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hawaiiboy
11-09-2005, 08:44 PM
I was taking my wife to see the doctor in Long Beach for a checkup just to make sure the baby is doing good and all.* I exited off on Atlantic from the 405 S.* The last time we went to see the doctor, there was no contruction.* Now there is.* The only lane that is open is the left lane.* The right lane is blocked off with concrete barriers.* The light turns green and I did not see the "No Right Turn" sign and proceed to turn right.* The cop comes out of nowhere and flips the lights and sirens on.* Great...here we go.* My wife starts laughing because the cop is a little "bigger" (motorcycle cop) and has trouble getting off his bike.* He walks over and does the whole routine "License and Registration, Please".* Before I can hand over everything, he asks me 3 times in a row, "Is this your car?"* I say yes 3 times (almost implying that I didn't look like I should own this car) and he proceeds to tell me about the "huge" as he put it, sign that said no right turn.* I politely told him that I did not see it.* He says, " I ran the plates and you're from Walnut, what are you doing here?".* I replied, "I'm taking my wife to see the doctor".* He then says "Your license is from Hawaii.* Have you been here more than 20 days?"* I said "Yes" and he told me that I am an illegal driver and that Hawaii's License is not valid here in California.* I told him that I was not aware of that and that I would take care of it A.S.A.P.* He also pointed out that my tires are bald and that "white cords" are showing.* I said okay, I will take care of that also.* I know my tires are not that bald, there's at least 30-40% tread left.* But whatever, I tell him I will take care of it.* He also points out that my windows are tinted.* Now I know that front windows are not suppose to be tinted and I use my being from out of state excuse and he just shakes his head.* He walks away and soon enough in comes another cop.* This cop starts eyeing my car up and down and looks under the car to make sure things are where it's suppose to be.* My car is stock and I'm not worried about them inspecting the car.* He comes back and shows me the ticket.* He wrote me up for:

1. Making a right turn on a No Right Turn area.* (Completely My Fault for not paying attention)
2. Tinted front windows. (I like the privacy.* It was a matter of time before I got caught)
3. Invalid License. (I need to check on this)

Now, this being my first ticket in California, I asked him how to take care of the ticket.* He says "I'm not in the position to give you legal advice.* Read the back and it will explain it all."* He then told me to expect a notice of some sort in the mail.* I told him "This is my first ticket in Califonia.* Would you explain what that notice is?"* I think he was starting to get annoyed because he told me "* You can apply for traffic school since this is your first ticket.* But, If you don't want me to write you up for your bald tires, wing (says it obstructs the rear view mirror) exhaust (stock), clear tail lights (stock) and bright headlights (stock hid's), I suggest you take the ticket and get on with your day".* I say "Thank Your Sir" and drove off.* My wife was like okay, we were so nice to him, explained what happened and he still gave us a ticket.

Now, my question to you folks is, how much is traffic school and will I have to scrape the tint??* It doesn't say that it is correctable so does that mean I just have to pay the fine?* Because if it was correctable, then I would assume you would have to scrape it and then get it signed off.* Also, do I really need to change my license to California.* I'm planning to move home next summer and I really don't want to hassle with changing it to CA and then back to Hawaii.* Any info would be appreciated.* Thanks... :-P

EvoPwr
11-09-2005, 08:49 PM
wing (says it obstructs the rear view mirror)


funny because you dont need a rearview mirror in california.

just a mirror on your left and a mirror on your right.

j_nizzle
11-09-2005, 08:49 PM
traffic school is $50 through the right court, maybe cheaper. but you still have to pay the bail money. tint is definate no-no in cali for the front two windows. as for your tires, get those replaced. doesnt sound safe to have stock advans at 30-40 tread left. sorry to hear about the ticket. hope things work out. good luck.

hawaiiboy
11-09-2005, 09:12 PM
i know the tint is a no no. But after my wife got sun burned on our trip to vegas, I had to tint it. I'll pay the tint no problem. Its worth more to me to have it. I won't b!tch and moan if I get pulled over because I knowingly drive around with it. I'll just have be a little more careful with it though. The tires, well, thats just my fault. I should pay more attention to it. I didn't think they were really that bad at all but I'll get them replaced in the morning. They've lasted for awhile though, I've put 19,000 on them. In the meantime, do I just need to wait for the ticket to come in the mail before I can take action, i.e. paying the bail, traffic school????

