What is the name of your state? Florida
Hello, first of all I would like to thank whomever can help me. I was given a ticket for careless driving yesterday. I tried to stop at a stop sign and my brakes failed to function(I was going 25 MPH, under the posted speed limit), sending me into oncoming traffic and I was involved in an accident which in luckily no one was hurt. I tried to stop well ahead of the stop sign and my car continue to move forward, I even tried the emergency brake. After the accident, I had brakes; but I suspect that the wet road conditions were the cause of my temporary brake failure(which happened half a block away from my home at a stop sign I stop at almost daily). Aside from that, the brake indicator on the dashboard display is telling me there is something wrong with the brakes after the accident and it remains on at this time. I am in a quandary, and it may have been a combination of bad driving conditions and an inexplicable temporary brake failure. I know temporary brake failure is a highly unlikely occurence due to mechanical factors alone, but by the same token I know for a fact my car had absolutely no braking ability moments prior to the accident; although the police officer who responded to the scene of the accident didn't see it that way and charge me with an infraction which I feel I am not at fault for since there was no criminal intent nor carelessness on my part. He told me "I was not here to witness the incident and that's why I'm giving you this ticket. Bring proof of your brakes being defective to court and the judge will drop the charge.". My opinion is, I should not have been charged with what the officer is "supposing" I am at fault of and "supposing" I was being careless simply because he has no way of telling if I am being honest with him or not. The reason I am most appalled by the citation is that I have a spotless criminal and driving record, and to have it tarnished by something I could not avoid and had no control over is a miscarriage of justice in my opinion. And, if I am indeed at fault for my brakes not working and that makes me a careless driver, the law itself must be as wrong as the officer who ticketed me in my opinion. Thanks for taking the time to hear me out and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hello, first of all I would like to thank whomever can help me. I was given a ticket for careless driving yesterday. I tried to stop at a stop sign and my brakes failed to function(I was going 25 MPH, under the posted speed limit), sending me into oncoming traffic and I was involved in an accident which in luckily no one was hurt. I tried to stop well ahead of the stop sign and my car continue to move forward, I even tried the emergency brake. After the accident, I had brakes; but I suspect that the wet road conditions were the cause of my temporary brake failure(which happened half a block away from my home at a stop sign I stop at almost daily). Aside from that, the brake indicator on the dashboard display is telling me there is something wrong with the brakes after the accident and it remains on at this time. I am in a quandary, and it may have been a combination of bad driving conditions and an inexplicable temporary brake failure. I know temporary brake failure is a highly unlikely occurence due to mechanical factors alone, but by the same token I know for a fact my car had absolutely no braking ability moments prior to the accident; although the police officer who responded to the scene of the accident didn't see it that way and charge me with an infraction which I feel I am not at fault for since there was no criminal intent nor carelessness on my part. He told me "I was not here to witness the incident and that's why I'm giving you this ticket. Bring proof of your brakes being defective to court and the judge will drop the charge.". My opinion is, I should not have been charged with what the officer is "supposing" I am at fault of and "supposing" I was being careless simply because he has no way of telling if I am being honest with him or not. The reason I am most appalled by the citation is that I have a spotless criminal and driving record, and to have it tarnished by something I could not avoid and had no control over is a miscarriage of justice in my opinion. And, if I am indeed at fault for my brakes not working and that makes me a careless driver, the law itself must be as wrong as the officer who ticketed me in my opinion. Thanks for taking the time to hear me out and any advice would be greatly appreciated.