Pulled over for driving without a seatbelt ...

[Matt 0]

So this happened to maybe 6 months ago but the post below got me thinking about it and thought you guys might enjoy the story. I was up in CT visiting family and left the house to go to the store. As always, I put my seat belt on before leaving the house. as I am driving down a nearby road I pass a police checkpoint and am waived to put over. Cop approaches my window and tells me he saw me putting my seat belt on while I was driving up to them (which I was not, I had been wearing it since I left the house). I politely tell him that he is wrong and that I have been wearing it the whole time, he tells me i'm lying, blah blah blah, finally he admits that the OTHER cop down the road saw me putting my seat belt on, not him. I request that the other cop come talk to me, he comes over. I tell him he is wrong, he tells me he saw me with his own eyes. I tell him I realize he thinks he saw me put it on but he saw incorrectly. This goes back in forth for several minutes. Finally I give in and say something like "fine, give me a ticket if your going to give me a ticket but just so you know for you own personal information, I WAS wearing my seatbelt, I always wear my seatbelt, and you are giving a guy a ticket who was following the law" MUCH to my suprise he says something to the effect of okay ill give you the benefit of the doubt this time, have a nice day... (side note: interestingly he didn't ever ask for my license or registration or anything).. I found this situation very interesting because never in all my years did I think you could argue with two cops for 5 minutes or more and actually convince them they were wrong!

[djg0770 481]

I found this situation very interesting because never in all my years did I think you could argue with two cops for 5 minutes or more and actually convince them they were wrong!

 

I was pulled over for speeding when I was about 17 or 18 yrs old. Officer insisted I didn't have my seatbelt on. Well - to make a long story short - I didn't get what he was "insinuating" (he wanted me to take a seatbelt ticket rather than a speeding ticket), and IF I came home with a seatbelt ticket, my father would have been very upset - more so than with a speeding ticket. I argued with the officer and got off without anything (that time).

[sirsloop 1]

I was pulled over for going 55 in the 65mph part of rt18 during a snow storm. I had snow tires, was in complete control of the car, and in no way endangered the lives of other drivers. The cop was pissed I passed him I guess (and I even slowed to 40 to go by them). Anyways, he drives like 100mph 5 minutes later to catch me...stops me and is giving me the sob story about not wanting to peel me off a guard rail etc etc. I go on to tell him that I (at the time) lived in upstate NY where it snows every day. I tell him I've got snows on, and have years of experience driving daily in snow worse than this (lake effect snow belt), I'm totally confident in this weather, I was even going 10 under the limit, and I even slowed down when I passed by. Anyways... the guy actually says this to me, and I quote: "The roads get icier faster in NJ than they do in NY". I literally face palmed right on the spot. He took my ID's, went back to the car. I think he was probably thinking about what a complete moron he was... came back gave me a warning and some more sob story and let me go.

[Matt 0]

"The roads get icier faster in NJ than they do in NY". .

I once had a boss (in high school) that INSISTED that the longer you hold a suction cup to the window, the better it will hold (like as if it was glue), I literally had to stand there holding suction cups to the window for 2 - 3 minutes each to humor her.

[Regulator72 80]

I found this situation very interesting because never in all my years did I think you could argue with two cops for 5 minutes or more and actually convince them they were wrong!

 

I was pulled over for speeding when I was about 17 or 18 yrs old. Officer insisted I didn't have my seatbelt on. Well - to make a long story short - I didn't get what he was "insinuating" (he wanted me to take a seatbelt ticket rather than a speeding ticket), and IF I came home with a seatbelt ticket, my father would have been very upset - more so than with a speeding ticket. I argued with the officer and got off without anything (that time).

 

Too funny, i've had this same convo when i was pulled over a few years ago in Virginia...i took the seatbelt ticket :-)

[SpecOps2087 3]

Consider yourselves lucky.

 

 

I'm going to court next month because a cop saw a subaru speeding and assumed it was me 3 miles down the road from where he clocked whoever.

[71ragtopgoat 23]

Seatbelts= Another personal freedom taken by the Govt.

I remember America when she was still a free country and the Govt would stay the heck out of your personal life . I miss that country.

[Maksim 1,504]

I always wear a seatbelt.... but lets be honest... if someone doesnt want to wear their seatbelt... let them. If they crash, and go flying through their windshield... their own damn responsibility.

[sirsloop 1]

Insurance companies don't want to pay the claims tho...

[tony357 386]

yep another freedom lost with the seat belt..

 

I remeber riding in the back of the truck as a kid no more... yet another freedom lost..

 

That coulkd make an intresting thread freedoms lost..

[Regulator72 80]

I was pulled over once in St. Thomas, for not wearing my seatbelt, she let me go, the kicker was i had a Rum and Coke in my hand, in a red cup, as did 2 buddies of mine in the truck. The cop watched us walk out of a bar ,WITH drinks, get in the truck and drive away before she pulled me over, could care less about the cocktails, more worried that i had no seatbelt on..

