ok guys, i need some help, im charged with following to closely on a 2 lane highway with moderate traffic in the middle of nowhere, the road comes to a merge not a quart mile ahead, this cop car who i saw in the rear view mirror way way back there, rides my butt for a quarter mile, then i figure he wants to get past me, so i change lanes, and he pulls me over because when i pulled over the car in front of was to close to my front bumper, the traffic was all merging and was slowing down from the speed limit of 55 to maybe 50 or so, he claims i was only 12 feet from the car infront me, it was a warm day, no rain, no bad weather, when i changed lanes the car in front of me slowed down but i never once was in a position where i thought i even came close to him, this was in my 97 TJ 4.0, no abs, new brakes new tires, BFG AT's, if anyone can help on this i would really appreciate it, i can't afford to have 4 points on my licence... [img]images/graemlins/cussing.gif[/img]

i deal with this every day, Basically when you go to court telll the judge what happened and 2 things might happen 1 he might throw it out or 2 he might laugh at you.

what i would say is ,

I was driving along and saw a cop making up ground quickly from behind with no lights thought i needed to get over so he could pass and that's what i did.

hope that helps good luck to you.

I agree. You have nothing to loose by stating your case in the same calm manner you did here. Sounds like "Mr. Occifer" was guilty of following too closely also!
While it's a whole other story, 12' in Atlanta constitutes room to merge your crewcab 1ton dually while travelling at 90mph! Oh, forgot to add while reading the paper, applying make-up, fighting with kids in the back seat, or talking on 2 cellphones.... [img]images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

True. Just make sure you don't take an accusatory tone when you're telling your side of the story. If it comes down to your word vs. the officers word, the ticket will often just get thrown out... a lack of evidence thing. I was just in traffic court last friday, and that's exactly what happened....

yea what they all said,,,, or you can hog tie the cop in his car....if the cop doesnt show up....it is thrown out.

hopefully your joking about the hog tie i'm sure you are.

A common mistake is "well take it to court the cop won't show up"

WRONG!! cops get paid a minumim of 4 hours of overtime everytime they have to go to court

This doesn't directly relate to you ticket, but it has some ideas that may be of use..

Edit: This site seems to be having some problems today..

*** FIGHT YOUR SPEEDING TICKET *** [img]images/graemlins/bs.gif[/img]

I think everyone should read this article.. It has a wealth of information in it.

I can honestly say that I`ve NEVER recieved a ticket I didn`t deserve. I can also honestly say that if I had
been cited for everything I`ve ever done wrong one the highway, My driving priviledge would be rovoked
for life or I`d be incarcerated. The last ticket I recieved (80 in a 55), The officer asked if I knew why I was
stopped, I said for speeding. He asked if I knew how fast I was going. I said about 78 when you past me.
He was coming the opposite direction. He laughed and said, Well you don`t have to make this easy for me.
He asked why I was speeding, And I explained. He thanked me for my pleasant attitude and honesty. The
circumstances were such that he knew I was telling the truth. The section of highway this happened was
a safty zone, So that meant my fine would be doubled. That meant almost a 300.00 ticket. The officer
said I didn`t deserve that and wrote me up for failing to use my signal when I passed, 65.00. I thanked
him, And he thanked me again for my attitude and honesty. My piont is when you go to court, State your
case calmly and quietly, Stick to the facts, And don`t for a minute show frustration or LOOSE YOUR
TEMPER!, No matter what happens! If you don`t think you can do that, You may as well send them a
check. Your the only one with anything to lose. Good luck.

For 26 years, I WAS the traffic cop. Only knew a couple who really enjoyed writing tickets. Most of us looked at it as a necessary part of a necessary job. My guess is that the officer felt you were endangering others or yourself. If you disagree you should definitely go to court and state your position. Noone should ever enter a guilty plea if they don't think they're guilty. Under no circumstances should you attempt to belittle or question the integrity of the officer, as that will cost you dearly. Calmly state your position and let the Judge make his call. Good luck. [img]images/graemlins/40BEER.gif[/img]

I have been to traffic court 4 times and 4 times the officers(2 city and 2 state) didnt show up. So 4 times it was thrown out. I have family in law inforcmetn and they do not get paid any overtime for court appearance. Maybe its the stae you live in.