On the highway late at night I pulled into one of the those spots in the median that cops always use. Cop sees me from other side of the road, makes a U-turn on the highway, and catches me eating a burger . Gives me a improper stopping ticket.

Cliffs: Got an improper stopping ticket.

If I go to court and plead no contest, will they lower it to a less offensive charge? Maybe something less than a moving violation?

I know I'm a DUMBASS.

 

When was the last time you got a ticket?

 

why didn't you pull off to the right side of the road on the shoulder??? or the next exit to eat your burger???

 

I am assuming the cop thought you were having problems. You can try. Live and learn. The could ofs, should ofs are over with.

 

:got2Bmore2thestory:

Pay the ticket it, its the cost of being dumb. /Thread.

 

LOL you mustve been pretty hungry

 

first, you have to see if there is a sign at that exact one saying it is illegal to use it, because law enforcement usually has a sign stating that, and second, if there isnt, I would plead not guilty and fight it and find out what exactly does that mean improper parking (look up the code for your ticket). If you are found guilty, you are going to have to pay the ticket anyways, but there is always a chance that it will get dismissed. my 2 cents

 

I will give you some credit-pulling over to eat. Just the wrong place. I also suggest not pulling over to the right shoulder especially on 95. Very dangerous.

 

go back and make sure there's no "authorized vehicles only" signs..

maybe it was cause you didn't share your fries with the officer/trooper.

 

Only had one ticket my whole life. It was for going 71 in a 50, but I went to court and plead no contest, they dropped it to a failure to obey highway sign. This was March of last year.

I have no idea what the hell I was thinking either. I've never done this before in my life.

Doesn't hurt to try I guess. Besides I'd have to pay court fees regardless of if I actually go to court or not.

You've spent too much time in ramblings.

Tell me about it

The sign was there, its illegal. When I braked and pulled into the spot, there wasn't any cars in sight though. Can't say I was putting anyone in danger, but what I did was still illegal.

It was late last night and I think my reason for not pulling over to the shoulder was because I didn't want to get hit.

It does unfortunately. It was actually two cops in one car. I'm assuming one was training the other because only one of them spoke to me.

 

Damn, improper stopping is a 3-pt offense and is on your record for three years.

Go to court prepared, bring your driving abstract. Be very polite and honest with the judge. Plead guilty and hope they drop it to a lesser offense. The ticket you got last year may screw you though.

 

Since it carries points (and a resulting increase in insurance costs) you really need to go to court to plead your case.

You need to be honest but consider these points:

Why did you stop? Are you diabetic or have other blood sugar issues?

Was stopping there safer than stopping on the shoulder?

The main reason for those restrictions is to keep people from making a U-turn. You'll want to point out that you were not intending on making a turn, just to stop outside of the flow of traffic.

Remember that the goal of the state is to keep the streets safe and to generate revenue. Your main goal is to get the fewest points possible and to keep as much money in your pocket.

You'll end up paying the fine in any case. Your purpose of going to court is to get no points. You should be able to do that. Show up well dressed, be honest, polite and show remorse. Point out your clean record and the fact that you've learned from your one other ticket.

Quite frankly, the cop should have issued a warning once he determined that you weren't planning on making a u-turn. He may have felt that he had to make a point since he had a trainee with him.

Good luck and please come back to this thread with the outcome.

 

You might as well just go to court and hope the cop doesn't show. This happened to me, and my ticket got dropped.

 

Its very unlikely in VA since they get paid OT to show up IIRC.

 

idk how diff DC laws are from VA, but my dad got a 50 in a 25 ticket, we did trial by mail, and i wrote a letter and sent it in. it was the most cockamanie bullshit ever, included something about being out of state, and not his regular car, and he didn't realize or something. literally like 8 months later, got a letter in the mail "dismissed" i was like cool lmfao.

may as well go to court and plead your case. usually a judge will atleast give you a lesser offense. they don't often punish regular stupidity, just stupidity that endangers others. include something like you were driving late night, and were very tired, and was hoping that the carbs would give you a slight sugar rush and give you energy so that you could safely and alertly get to where you were going. its actually fairly reasonable.

when i drove down to TN from NJ for a music festival, at like 3am, i pulled over on the shoulder(there were few cars on the road). it was really because my sister needed to use the bushes, and we were searching for a rest stop, even took an exit, but could find nothing in a very rural area. i saw the cop pull up behind when i was out of the car, approached him with my hands up, and spoke to him. i told him that we were driving 15 hours, and that we pulled over so that we could switch drivers because i was tired, and we wanted to be safe on the road. cop said that was very smart of you, and to have a good night and be safe, he drove off. as others have said, your situation sounds like he was strict due to the ridealong most likely

 

So Amir
What happen to you? did you go to court or you just paid the fine.