Got in a wreck, got ticketed for "general safe driving" violation??

[Eihli]

Ok I was getting off a ramp to merge onto the intestate while it was raining a little harder than a light drizzle. Speed limit on the ramp is 45, I was going 40, I hit a puddle of water near the end of the ramp and start spinning across the interstate. A truck hit me, an 18-wheeler hit the truck, and we all slid into a grassy ditch area in the median and hit another car that had been stuck there that had done the same thing I did 15 minutes prior.

Cars were wrecked pretty bad but nobody got hurt. It feels wrong to complain about something when things turned out so well in a situation like this, but I got a "general safe driving" violation which the cop explained to me was because I was driving too fast for the conditions.
I think that is [censored].

Aren't there situations where you can reasonably judge the conditions to be safe for the speed you are driving and through no fault of your own be wrong? Can't I expect a road to have enough drainage that I won't have to dodge deep puddles of water during a light rain?

Shouldn't the car that was already in the ditch get the same ticket as me even though they made it across the interstate without getting hit?

Like I said I feel bad complaining when things could have gone so bad, but I'm not trying to weasel my way out of a fine, I honestly think I did nothing wrong.

Do I have any chance of having this ticket cleared?

[steggy]

how much was it for?

[Yobz]

Get a lawyer if the ticket is serious enough otherwise fight it or pay it, pretty simple...

[mmbt0ne]

Some states have a statute where a ticket must be issued any time there is a wreck to show that one party was at fault.

However, "too fast for conditions" is probably one of the easier tickets for a lawyer to argue down (if it's worth it) because of the subjective nature of it. I know the police here usually only tack that on as a secondary ticket to speeding if it's raining/snowing and you're a dick to them.

[Hopey]

Take it to court. You'll almost certainly win. If you can afford it, hire a lawyer. The most important things is that you were driving well under the speed limit, and that the puddle you hit was much deeper than anyone could have reasonably expected to encounter on a highway.

I have had friends who have fought these kinds of charges *without* a lawyer and won.

[jtr]

I realize that trying to get off the ticket is a separate issue, and I see your point about the other car. But:

1) there's a sense in which you really were driving too fast for the conditions, right? Or it wouldn't have happened. You don't get to expect perfect drainage, you have to look out for exactly the amount of sub-standard drainage situations that actually exist.

2) the other guy deserves a ticket just as much as you do, sure. But the law is like that a lot, isn't it? If you and I go outside and both fire bullets into the air, and mine lands harmlessly while yours kills someone, we will not be charged with the same crime. Kind of crazy when you think about it, but the law is not just about intentions, it's generally about intentions plus consequences.

Anyway, not trying to be an ass to you. Good luck getting off the ticket and nice one that nobody got hurt.

[Eihli]

Another way I think you can look at it is:

When it is raining, there is a chance that a puddle will collect and you will hydroplane and get in a wreck, so you should drive slow enough to avoid something like that, right?

Well if you are driving near woods, there is a chance that a deer will jump in front of your car and cause you to get in a wreck, so you should drive slow enough to avoid something like that, right?


But one of those you get a ticket for and another you don't?

You can make up any number of situations like that, where do you draw the line?

[Eihli]

pics:



http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=6540163


how do image tags work?

[React1oN]

You don't know how to link.

[guids]

[ QUOTE ]
Another way I think you can look at it is:

When it is raining, there is a chance that a puddle will collect and you will hydroplane and get in a wreck, so you should drive slow enough to avoid something like that, right?

Well if you are driving near woods, there is a chance that a deer will jump in front of your car and cause you to get in a wreck, so you should drive slow enough to avoid something like that, right?


But one of those you get a ticket for and another you don't?

You can make up any number of situations like that, where do you draw the line?

[/ QUOTE ]

uh no that is retarded. You went fast enough to hydroplane, something you have COMPLETE control over, you dont have control over deer. I dont know whether you deserved this ticket, but you were the one that was going to fast as to hydroplane, if you merged slower it wouldnt have happened, so its your fault imo, and the ticket is deserved.


that being said, just pay a lawyer to get it taken care of