Driving Without Headlights On

[awdDsmer]

Please read and help me out.

Me and my friends were in a parking lot at around 11:00 pm on a saturday night.
I pulled in to the parking lot and parked turning all my lights off but leaving my car on. The cops came into the parking lot and as i left i forgot to turn my lights back on because the parking lot lights were so bright and my car was already on. Before I even pulled out of the parking lot a cop was waiting for me to pull out, saw my lights. He turned his lights on me and pulled me over not even half a block away. Wow that was long sorry, so basically i drove half a block with a spotlight from a cop lighting my way and got a $130 ticket for it and driving school, had the cop not been there making me all nervous i would have realized my lights were off. Is there anyway to get this reduced? 1st offense not including a fix it ticket. This is in california

[cdwjava]

You can ask, but the fines are pretty standard and most courts don't give any leeway. I'd say you should expect to pay the fine.

- Carl

[chuckycheese]

You've got to be wondering about the cop's motivation. It seems that a verbal warning (or better yet, just blinking his lights in order to alert you that yours were off) would have been prudent and restored safety. The reason so many people dislike cops is that they feel they're unreasonable. A little common sense and descretion would go a long ways.....

[cdwjava]

You've got to be wondering about the cop's motivation. It seems that a verbal warning (or better yet, just blinking his lights in order to alert you that yours were off) would have been prudent and restored safety. The reason so many people dislike cops is that they feel they're unreasonable. A little common sense and descretion would go a long ways.....

The reason it is a good idea to pull over someone without lights on so late at night when leaving a parking lot is that it is also a key indicator of DUI. Especially driving half a block without realizing the dashboard and the roadway is dark.

And, thanks to legislation requiring the tracking of "racial profiling data" in many locales, many agencies and officer prefers to issue citations instead of written warnings ... in some agencies the paperwork required for a warning after a stop is more time-consuming for the officer than the citation.

- Carl

[chuckycheese]

So, the cops write tickets when a warning would be just as effective because it reduces their paperwork? That's pretty sad.....I'd like to think if I were a cop, I'd try to be reasonable and effective. If it meant more paperwork, I'd either do it..or do something else.

[cdwjava]

So, the cops write tickets when a warning would be just as effective because it reduces their paperwork? That's pretty sad.....I'd like to think if I were a cop, I'd try to be reasonable and effective. If it meant more paperwork, I'd either do it..or do something else.

Well, when you are told by your admin that you WILL write tickets (with cause), then guess what ...? And when your job can be threatened because you gave a warning to the wrong person and cited someone else, you are going to think twice about warnings or ANY stops. I obviously can't say WHAT took place here, but I know of officers in at least three agencies that do not give warnings anymore due to the negative effect it could have on their career ... and the burden of the additional paperwork. For them one stop equals one citation.

'Tis about the law of unintended consequences.

In most cases, very often the difference between a ticket or a warning is a matter of attitude. If someone cops an attitude, they are more likely to get a citation than not. While it might not always be necessary to write the citation, it is certainly lawful to do so.

Personally, I can't recall the last time I cited someone for not having their headlights on. I have pulled over a lot of people for it, but can't recall a citation unless the lights were busted or otherwise not working. But, because I do not tend to issue cites for it does not mean that there is not a valid reason for another officer to do so.

- Carl

[duneridercr250]

I am from San Diego, California. I just got a ticket for not having my headlights on also. I drove two blocks with my marker lights on, then i realized that my head lights weren't on, so i turned them on.......then i get pulled over after the fact and get written a ticket. The fine was $148!!! Does this give me a point on my record?

[cdwjava]

It depends on what section you were cited for. If it was for CVC 24400, then the answer should be "no".

- Carl

[Litigator]

And, thanks to legislation requiring the tracking of "racial profiling data" in many locales, many agencies and officer prefers to issue citations instead of written warnings ... in some agencies the paperwork required for a warning after a stop is more time-consuming for the officer than the citation.

- Carl

Now do I sense some displeasure with this legislation? It's kind of like when the U.S. Supreme Court held you could not do a search incident to a citation. One possible response? Arrest them in lieu of issuing a citation so that a search incident to the arrest can be done.

Sometimes the do-gooders end up losing more freedom in the long haul by continually pushing the envelope.

[duneridercr250]

it was citation 24250