But, officer, I was nowhere near the dang carpool lane!
Q Like many commuters, I’m incensed by the number of carpool violators I spot daily. So last month I was pleased to see a CHP SUV on the shoulder of Interstate 80 in Richmond who I assumed was looking for violators. I had just entered the highway and was in the slow lane for a half-mile, then moved one lane over, where I stayed for about a mile. Tom Wangerin
A So far, so good.
Q Then I suddenly noticed the CHP SUV with lights on behind me. I assumed he wanted to get by so I moved back over to the slow lane. I was very surprised to see that he moved too and wanted me to pull over. I assumed I had a taillight out. I was shocked when he told me I was being cited for a carpool lane violation! TomWangerin
A And then …
Q I politely explained that he must be mistaken because in the less than 2 miles I was on the highway I’d never come within two lanes of the carpool lane. He simply said: “Take it up with the judge.” I now have
a ticket for just under $500, and that really ticks me off. I’ve mentioned this to friends, and one said that the exact same thing happened to him. I’m wondering how many other drivers have had the same experience! I’m so irritated I plan to go to traffic court. It sure would be helpful in pleading my case if your readers responded with similar experiences. TomWangerin
A That is your best option. Sean-the-CHP-Man said: “It simply doesn’t make sense that an officer would randomly pick people out when they could drive two more lanes over and get people legitimately breaking the law.
“The second part, where the officer says to just take his argument to the judge, makes perfect sense. People argue with us quite often, and the venue for presenting your side of the story isn’t on the side of the freeway; it’s in court.
“I have been to court and seen hundreds of carpool cases. I could count on one hand the number of people who make the claim that they were never, in fact, in the carpool lane. The defenses are almost always that a vehicle suddenly stopped ahead and forced them into the lane (which
means they were probably following too close), that they didn’t realize the time, or that they had somewhere important to be.”
Q It would be an interesting and funny column to read excuses drivers give when trying to get out of a ticket. Cindy Hart San Jose
A Here’s a funny one, courtesy of Newark police Officer Grant Clark:
“I was stopped at a major intersection in Newark. I was first in line and the light for cross traffic had turned yellow. I hear someone gun the engine to try to make the light. I look left and notice the light had turned red. At that time the driver locks up his tires and slides into the intersection against the red light. The poor guy is just stopped there looking at me. Everyone else there is also looking at me.
“So I get on the publicaddress speaker and say: ‘Everyone who thinks he deserves a ticket, honk your horn.’ After many horns sounded, I pulled him over and gave him a ticket. He was really ticked. He asked if no one had honked, would I have given him a ticket? I told him I would not have. He didn’t believe me.”