it sounds like the OP's case for a lesser punishment is strong.

 

[The Occultist]

:I am not sure how one gets a lawyer without risking paying more for services than one gets in fine reductions, but it sounds like the OP's case for a lesser punishment is strong.

The point of getting the lawyer is not to avoid paying more now, it's to avoid paying MUCH more later in the form of increased insurance premiums based on the violation(s) that end up on his record.