Slide through stop sign and got a $120.00 4 point ticket1

This morning when I dropped two of my kid off for school, as I was l traveling back toward main street I tried to stop at the stop sign, (was not speeding) when I braked I slid through stop sign. A cop was behind me, pulled me over and gave me a ticket. $120.00 for disregarding stop sign and 4 points. It was snow packed, slick. Even one of the buses this morning went into a ditch. Should I fight this and also I have a picture of the road where I got the ticket of how icy and snowy it was? Any suggestions would be great I know that most due not win against traffic violations.

mondaygirl:

This morning when I dropped two of my kid off for school, as I was l traveling back toward main street I tried to stop at the stop sign, (was not speeding) when I braked I slid through stop sign. A cop was behind me, pulled me over and gave me a ticket. $120.00 for disregarding stop sign and 4 points. It was snow packed, slick

Then you were driving too fast for conditions.

mondaygirl:

Even one of the buses this morning went into a ditch

Then it was also going too fast for conditions.

mondaygirl:

Should I fight this and also I have a picture of the road where I got the ticket of how icy and snowy it was?

Sorry, but that's not a defense.

However, going to court and pleading not guilty could get you a plea bargain down to a lesser point citation if the court docket is backlogged. But that would be the only thing in your favor.

Or, if you are eligible for traffic school and could keep the ticket off your record, I'd do that in a heartbeat rather than take the chance on court.

I'm not in your state.

You still appeared to have violated the law.  Basic speed rule says you cannot drive faster than the conditions allow.  Even if the speed limit is 30, if it is icy the basic speed rule may require you to go 10.  At some point, it just becomes too dangerous to drive.

The citation should tell you what your options are.  In my state you could discuss the options with the clerk, because in some states if you don't pay the citation and set it for hearing, you might waive certain things.

If you go to court you can explain what happened, but you are admitting to a different violation.  I'd check to see the fine and points on a regular speeding ticket.

The OP was cited for disregarding a stop sign, not for driving too fast for conditions. So, if the OP can show that she tried to stop but was unable to stop, then she may win. The photos will prove that the OP was unable to stop.

As for driving too fast, we don't know how fast the OP was driving. We need more info on speed before making that judgement.

That she slid through the sign is evidence that she was driving too fast for conditions.  You have problems with both law and physics.

If the state doesn't amend the charge and the judge doesn't have the power to find her guilty of something else laid out in the facts, THEN she might beat it.  That's a lot of ifs.

For your information, Mr. Ford, I, too, once slid through a stop sign because of ice, AND I crashed into another vehicle, and I STILL was not ticketed. Maybe SOME police officers need to learn how to apply traffic laws REASONABLY.

Good to see you Ford! 

Ford is right...Ice and snow do not negate your duty to stop or drive safely for conditions.

>For your information, Mr. Ford, I, too, once slid through a stop sign because of ice, AND I crashed into another >vehicle, and I STILL was not ticketed. Maybe SOME police officers need to learn how to apply traffic laws >REASONABLY.

But that's not really helping the OP.

Unfortunately, He/She got a ticket for running a stop sign.  Conditions or not, I think the answer is about as the other posters are saying.

Maybe there's an option for traffic school to lower the points?

I think I would explore that option if it were me.

Good luck!

Thank you for your advice , that is a good point. Even if I could get the points down would help out.I do have a very clean driving record, have not had a ticket since 1998.  Also I will explore the traffic school option.

I was not speeding. I live in Steamboat Springs, CO so we already have snow packed roads, it does not take much to change up driving conditions to very icy without really realize it. The city police always seem to pick on the locals because "we should know better." Thanks for advice.

Also good point. not matter how you look at this it happened. However I thought with support of the conditions that morning I could possibly get it reduced. Thanks for advice.

"we already have snow packed roads, it does not take much to change up driving conditions to very icy without really realize it."

mondaygirl, you are more correct than you realize. Even a little change in temperature and/or humidity can change the shape of ice crystals, causing the ice to be more slippery. This is scientific fact.

Here are some links that have more information on this:

http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/primer/primer.htm

http://www.polarhusky.com/media/cms/investigate/StudyResources/2011TN1-72cSnowMetamorphism.pdf

Just present this information to the judge.

Also, the police will continue to "pick on you" if you don't fight back. They are just looking for revenue. Please go to court and fight this ticket. The info I gave you about ice is correct.

Good luck!

I robbed a bank once and got away with it.  That doesn't establish any defense for other bank robbers...

mondaygirl:

I was not speeding.

Nobody said you were speeding.

There's a difference between speeding (exceeding the speed limit) and going too fast for conditions.

That you slid through the stop sign is what's called "prima facie" evidence that you were going too fast for conditions (or failed to control your vehicle) even though you were just cited for the stop sign (which can be amended).

After all, the police officer didn't slide through the stop sign right behind you, did he?

What did he do that you didn't do? He controlled his vehicle at a speed low enough to avoid sliding on snow-packed roads.

"After all, the police officer didn't slide through the stop sign right behind you, did he?

What did he do that you didn't do? He controlled his vehicle at a speed low enough to avoid sliding on snow-packed roads. "

Usually, police officers don't *slide* through stop signs. Officers just go though them as if the sign is not there. :)

Seriously, though, the OP mentioned that buses (presumably carrying children) also went into ditches. Did those bus drivers get tickets? Or were those (presumably government-employed) bus drivers given a pass by their partners-in-government the police?