j_nizzle
11-09-2005, 09:15 PM
In the meantime, do I just need to wait for the ticket to come in the mail before I can take action, i.e. paying the bail, traffic school????


yes

hawaiiboy
11-09-2005, 09:21 PM
thanks for help jnizzle... O0

rghli
11-10-2005, 05:48 PM
You can take traffic school online. It would save you a lot of time. Whey will also guarantee you pass the final exam as well. No need to go to the traffic school and waste a whole day there.

gofaster87
11-10-2005, 06:33 PM
What the hell is wrong with 30/40 percent tread. Nothing illegal or unsafe about that. You change your tires at 75 percent nizzle? or perhaps every weekend?

earlyapex
11-10-2005, 06:53 PM
What the hell is wrong with 30/40 percent tread. Nothing illegal or unsafe about that. You change your tires at 75 percent nizzle? or perhaps every weekend?


haha yea, 30 percent tread means they are just now broken in and getting good. :) If they aren't past the wear bars they are 100% perfectly legal.

escabar
11-11-2005, 08:14 AM
You can take traffic school online. It would save you a lot of time. Whey will also guarantee you pass the final exam as well. No need to go to the traffic school and waste a whole day there.

True. But not all municipalities support online traffic school. South Orange County does not (don't know if they would grant expceptions as in your case). You will need to check the area court listed on your ticket (might be listed on their online site also).

I don't know what your entire situation is (though you are moving back to HI in a month). From past experience, I would think it would take 1.5 - 3 months to resolve the issue by traffic school. If that is so, and are unable to attend traffic school, you could TBD since you would have to post bail anyway. At least you have a double digit percentage chance of winning. It is worth trying to fight this in some way if you have to post bail. Though, in your case, you may need to weigh the cost of airline tickets, traffic school, time spent, etc. (if necessary) vs any insurance premium increases (if any).

EVO Neil
11-11-2005, 09:23 AM
I'd take another look at your tires, maybe he saw something you didn't, like inside edge cord which is easier to see when you are following someone. Just a thought. Good luck with the rest of it.

kimletrim
11-11-2005, 09:33 AM
Regarding the invalid driver's license, go to the DMV and apply for a CA driver's license. That way you can get rid of one of those violations and not have to pay bail for it.

But on another note, I think you should fight this with a trial by declaration. It is worth a shot since you have a witness who can support your argument. Plus, if the cop is really lazy, he won't contest the declaration.

Chris in SD
11-12-2005, 03:26 PM
Here's the scoop:

If you want to keep your car the way it is (Hawaii plates/license, keep the tint, etc.), just pay the fines. If the paperwork shows up and the tint is a correctable offense, make a post here and there are plenty of members who know or are police that will sign off that your windows are magically clearer. Happens all the time...

The easiest way is to just pay the fine for all of it (probably not too expensive) if you want to keep things the way they are. Also, be prepared for a repeat of that episode - tell them next time that you're 1) a student, 2) just visiting, or 3) moving back to Hawaii shortly. I used the same tricks in Virginia and drove around on my CA license and plates for about 8 months...

