Towing trailers on the freeway and CA Vehicle code

Kejtar · Oct 13, 2003

OK.... so I got a citation that is really funky and my question is:
if a traffic is doing 50 (all lanes are congested due to lanes being merged due to construction) and speed limit is 60 and I'm doing 50 just like the rest of them... and I be in the fast lane? I got cited for disobeying posted signs and I saw now signs about where I can be and where I cannot be (on top of that I was on that freeway for only two miles!!! And it's not my area either!!)

Anyone knows anyting about similar situations??

Thanks
Kejtar

johnnyc · Oct 13, 2003

All I know is that any vehicle towing a trailer MUST drive in the far right lane ONLY. So on most SoCal freeways, the number 4 lane. On the Garden Grove freeway, the number 3 lane. Where was this? 405 or 22?

You see trailers in the wrong lanes all the time. Most people get away with it if they're able to keep up with the flow of traffic.

I don't get the part about the posted signs, though.

Kejtar · Oct 13, 2003

well it was on 15 after it merged with 40 in Barstow... it was construction area, and I was going with traffic (same speed.... about 50) and the cop seems to have been "fishing" there as I think he just got someone the same way......

johnnyc · Oct 13, 2003

Hmmm... you said the construction caused the lanes to merge?? Down to how many lanes? Isn't the 15 only three lanes at that point? If it got down to 1 or 2 lanes, I might fight that ticket.

Technically, you would still have to be in the far right lane. But you might get a sympathetic judge.

Tucker · Oct 13, 2003

That's an easy one to fight, just show up in court and contend that there are no such signs -- get the officer to prove that posted signs clearly showed you what to do... without pics, the judge has to throw it out. Happens frequently around here with two particular CHP officers, but they don't ever win.

XJJPR · Oct 13, 2003

In Ca you can only drive a towed vehicle in the right two lanes on anything larger than two lanes wide ecept for 5 lane highway you can go in the right three lanes. Where you are is a highly ticketed area for what you did. They look for all the asshats coming from the river and are in a big hurry to get home. I wouldn't waste the time fighting it, you'll loose. The desert CHP know there sh!t. They are only looking for the guys like you that are doing really obvious things wrong out there. There are too many people doing way too many stupid small stuff to deal with them. I've towed for way too many years thru that area there are signs all over restricting lanes out there. Driving in the fast lane with more than two lanes with a trailer is a rule of the road, no signs needed.

Bet that ticket will be somewhere over 200.00! And more if it was still concidered a construction zone.

mark

Kejtar · Oct 13, 2003

Mark Hinkley said:
Bet that ticket will be somewhere over 200.00! And more if it was still concidered a construction zone.

Please tell me you're kidding on the total!!!! That's some major buildup $$. The thing that really gets me is that I wasn't obstructing anyone and the only reason I ended up on the left lane was due to damn congestion and everyone shifting over and lanes ending!!!! Where I got pulled over it was only three lanes at that point and about 200 yards ahead was only 2 lanes and about 500 yards ahead there was someone stalled in the right lane......... and all of us where doing 50 while the cop wrote on my ticket that I was doing 55 and posted speed was 60... grrrr this is a headache already!

Kejtar

Tucker · Oct 13, 2003

Fight it ... your chances are good. The worst you can expect is a reduced fine.

XJJPR · Oct 13, 2003

Tucker said:
Fight it ... your chances are good. The worst you can expect is a reduced fine.

This would be good if it was local, but he's going to travel to Barstow and take a day off work. More than the ticket, and if you don't win, MORE. The tow laws are pretty strick about lanes.

Remi, the only way I would fight it is if the stalled truck is documented somewhere (CHP) and ALL traffic was going into the third lane.

Now you know why I love traveling outside of the Republic of Ca when I'm towing.

mark

Tucker · Oct 13, 2003

Sorry, I gotta call spobi....

Fighting a moving violation is never a bad idea. Unless you spit on the judge's robe, you will get a reduced fine every time. You need to decide whether it's worth a day off when you get the summons and see the fine. I do it on principle, but that's me.

XJJPR · Oct 14, 2003

Tucker said:
Sorry, I gotta call spobi....

Fighting a moving violation is never a bad idea. Unless you spit on the judge's robe, you will get a reduced fine every time. You need to decide whether it's worth a day off when you get the summons and see the fine. I do it on principle, but that's me.

Sorry dude, but Spobi has nothing to do with it. There's nothing here but an opinion. WTF of a false fact did I say?

It's a lane thing there's NO reason to tow in the fast lane unless an officer tells you to go there or the accident is spread over all the other lanes. If more people drove better the traffic wouldn't be so bad. Driving that Vegas to LA run is totally screwed now a days because of stupid driving. I do this drive a lot and wish more stupid drivers got tickets for doing stupid stuff. But my opinion of taking a day off work paying gas and spending time in a Barstow court would have to be more for like getting out of jail and not a couple hunderd bucks.

I just love the "I'm got caught red handed but I'm not guilty" mentallity (sp) of today. When can someone just say "Wow I f**ked up this will cost me a couple hundered in a fine". Remember ingnorance of the law doesn't make you right.

mark

Rev Den · Oct 14, 2003

Tucker said:
Sorry, I gotta call spobi....

