Southbound on highway 99, passed two trucks in the right lane. After passing the lead truck (who was traveling at least 5 miles an hour slower) I signaled with right turn signal to access Mountain View turn off. Was pulled over by the CHP and said I performed an unsafe lane change because the truck had to “hit his brakes”. I had gotten at least 2 car lengths in front of him and was traveling faster before I changed lanes. I asked the officer if he had in fact slowed down, he stated again, his brake lights came on, he had to “take action”. The officer claimed to have been following behind the lead truck which I doubt because the second truck was following the lead truck close enough that the officer would have had to have been within 2 or 3 car lengths of the first truck (unsafe distance), the two trucks were following that close. I was traveling 70 in a 70.

Have already begun preperations to fight this one. It was a BS ticket. :mad :mad

The CHP in the Fresno area has already had a restraining order placed on some of their BS ticket writing because they were writing tickets at an interchange/merge in Fresno that forced drivers in one lane to travel about 100 yards in a "diamond lane", this was all during rush hour traffic and there was no place else for the cars to travel.

 

Sorry to hear... You must have came across a cop that was a tool! :troll :smash:

 

I know some cool cops, but some have nothing better to do than write BS tickets :mad :banghead:

 

:boxing :cuss :banghead:

 

That sucks; take it to court and present a sound logical defense to the judge. Worst case you pay the fine; if the cop doesn't show you skate. The DA may offer a deal (fine but no points).

I've found that I must stay constantly vigulant to avoid the long (hungry) arm. Remember tickets are a major source of revenue.

 

:iagree:

:cuss

 

:lurk:

<puts on cape and trunks>

 

The only way you can win is if he doesn't show up. You know how many times a traffic judge hears the same thing over & over.(all day/all week) :cool: :flag

 

Sorry about your bad luck, I got a 50 in a 35 a couple of days ago, will take a defensive driving course online and knock that one off though, good luck with yours :cheers:

 

If the cop doesn't show you skate? Not here in the PRC. If the Officer doesn't show they change the court date.
Personally I'd go to court on that one. Downtown Fresno isn't that bad.
Stay away from the casino.
I hate 99, trucks, trucks, and really rude drivers in SUV's.

 

I feel for you. :nonod:

 

Bottom line...if you were a soccer mom driving a minivan and made the exact maneuver you wouldn't have been stopped. I have to drive way less agressively in the Corvette than in my Blazer. I've known cops that claim to itch for Corvettes to stop.

 

As a professional driver, I would have to say that you deserved a ticket if you only left two car lengths before you cut over. Suppose for some unseen reason, you would have had to stop or slow down quickly. We would have been reading your obituary right now, instead of your thread. Do you have ANY idea what it takes to stop 40 tons? Probably not. Were you in that big of a hurry that you needed to jump around two trucks to get to your exit? You live out there, so you must obviously know when you are getting close to your exit. Why didn't you just fall in behind them, and exit off. Nah...it's easier to cut some poor dumb trucker off, then blame him cause he has to lock em up to keep from running over you, right? I aint about to get on my soap box here, but use your head when you are around trucks. I really believe that everybody should have to ride in an eighteen wheeler for a day before they can get a drivers license, so they can see what we have to put up with out here, concerning unthinking, and kamakazee drivers in four wheelers. Enough said. Be safe out there. :steering: :seeya


[Modified by Klimper, 1:21 PM 5/22/2003]

 

:rolleyes:


[Modified by yoslambo1@cs.com, 2:17 PM 5/22/2003]

 

My response to your response:

As I was traveling southbound and was passing the 2 trucks, I knew my exit was approaching. I thought about getting between the 2 trucks but they were following so close that it would have been an unsafe move. I guess the concern over stopping a 40-ton truck doesn’t apply between truckers. I could have slowed down but the traffic behind me wouldn’t have appreciated me slowing down in the fast lane I’ll bet the same CHP would have ticketed me for impeding the flow of traffic.

As I passed the lead truck, I made sure I had proceeded far enough to not cut him off. When I indicated my intention to get into the right lane, I did so with my turn signal. (In Kalifornia, when one truck has passed another, the following truck will blink his lights to indicate that the lead truck can pull back in; rarely to never are there 6 truck lengths [or even 6 car lengths] between them when they do this.) How does the CHP that wrote the ticket know the truck wasn’t doing the same for me? I don’t because I was watching where I was going and I had already seen I was well past the truck.

My main complaint is the selective enforcement of the laws. The two trucks in question were traveling well above the speed limit (ticket offense) and the second truck was following too close (ticket offense), so why was I singled out and given a citation? Why was it okay for the trucks to break the law?

If it’s a simple car length per 10 mph distance infraction, I am guilty of doing what I see truckers do every day and I will pay my fine. I guarantee you I will speak with the judge on this matter.

Since we are on the subject I will vent my spleen on another matter. A nasty little habit that the truckers in Kalifornia practice is: if I am in the fast lane at 70 mph, I am approaching two trucks in the slow lane traveling at about 60 to 65 mph (which in Kalifornia, is exceeding the truck speed limit of 55 mph), the following truck will wait until I (or any other motorist) is within a car length or so, then change into the lane right in front of me causing me to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting the rear of his truck. He proceeds to pass the lead truck at about 1 mph faster, bogging down traffic for about a mile. (I sometimes think this is some sort of game truckers like to play with motorists, it happens so often, like every day).

BTW… I was in my pickup, not the Corvette.

Please don’t take this as a personal attack, it isn’t meant to be, but rather a reminder that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. You might be the recipient of the best driver award every year and I congratulate you on the achievement. Not all of your “brethren” are so deserving.

Keep the rubber side down.... :seeya


Oh yeah... flame suit on......


[Modified by Oly, 9:27 AM 5/23/2003]

 

:lurk:

 

I'm not a professional driver but I was going to say the same things, especially the bolded point.

 

Proper planning is part of good and safe driving.

You screwed up and got caught doing it. Take it like a man.

 

I could have slowed down but the traffic behind me wouldn’t have appreciated me slowing down in the fast lane.

As I passed the lead truck, I made sure I had proceeded far enough to not cut him off. When I indicated my intention to get into the right lane, I did so with my turn signal.

Like I said, I will pay the fine if one is waranted, but I would like to have the judge hear my side of the story too.

:seeya

 

Im sorry, I but I am agreeing that that the ticket is a good one.

You knew MILES ahead that the exit was coming up, but was impatient and decided to blow by the "slow" traffic, then make an unsafe lane change.

Been there, done that. I have done it myself, and have had it done TO me, so dont think that I am chastizing you, just that I agree the ticket is a good one.

Im sure we ALL know the circumstanses, and see or do this manuver ourselves......too often. :smash: