I am in New York State and received a ticket the other night. I made a left hand turn on a yellow "arrow" /red light, right behind one of my co-worker's car. Two seconds I noticed a police car behind me. My co-worker pulled over and so did I thinking he wanted to pass. Instead he stopped and got out of his car. Approached my car and asked did I know why I was stopped. I said, "No". He said that I had turned on red. I told him the light was yellow he said that his light had been green for sometime when I turned. He went back to his car with my lic. and reg. and came back with a summons. In the meanwhile when my co-worker realized that he was not approaching her car she drove away. ( I found out she was a co-worker when she asked me the next day if I got a ticket.)
I noticed that he had another person in the cruser with him. I assume he was training, since usually there is only one police person to a car. When He returned with the summons I questioned him as to what a driver should do if they appproach a yellow light. He said that I had the right to proceed with caution but because his light was green I had to have turned on a red light.
I told him that was not the case. He then asked how my driver's record was? When I said very good, he said I should plead not quilty and he would ask the judge to dismiss the summons. Should I believe this? I plan to plead not guilty anyway but it is my word against his that the light was yellow. Even though he could not see the light from his vantage point and proceeded only because his light was green. I admit it was close, because the car behind me did not follow me through the turn but the light was yellow and I was taught that you should not slam on your brakes but to proceed if the light is yellow. Let me add that I am a minority and my co-worker and the police officer that stopped me were not.
I noticed that he had another person in the cruser with him. I assume he was training, since usually there is only one police person to a car. When He returned with the summons I questioned him as to what a driver should do if they appproach a yellow light. He said that I had the right to proceed with caution but because his light was green I had to have turned on a red light.
I told him that was not the case. He then asked how my driver's record was? When I said very good, he said I should plead not quilty and he would ask the judge to dismiss the summons. Should I believe this? I plan to plead not guilty anyway but it is my word against his that the light was yellow. Even though he could not see the light from his vantage point and proceeded only because his light was green. I admit it was close, because the car behind me did not follow me through the turn but the light was yellow and I was taught that you should not slam on your brakes but to proceed if the light is yellow. Let me add that I am a minority and my co-worker and the police officer that stopped me were not.