Fighting a moving violation is never a bad idea. Unless you spit on the judge's robe, you will get a reduced fine every time. You need to decide whether it's worth a day off when you get the summons and see the fine. I do it on principle, but that's me.

SPOBI right back atcha Bubba. Maybe in sunny CA, but here in Illinois the fine increases if you fight it and lose....and you usally lose.

My .02...pay it, regret it, learn from it, move on.

Rev

Kejtar · Oct 14, 2003

Mark Hinkley said:
I just love the "I'm got caught red handed but I'm not guilty" mentallity (sp) of today. When can someone just say "Wow I f**ked up this will cost me a couple hundered in a fine". Remember ingnorance of the law doesn't make you right.

I totally agree with that.... but I wanna claim extenuating circumstances

I think I got a bit screwed up by the situation and for the record I believe driving on the freeway the same way the Germans do: pass pull to the right, pass and pull to the right so the left lane is always open if someone is going faster then you.

Remi aka Kejtar

Tucker · Oct 14, 2003

This is the bad info...

More than the ticket, and if you don't win, MORE.

That is, patently, not true. A minor detail, but my recommendation stands. Go to court, get a reduced fine. I've been there an embarrasing number of times and in every case that I've lost, I got a reduced fine. The same goes for every case I've even heard of... note that I was careful to say moving violations ... documentation problems, parking tickets, or more serious problems (DUI, property damage, or worse) ... I wouldn't fight those, if you lose you could get shafted.

[opinion]
I don't wanna stir up bad feelings but if anybody in Remi's situation wants to roll over and show their belly then its certainly no skin off my nose, but you're just pouring your hard-earned money into the city coffers.

I agree that if I got a ticket in a town a couple of hundred miles away or better, the bottom line probably isn't worth the trip. Now I might do it anyway 'cause I'm a stubborn bastard and I win more of these than I lose, but again, that's me.
[/opinion]

XJJPR · Oct 14, 2003

Tucker said:
This is the bad info...

That is, patently, not true. A minor detail, but my recommendation stands. Go to court, get a reduced fine. I've been there an embarrasing number of times and in every case that I've lost, I got a reduced fine. The same goes for every case I've even heard of... note that I was careful to say moving violations ... documentation problems, parking tickets, or more serious problems (DUI, property damage, or worse) ... I wouldn't fight those, if you lose you could get shafted.

[opinion]
I don't wanna stir up bad feelings but if anybody in Remi's situation wants to roll over and show their belly then its certainly no skin off my nose, but you're just pouring your hard-earned money into the city coffers.

I agree that if I got a ticket in a town a couple of hundred miles away or better, the bottom line probably isn't worth the trip. Now I might do it anyway 'cause I'm a stubborn bastard and I win more of these than I lose, but again, that's me.
[/opinion]

I'm still going to call BS. Even if he gets a reduced fine the day off work and ALL the costs involved in an out of town court isn't worth it and most likely will cost more than just paying the ticket. It's going to be 50.00 in gas alone and I'm sure with Remi's great skills

he makes some good cash per day. Again this all comes down to my opinion on what the cost will be, it's not like I'm telling you the XJ came with 400000000 HP.

mark

Kejtar · Oct 14, 2003

ok... to switch gears a bit... is this something that ends up messing up my insurance rates? should I try to get traffic school?? I'm going to be calling them up first thing Tue morning (I gotta call them or I have to appear at court in December) and I wanna get this done and over with ASAP...

Remi

Kejtar · Oct 14, 2003

Mark Hinkley said:
It's going to be 50.00 in gas alone and I'm sure with Remi's great skills he makes some good cash per day.

Also don't forget to mention the potential risk of a speeding ticket as I wouldn't be driving slowly

and knowing my luck.. the same cop would pull me over!

Kejtar

XJJPR · Oct 14, 2003

Kejtar said:
Also don't forget to mention the potential risk of a speeding ticket as I wouldn't be driving slowly and knowing my luck.. the same cop would pull me over!

Kejtar

But then you might beable to plead (sp) harassment.

Pay fine, go to t-school keep off record, best senerio in my opinion.

mark

Kejtar · Oct 14, 2003

I just realized something... I need to move to a place like Utah or Colorado where they only have one lane roads

then this would be a non-issue.....
oh well.... lets see how much good I can do with begging

Kejtar

ryurabbit · Oct 14, 2003

My opinion.

I have had some experience in this area back when I was training to become a police officer. I used go on a lot of ride alongs with police when they made there stops. The thing that kept me out of the police academy was my driving record

. Anyway you do have certain things going for you Remi.

1. You are a foreigner, this will help when pleading ignorance.

2. There was construction and lane obstruction. Would probably be best if you could prove it. IE pics or it might be a regular thing on this part of the freeway. I know that construction has been there a long time.

3. You are can change the venue of your case to the San Bernardino court house. This would be closer to you and force the officer to come to San bernardino from Barstow.

Also if you do not fight it it will raise your insurance in most cases unless you have a cool insurance co. ANY moving violation usually does. The only other option would be to take traffic school for it.
However traffic school you still have to pay the FULL fine and then pay the court a fee on top of it for the privelidge plus pay for traffic school!!!!

Rabbit

Towing trailers on the freeway and CA Vehicle code

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