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Ticketed For Helping Others Get Away With Speeding? Sue!

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  • #1

    Ticketed For Helping Others Get Away With Speeding? Sue!

    http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/Flori...9/14/id/410903

    Basically this guy passed a speed trap, and started flashing his headlights at oncoming traffic to warn them of it. Another cop noticed it, pulled him over, and gave him a ticket for it. Now he's all upset that he got caught and he's suing the police to make himself feel better.

    If you can't tell already, I think the guy is full of shit and is just pissed that he got caught helping other people speed and get away with it. The fact that a judge already at one point ruled in favor of a plaintiff in a previous case sickens me. People who recklessly speed put other people's lives in danger and deserve to get punished for it.
    Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers
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  • #2
    I know that in California, it's actually illegal to flash your lights at people except, possibly, in the case of trying to warn them of a hazard situation. I found this out while trying to discover if there was a law about flashing brights to try to get someone going slower to move the hell out of the fast lane.

    As noted in the article, Florida has the same law. Personally, I think the guy is a baby whining about getting caught and deserves to pay the fine along with everybody else cited. Ignorance of the law isn't an excuse, and unless you were trying to warn another driver of some sort of safety issue, then you take your lumps and don't do it again.

    I don't know the reason behind the original law, but, honestly, flashing your lights is not a freedom of speech issue. There are just too many messages that could be sent, and the only one that should be sent by that maneuver is "warning; dangerous situation."

    ^-.-^
    Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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    • #3
      I forgot to mention that I originally saw this on the news at the DFAC while eating midnight chow. They were interviewing the guy and he said he was doing it because it hurts your wallet to get ticketed for speeding or for what he did.

      Well no shit but there's a simpler solution: DON'T DRIVE LIKE AN ASSHOLE!
      Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers

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      • #4
        I can see two good reasons to flash your lights at oncoming traffic: 1) "you forgot to dim yours" and 2) there is something up ahead you need to be careful about." That would include more than usual police activity as well as more direct road hazards; if nothing else, when they've got somebody else pulled over they're likely standing in the road and you're supposed to slow down for that anyway.

        Had he been standing alongside the road (in a safe spot, and one where it is otherwise legal to stand) holding a sign which read "speed trap ahead," should that be illegal?
        "My in-laws are country people and at night you can hear their distinctive howl."

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        • #5
          If life was fair, and the world made any sense whatsoever he would get laughed out of the courtroom, the cost of the court fees added to his ticket, and then ridiculed for a bit. So..most likely he will win his suit and I will just shake my head some more wondering what in the name of sanity is going on.

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          • #6
            I've heard of that before...I don't think it's specifically a law against warning others of the speed trap, but its "Improper Signaling" or something.

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            • #7
              One other thing: the purpose of ticketing speeders is *supposed* to be to get people to drive slower. What do people do when they think the cops are up ahead giving tickets? They drive slower. The warning is causing exactly the same effect as the dummy police cars, etc that some places set out.
              "My in-laws are country people and at night you can hear their distinctive howl."

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              • #8
                Interestingly enough, someone in PA got arrested for the same thing. He also took it to court, and I think the judge ruled in his favor.
                --- I want the republicans out of my bedroom, the democrats out of my wallet, and both out of my first and second amendment rights. Whether you are part of the anal-retentive overly politically-correct left, or the bible-thumping bellowing right, get out of the thought control business --- Alan Nathan

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by HYHYBT View Post
                  One other thing: the purpose of ticketing speeders is *supposed* to be to get people to drive slower. What do people do when they think the cops are up ahead giving tickets? They drive slower. The warning is causing exactly the same effect as the dummy police cars, etc that some places set out.
                  Except what happens once you are past it? Slowing down isn't the same in both cases.

                  1) Someone flashed their lights at you to warn you there's a cop ahead. You slow down, pass the cop, then speed back up like nothing happened.

                  2) You get pulled over, ticketed, and possibly slow down all future driving as a result.

                  Which one is the better result?


                  Originally posted by DrFaroohk View Post
                  I've heard of that before...I don't think it's specifically a law against warning others of the speed trap, but its "Improper Signaling" or something.
                  I think in NJ it's called "Causing a Distraction".
                  Last edited by Greenday; 09-15-2011, 01:48 PM.
                  Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Greenday View Post
                    2) You get pulled over, ticketed, and possibly slow down all future driving as a result.
                    You really believe that? Fear of punishment will make people cease dangerous behavior? That'd be a first.

                    Interesting fact: the city of Aberdeen in Scotland is pretty wealthy (lot of businesses there that make money off of North Sea Oil). They don't need the added income from speed traps. Still, they have a lot of fixed-position speed traps in and around their city limits - that are painted bright red and yellow, so you can see them from quite a distance. Forces you to slow down at possibly accident-prone intersections and cuts down on speeding - exactly what speed traps *should* accomplish, in my opinion.

                    German cities recently began putting out a new type of fixed-position speed trap that is harder to see. Alternatively, they'll use mobile traps in civilian vehicles. Effect: only locals who know where the trap is will slow down, out-of-towners will not. More money for the town, less safety in the street.

                    On the other hand, there's no law against warning others about speed traps. Radio shows do it, or alternatively, you can stand in the street with a sign warning oncoming traffic, if you like. I don't have a problem with that, since most of the time, speed traps around here are placed exclusively to make money, not to increase traffic safety.
                    "You are who you are on your worst day, Durkon. Anything less is a comforting lie you tell yourself to numb the pain." - Evil
                    "You're trying to be Lawful Good. People forget how crucial it is to keep trying, even if they screw it up now and then." - Good

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Canarr View Post
                      You really believe that? Fear of punishment will make people cease dangerous behavior? That'd be a first.
                      hey it works for religion!
                      Registered rider scenic shore 150 charity ride

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                      • #12


                        Now THAT is a bold statement...
                        "You are who you are on your worst day, Durkon. Anything less is a comforting lie you tell yourself to numb the pain." - Evil
                        "You're trying to be Lawful Good. People forget how crucial it is to keep trying, even if they screw it up now and then." - Good

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Canarr View Post
                          You really believe that? Fear of punishment will make people cease dangerous behavior? That'd be a first.
                          No, getting caught and being punished for it might actually make people think about not doing it again. I mean, why bother having laws if we won't enforce them?
                          Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers

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                          • #14
                            Speeding laws can be enforced without speed traps being secretive.

                            We don't need cameras and cops spying on people to get them to slow down. That just increases revenue from writing tickets. If road safety were the only concern, these speed traps would be completely out in the open.

                            They've found that putting highly visible, uniformed police on the street in high crimes areas cuts down on crime considerably. I doubt they'd get the same results putting cops in disguises and waiting for someone to get murdered before springing into the open.

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                            • #15
                              I don't think he did anything wrong.

                              Speed traps are usually just revenue boosters. And the speeders still slow down. Some people may speed after the speed trap, but when I realize I'm going above the limit, I usually keep better track of the speedomiter. The cops just don't get their money off of them which seems to be the issue here. If he was speeding, sure, he should have got a ticket, but not for warning others to slow down.

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