truthbtold
Member
What is the name of your state? NJ
Hi! I was driving to a supermaket just before midnight on Saturday. No people nor traffic on the road. 25 mph zone, travelling about 15. Decided I needed to check my coat pocket to make sure I had my shopping list. If not, I had to go back home. It became a bit of a struggle because of the seat belt, so I swerved a bit...enough for the driver side wheels to cross the double yellow. Quickly straightened out and proceeded to drive slow and normal, thinking to myself, "it's Saturday night...if a cop saw that he might think I was drunk!" Sure enough, the flashers appeared behind me.
I explained to the officer what happened. He explained that he uses a radar on that avenue during that shift and tends to catch speeders and looks for drunk drivers as well; and he thought I might have been drunk. (Understandable...I realize it was Saturday night, I could understand the officer pulling me over to see. Getting pulled over for this would not have happened at, say, noon.) Convinced that drunk wasn't the case, I thought he'd give a warning. Or something without points if he was so inclined. He gave me CARELESS DRIVING! I was stunned. I view this as a pretty serious offense. $85. 2 points. Same as blowing a stop sign. Insurance sure to go up.
The officer's exact words: "I gave you a summons for careless driving. If you want, you can plead not guilty". He then continued with explaining his routine. I feel as though he was hinting that I should plead "not guilty". I also feel that I AM "not guilty". The punishment doesn't fit the crime. It was a momentary error. I was not likely to injure person or property. It was deserted. I did not continue to drive in this manner.
I plan to show up in court and defend myself. Does anyone have insight into the New Jersey municipal court system? Do I stand a chance? Can I expect the officer to be there? Are there court fees involved? Anything else I should expect? Thanks for any knowledge or thoughts you can share...What is the name of your state?
Hi! I was driving to a supermaket just before midnight on Saturday. No people nor traffic on the road. 25 mph zone, travelling about 15. Decided I needed to check my coat pocket to make sure I had my shopping list. If not, I had to go back home. It became a bit of a struggle because of the seat belt, so I swerved a bit...enough for the driver side wheels to cross the double yellow. Quickly straightened out and proceeded to drive slow and normal, thinking to myself, "it's Saturday night...if a cop saw that he might think I was drunk!" Sure enough, the flashers appeared behind me.
I explained to the officer what happened. He explained that he uses a radar on that avenue during that shift and tends to catch speeders and looks for drunk drivers as well; and he thought I might have been drunk. (Understandable...I realize it was Saturday night, I could understand the officer pulling me over to see. Getting pulled over for this would not have happened at, say, noon.) Convinced that drunk wasn't the case, I thought he'd give a warning. Or something without points if he was so inclined. He gave me CARELESS DRIVING! I was stunned. I view this as a pretty serious offense. $85. 2 points. Same as blowing a stop sign. Insurance sure to go up.
The officer's exact words: "I gave you a summons for careless driving. If you want, you can plead not guilty". He then continued with explaining his routine. I feel as though he was hinting that I should plead "not guilty". I also feel that I AM "not guilty". The punishment doesn't fit the crime. It was a momentary error. I was not likely to injure person or property. It was deserted. I did not continue to drive in this manner.
I plan to show up in court and defend myself. Does anyone have insight into the New Jersey municipal court system? Do I stand a chance? Can I expect the officer to be there? Are there court fees involved? Anything else I should expect? Thanks for any knowledge or thoughts you can share...What is the name of your state?