Headlight Ticket

[TurboDan]

So, my front headlight went out yesterday, and by the time I went to the store today to get a replacement, it was closed.  And, of course, I got a headlamp ticket.  

Now, it's only like $50, so I really don't care either way.  (Parking tickets are more!)  But, if I called the prosecutor and faxed him a receipt of the bulb purchase, do you think they'd throw it out.  It's obviously not worth going to court to have it thrown out, so I was wondering if you could just take care of it beforehand and save everyone the trouble.

[bobwill]

Man, that sucks.  I don't know much about stuff like that.  I'm suprised the cop didn't give you a warning.  Or a repair order.
I guess fear of that happening is a good excuse to get a set of silverstars, and then keep the old bulbs locked in a box in the trunk for when one does burn out. :D

[dazzleman]

This is what's called a fix-it ticket, meaning that it doesn't count against your driving record if you fix it within a certain period of time.

I suggest you call the court and ask them the procedure for this.  It definitely sucks to have to go to court for something like that, especially if it's in NYC, where the courts are a chaotic mess and the whole ordeal could take hours.  It's worth it to suck that up for a serious speeding ticket, but not a headlamp ticket.  Still, it seems like a waste to potentially end up with points on your license over this.  You need to save those points for more fun endeavors....

Where did you get the ticket?  I guess the cop must have seen the light out from the opposite direction, turned around, and come after you?  That's a great feeling, when you pass a cop and he does a u-turn.  You know you're in some sort of trouble when that happens, man.

[TurboDan]

Oh, no, you're not risking any points for it.  I even specifically asked the officer.  This is essentially a parking ticket.  If you go to court, it's probably a $30 court fee anyway, so I really don't care if I have to pay $50.  Like I said, NYC parking tickets are almost $100 these days.  Hopefully they have a procedure for it without going to court.  If not, I'll just pay it online.  No biggie.  As long as it's not a points violation I don't really care.

Haha, yeah I knew he was coming after me.  I was actually coming back from visiting a friend who lives on Roosevelt Island.  If anyone knows NYC, to get to Roosevelt Island, you have to go over a bridge from Vernon Blvd. in L.I.C. Queens.  Pretty close to the Queensbridge projects.  He probably wanted to make sure I wasn't supporting some of the "entrepreneurs" on Vernon Blvd.  He definitely could've just sent me on my way when he realized I wasn't doing anything wrong.  Oh well, though.  If it was a big ticket, I might fax it over to one of my NYPD friends to take care of, but I'm not bothering anyone over something like this.

[Catman]

I'm not a big fan of equipment tickets unless:

1.  I already told you once to fix it.
2.  You have multiple equipment violations and there is obvious signs of neglect and indifference    to it.
3.  You're a dink (read: bigmouth)

[dazzleman]

Oh, no, you're not risking any points for it.? I even specifically asked the officer.? This is essentially a parking ticket.? If you go to court, it's probably a $30 court fee anyway, so I really don't care if I have to pay $50.? Like I said, NYC parking tickets are almost $100 these days.? Hopefully they have a procedure for it without going to court.? If not, I'll just pay it online.? No biggie.? As long as it's not a points violation I don't really care.

Haha, yeah I knew he was coming after me.? I was actually coming back from visiting a friend who lives on Roosevelt Island.? If anyone knows NYC, to get to Roosevelt Island, you have to go over a bridge from Vernon Blvd. in L.I.C. Queens.? Pretty close to the Queensbridge projects.? He probably wanted to make sure I wasn't supporting some of the "entrepreneurs" on Vernon Blvd.? He definitely could've just sent me on my way when he realized I wasn't doing anything wrong.? Oh well, though.? If it was a big ticket, I might fax it over to one of my NYPD friends to take care of, but I'm not bothering anyone over something like this.

In that case, if it's not a moving violation I think I'd just pay it.

A state's attorney in Connecticut (the equivalent of Assistant DA) once told me that when it comes to traffic tickets, "the process is the punishment."  And he was really right.  To go to the f**king court, spend hours on line, and lose most of your day is worse punishment than just paying the $50 fine.  The only way I would do it would be to avoid getting points on my license, or if I was facing a heavy fine with more serious points unless I got the charge reduced (which of course has been the case several times).

I wonder why the guy busted your ba**s like this.  Typically, you're not the kind of guy cops do this with.  You drive a decent car, and based upon the way you are here, I assume you dress decently, look respectable and present a good attitude.  You're the kind of guy who makes the cops' job easier, and they should reward guys like you (and me, coincidentally   ) by not busting our ba**s over something that wasn't even done deliberately.

Oh well, I guess in the grand scheme of things it's not worth getting too worried about.  I learned a long time ago that these things tend to bother you about as much as you allow them to.  Still, when I get a ticket, I like to know that I deserved it, and had fun doing what got me the ticket.  If I deserved it, I laugh it off and move on.  An undeserved ticket would tick me off a little bit.

The other annoying thing about this is that you got nailed right after the light burned out, when I know people who drive around for months with things wrong with their cars, and never get stopped.  It's all about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[TurboDan]

Yup, got nailed less than 24 hours after it went out.  And had it fixed within 12 hours of getting the ticket.  But that's the way the ball bounces, I guess.

I'm not sure why he decided to cite me, as there's nothing else wrong on the car, and my driving record in NY is spotless.  I think it definitely was one of those "let's check this guy out" tickets since I was in a nice enough car in a not-so-nice area that I had to drive through on my way home.  I did all of the stuff LEOs like to put them at least (engine off, key on the dash, dome light on) but oh well.  I know 4th of July weekend is a "revenue collection" weekend for alot of departments, so he may have been under pressure from his superiors.

It's not worth taking to court, so I'll just call them up on Tuesday.  If they won't help me out, I'll just pay it online and be done with it.

[BMWDave]

Cops in NY have to fulfill quotas, so I guess you were on the receiving end of a cop having a bad day.  It sucks, and it sucks even more that it doesnt pay to do anything about it.