[Ray Ray 3,566]

As a person who's been pulled over many, many, many times- I salute you Mathew!

[sirsloop 1]

im a believer in overloading the system by taking tickets to trial. Imagine the madness that would occur if every one in the courtroom plead not-guilty and demanded a trial. It would take weeks to clear out the place and back up the system.

[bry@n 195]

Something like this happened to my brother, only it was regarding cell phones and driving. So we're in the car and he has bluetooth in the car from the factory. Long story short he gets pulled over.

 

Cops: license, reg etc..

bro: can I ask why I am getting pulled over

cops: your talking on the cell.

 

it goes back and fourth until my brother says your completely wrong. When the cop asks how so, my brother hits the bluetooth button and says call bryan.

My cell phone rang.

 

The cops partner was laughing and he just handed my brother his info and we were on our way. It was funny.

[71ragtopgoat 23]

Insurance companies don't want to pay the claims tho...

Insurance companies are the devil !!! They dont want to pay anything.

And when disaster hits like Florida and LA they just bail on there clients and the Govt has to step in and try to do right. They S*ck period.

[Maksim 1,504]

No one ever complains about insurance companies when they send you a check. =)

[sirsloop 1]

My wife works for Esurance... you should hear the shit people say when she has to deny coverage or only provide a percentage of reimbursement for damages. Yeah when you get a fat check its nice, but if you don't you'll be livid. I used to drive mid 90s chevy cavalier beaters... I got hit a couple times so it was basically a free car!! They kept totalling it for like $500 bucks and I kept driving it. Hit while parked? Send me another $500 please!

[MedicYeti 96]

I always wear a seatbelt.... but lets be honest... if someone doesnt want to wear their seatbelt... let them. If they crash, and go flying through their windshield... their own damn responsibility.

 

The only problem with this is when they fly through the window but don't die. Automobile insurance covers up to a certian point then the costs for the long term care become the burden of the tax payers. A person with a severe and lifelong injury, especially a head injury preventing them from living independNtly, can cost the taxpayers millions over a lifetime. This is one of the reasons seatbelt and helmet laws were enacted. It's about the bottom line not really about the greater good.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

I always wear a seatbelt.... but lets be honest... if someone doesnt want to wear their seatbelt... let them. If they crash, and go flying through their windshield... their own damn responsibility.

 

The only problem with this is when they fly through the window but don't die. Automobile insurance covers up to a certian point then the costs for the long term care become the burden of the tax payers. A person with a severe and lifelong injury, especially a head injury preventing them from living independNtly, can cost the taxpayers millions over a lifetime. This is one of the reasons seatbelt and helmet laws were enacted. It's about the bottom line not really about the greater good.

 

What? No way man, the law was enacted to generate funds threw tickets. Bottem line.

[rauchman 3]

Seatbelts= Another personal freedom taken by the Govt.

I remember America when she was still a free country and the Govt would stay the heck out of your personal life . I miss that country.

 

 

+1!!!!

 

I refused to wear a seatbelt when the law went into effect for a few years. I called the ACLU to see if they would take the case to fight the seat belt law. No takers. After 3 seat belt tickets, I now wear a seat belt. Not because of the safety factor, but because I don't like paying tickets. You want to wear a seat belt, great have at it. Who the f*** is the gov to tell me, "I have to wear a seatbelt, motorcycle helmet, RFID chip etc???!!!". Please understand, as I've gotten older, I'm more safety concious now, than when I was younger, but I have a really big problem w/ people/the gov.,, taking my choices away from me. Especially when then Gov Whitman did it as a sell out to the automotive insurance companies. Hmmmmm, stick up for personal freedoms, or placate the insurance companies? Being this is one of the top 3 nanny states in the country, personal liberties will always take a back seat to Gov's view that they will legislate everything.

[71ragtopgoat 23]

 

The only problem with this is when they fly through the window but don't die. Automobile insurance covers up to a certian point then the costs for the long term care become the burden of the tax payers. A person with a severe and lifelong injury, especially a head injury preventing them from living independNtly, can cost the taxpayers millions over a lifetime. This is one of the reasons seatbelt and helmet laws were enacted. It's about the bottom line not really about the greater good.

This is the exact reason congress should ban showers. To many people fall in them either killing or severely injuring them selves so the tax payer needs to pick up the tab !! Another thing they should do is make you put on a helmet while driving a car to further cut costs to the tax payer. LOL!

That logic is an invite to big brother to rule with an iron fist.

[sirsloop 1]

they actually should ban tubs... too many old people cant step in and end up tripping and getting injured. They just need to make it mandatory that all showers have an anti-skid pad in it. BTW, I'm going to start a company that sells NJ Legal anti-skid pads and I vow to give the governor 1% kickback if my company is the only one that's allowed by law!!! :shock: :shock: