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Running a

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M

Millslane

Guest
I was traveling towards a light at the posted speed limit on a Michigan road. As I approached the light it turned yellow, at this point however i was too close to safely stop. There was a police officer stationed at a point from which angle he could not fully view the color of the light at hte time i was passing through. That officer radioed ahead to another officer who wasnt stationed at hte time to report that i had ran a red light and that i needed to be pulled over. I was and i was given a ticket for running a red light. This is a very pressing matter as i will be fighting this ticket in court this friday, someone please respond asap, please! My Questions are does the officer that did not see my so called violation have the right to pull me over, and if the officer did not have a clear line of sight can he issue me a ticket, and what is the technical law regarding yellow lights in the state of michigan? Please repond quickly, thank you very much!
 


I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
My response:

You shouldn't have been sitting on this for the past 28 days or so. Now you're at the eleventh hour and in a panic situation.

When you go to court, plead "not guilty" and demand a trial.

Subpeona both cops for the trial and start watching Judge Judy for trial techniques, and possible questions to ask them.

Good luck.

IAAL
 
C

chrisdry

Guest
You stated that the light turned yellow before you got to the intersection, but was it still yellow as you entered the intersection? Keep in mind that in most states, an "intersection" is defined by the prolongation of the lateral curb lines (or edge of pavement lines) which in all cases is well beyond the stop bar or cross walk if there was one. If you crossed this boundary under yellow than you are legal, however it also comes down to a point of your word versus the officers word. In your trial, bring photos and diagrams of the intersection and point out where the officers were and show that they could not have seen your car and/or the light at the same time from their vantage point, submit these as evidence. Remember that a preponderance of evidence is what determines the judgement with a traffic violation.
If you have time, the more information you have, the better your chances of winning. For example, you could get the signal timing from the town or DOT, depending who has jurisdiction of the intersection and evaluate based upon the posted speed. You may need the assistance of an engineer to do this. Also, you could point out if the signing and striping conforms to MUTCD. If it is not up to snuff, that will better your case.
I believe that another officer has the right to pull you over for running the light, but am not 100% certain. It may vary from state to state. Good luck.
 

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