Good luck man

hawaiiboy
11-13-2005, 09:34 PM
thanks for all the posts guys...we'll I had a long weekend and it was not fun at all.* well, some of it was.* I went to San Diego to attend my cousins wedding at the Bahia.* I got stopped in S.D. 3 times this weekend.* Yes, count it 3 times...all for the tint.* All of them let me go after I told them I already got a ticket the other day for the tint.* None of them said anything about the tires.* After S.D., me and my wife and family visting from hawaii went up to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to watch my cousin play football.* While there, my tires were slashed.* the 2 fronts... :tickedoff:* I got the 888 number to get the roadside assitance to come and help me and it took them 3 1/2 hours to come.* They towed me to Todey Mitsubishi and the service dept. was closed.* The Manager there said he could help me in the morning and to come back.* I told him I'm 2 hours away from home, I only have this car to get me there.* Can you give me a loaner/rental so that I can come back??* He told me no, so I ended up going to Goodyear near a Mall in Ventura and they helped me replace my tires. I got the Dunlop SP FM901.* I ended up knowing the manager there because he's from Hawaii.* Small world...* Then, this is classic, the salesman from the dealership calls the goodyear that I'm at and asks them to keep the tires that just came off my car.* I'm like WTF are you going to do with slashed tires???* So after I get done with goodyear I go back to the dealership and ask them why they wanted my tires.* The sales guy there was like no, we didn't call them.* I have not interest in your tires.* I was like uh, yeah you did.* *I was just there you when you called.* I told them, first of all you don't want to help me when I was here and then you try to get my tires that are slashed??* You guys are fkn shady...Then the sales manager has the balls to ask me if I want to just leave my car there and trade it in for 9MR...Those guys suck a$$.* Yes, if you are reading this Todey Mitsubishi in Ventura off of the 101, you suck!!* My weekend was a nightmare.* I'm home now, I get to relax and its back to the daily grind in the morning.* Sorry for the venting...being pulled over 3 times and getting your tires slashed is not what I had pictured for my weekend... :'(

hawaiiboy
11-13-2005, 09:41 PM
What the hell is wrong with 30/40 percent tread. Nothing illegal or unsafe about that. You change your tires at 75 percent nizzle? or perhaps every weekend?


thanks...I thought I was being cheap or something letting the tires go that long. I got 20K miles out of them and they still had some life left in them...until they were stabbed to death :buck2:

EVOATEYOU
11-13-2005, 09:50 PM
damn doode...that sucks, sorry to hear about that...soo many haters out there :knuppel2:

jdmevov
11-13-2005, 09:55 PM
Damn, sorry about your rough weekend man. :-(

hawaiiboy
11-14-2005, 08:32 PM
thanks for the sympathy guys...I'll let everyone know how the ticket works out as soon as it comes in the mail. If possible, I will fight it with the TBD and see what happens. I'm super bummed about my tires but at least they didn't do anything else. It could have been worse...

hawaiiboy
12-01-2005, 10:16 AM
well, I finally got my ticket.* I followed it online because the courtesy notice never showed up.* The ticket ended up coming to $345.00.* My wife was laughing :2funny: but I didn't think it was that funny.* It gives a list of different options.

1.* Pay $345 in full and be done with it.
2.* Trial by declaration and pay $345.
3.* Appear in person on date indicated on the back of the ticket.
4.* Pay $175 and take traffic school.
5.* Extend court appearance date.

I'm thinking of just doing the traffic school...but I haven't made a decsion yet.* I have until Feb. 2 '06 to make a decision.* What do you guys think??

DoCoMo
12-01-2005, 10:28 AM
i'd say save half that money for more mods and spend a day doing traffic school and be done with it

WavMixer
12-01-2005, 10:57 AM
I believe you still have to pay the full fine of $345 even if you go to traffic school. Going to traffic school does not relieve you from your obligation to pay the fine, it only keeps the ticket off of your driving record.

hawaiiboy
12-01-2005, 03:09 PM
wav, that's what I thought too. But when I looked at it online, it didn't say anything about paying it in full in order to enroll in traffic school. Maybe I should call and find out...thanks for all of your folks help. O0

Chris in SD
12-01-2005, 07:39 PM
Do the trial by declaration - you'll get a refund if (when?) they find you not guilty. Even if you get found guilty, you can still request traffic school to get it off your record. I am the traffic school guru... http://www.goodbyeticket.com/index.htm?fuseaction=Main.showHomePage

drmosh
12-01-2005, 07:53 PM
70% of the cases are won by trial by declaration.

hawaiiboy
12-01-2005, 07:54 PM
do you think that the trial by declaration will still work with tint? *I'm not sure how I would present it in my letter to the court. *any insights?

nurb2
12-01-2005, 09:28 PM
If you are eligible for traffic school, take it.

-nurb2-