Have any of you guys went to court for running a light while it's turning red? I barely ran a red light like two months ago driving down Roosevelt Blvd. in Philly. The light turned YELLOW like literally a foot or two before I crossed the line so I kept going since I was scared if I slammed on the brakes, the car behind me might rear end me and I'll end up in the middle of the intersection.

I tried to explain that situation to the cop but he was like yeah yeah I hear that excuse every time. So I plead not guilty and I have a court date tomorrow to try to explain myself. I'm so hoping the cop doesn't show up so it gets dismissed. Do you think they set the court date so the cop will show up or should I try to reschedule it to another day hoping he won't show up?

 

Was the cop sitting there watching you when he pulled you over?
I have heard different opinions on resceduling. Some (I am of this opinion) believe the cop probably knows you resceduled it to try to get him/her to forget about it later. That will probably make the cop remember it and definitely show up.

 

the cop gets paid if he's in court or on the beat. He'll likely be there. If you're calm and clear with what you tell the judge, he/she will likely reduce it to a careless driving ticket which carries a lower fine and points. Tell the judge that you were driving the speed limit and that as you approached the light, you saw it go from green to yellow, but you expected the yellow to stay on for a few seconds before going to red. You got caught in the intersection as the light changed, caught off guard and at that point, you had to get out to avoid getting hit. Also, going into the light, as you saw it turn yellow, you saw another car closely behind you and if you braked hard to stop (not slammed the brakes!), you might have gotten rear-ended.

This should get the ticket reduced as much as they are willing to go ..... also, remember to dress appropriately. Slacks and a shirt, maybe even a tie, but a suit would be overdoing it. Overdressing can cause them to not trust you and think that you are simply putting on a show ..... unless that is your normal work dress (if it is not, your body language will give you away).

 

See I would be screwed.The CEO of my company thinks all the men that work here need to wear suits (or a coat and tie at the least) everysingle day. Oh, in the summer when it is 105 outside, he lets us have "Khaki and polo shirt Fridays."

 

I really have no idea, he might have because the cop pulled me over like after I passed 3-4 more lights after passing the street he told me I ran a red light on.

 

Not to be picky but be carefull not to indicate in the slightest that you weren't aware of the situation 100% of the time, nothing caught you off guard, you saw it hapening and made a split second decision. Also, find out what the laws of your state are, do you have to be clear of the intersection when the light hits red or just half way through? Additionaly, tell the judge (if this is true) that you never saw the light turn red, it was yellow when it disappered from your view.

If you had a witness you'd probably be fine, but don't walk into that court room without knowing the laws you are facing. In fact look up the "<your state name> cod annotated 2007" on google and print out the law pertaining to your situation, bring that in and explain why, according to that law, you are not guilty of the charge. That shows a desire to be lawfull.

As stated, if you dress like a slob in front of a judge you deserve to be treated like one, be sure you show due respect to not only the judge but the officer as well.

 

Im going to have to agree with all of these statemtents. Show respect to the judge and the officer. Always answer in proper english, "Yes sir" instead of "yup" look them in the eyes when they talk to you. when you are asked a question, dont look around keep eye contact, dont useterms like"Umm" "Like" "Sorta" "kinda". Also dont try and BS them, the judge listens to this crap all day long, hes trying to get each case over with as quickly as possible and has heard every excuse. Dress appropiatly, shirt tie and pants. Finally if you dont like the ruling dont make a scene, dont tell the judge he's an A-hole for his call, you can always apeal the decision.

I did my internship at the public defenders office and have sat in on countless court cases rangingfrom rape to traffic violations and the people who show respect for the law are often the ones treated well by it. Ofcourse this is not a constant but morea "often than not"

 

I'm reading through the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual and it says A STEADY YELLOW LIGHT tells you a red light will soon appear. If you are driving toward an intersection and a yellow light appears, slow down and prepare to stop. If you are within the intersection or cannot stop safely before entering the intersection, continue through carefully.

Does that mean I have a chance to win? Because technically there was no way in hell I could have stop safely before entering the intersection.

 

Its certainly a point to bring up, and sounds promising. Then again none of us are Judges/cops/atorneys

 

I would memorize what it says and cite the source....hell even bring the book and refer to the page. Dont be arrogant about it, just use a matter-of-fact tone and present your case clearly....tell the truth and use the book to back up your facts...I think you have a good chance.