Modders Beware

You'd be able to get away with that in California due to the number of much darker tinted cars we have around here, but the law is the law. You're screwed if you get caught.

 

Ahh....lighten up....figuratively and literally.....

 

Were you expecting him to send the tickets by certified mail instead, without a close physical inspection to verify the violations?

 

... in that particular lighting condition. As a bicyclist, skylight glare off windshields already causes significant difficulty making safety-critical eye contact with drivers. The proliferation of illegal tints is making it much worse in certain lighting conditions.

Looking at the back windows, I'm reminded of the five assassinations of cops (not counting the 'ordinary' cop killings) we had here a few years ago.

Looking at the taillights, I'm reminded of the rapidly rising number of local cars with taillights tinted so heavily that brake lights are difficult to see in bright daylight.

Grow up, take your medicine like an adult.

 

The law also states that "You are innocent until proven guilty."

The Fifth Amendment guarantees that you are not required to testify against yourself.

The Fifth Amendment also guarantees access to a jury trial when there is $20 or more in contest.

I'd plead "not guilty," and ask for a jury trial.

Then, they will have more incentive to negotiate and to reduce the fines. It would also help, if you removed the tint and have a receipt to prove it.

 

Let's all just take a chill pill. Ragz was venting. Pretty sure anyone of us would do the same thing. The guy obviously loves modding his car. It might not be my style but I can appreciate all the hard work and money he put into it. The window tint argument will always be around. It's a valid argument too especially considering SUVs and stuff can black out their rear windows without issue. Bet he probably wouldn't have gotten pulled over if he was driving any car with the same tint without all the fancy mods.

 

I'm not much for matte finishes, but your car does look very nice. It's very un-Prius-y. BTW, you need some darker tint on the front windows to complete the look. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

 

To be fair, the OP has aftermarket taillights that are smoked inside the housing with fully exposed rear reflectors and they're just as bright, if not brighter, than stock. They're certainly not in the same category as blacking out the taillights which dramatically cuts down on their visibility.

 

Until you learn to handle adversity a little better, you should stick to following the letter of the law.

 

I run illegal tints on mine. 35% all around in CA. I'm aware they're illegal, and if I get caught, then what other choice do I have than to remove em? Can't complain that the cop shouldn't have pulled me over for tint only. Because in the end, I knew they are illegal.

You knew they were illegal before putting them on, and you knew they were illegal after you got ticketed. Quota or no quota, the cop had every right to ticket you. Even if there was no other reason for him to pull you over. I'm failing to see the reasoning for your rant here, as well as why you lost a lot of respect for the PD.

 

That tint doesn't look very dark, but here in NY they hate any tint on the front door windows.
I've seen almost black-out tint on rear door windows- but I usually notice the front's are almost untouched.
I'm guessing that it's the combined effect of illegal tail lights and the front window tint put you over the tipping point.. Maybe take just one of those violations out of the equation and you wouldn't have gotten stopped?

FWIW- to non-local's... the HOV lane of the LIE is an extremely dangerous place to pull someone over.
It's a very narrow shoulder and cars are whizzing by at 75+ mph within 3-4ft of you if you're stopped there. Several deaths of P.O.'s have resulted from ill advised pull-overs in the HOV shoulder in the past couple of years.
IMO- the P.O. exercised poor judgement pulling the OP over in the HOV lane shoulder area for a relatively minor infraction.

 

Speak for yourself, I doubt most of us would whine about getting ticket for a vehicle equipment violation that we deliberately made.

 

Sounds like the HOV lane here in CA. Legitimate reason to complain. If NY is like CA, OP would be able to legally keep driving until he/she reached a safe destination.

 

At some point "cool" is just stupid.
A car so low to the ground that it can't pull in a gas station without scraping "no hydraulics", lights covered with dark lampshades "black lenses", side windows so dark no one can see your face to help interpret your intentions at the intersection, stop signs in the middle

We wouldn't need stupid rules if people weren't stupid to match them.

So. Many times we are self centered and don't see the big picture or care.

Alan.. Sent with Tapatalk 2

 

That's what I was thinking. I don't care where you are, you should not pull over on the left hand shoulder. Make your way safely to the right shoulder or to an exit. As long as you are safe and legal, the LEO will be fine and thankful.

 

Well, it's a local thing- if the people responding here actually drove on that section of road where you were pulled over- they'd probably agree that it was very risky for the P.O. to do what he did- and for the reasons (we suppose) he did it. There's a reason you don't see cars getting pulled over on the Cross Bronx, The Deegan, etc... there are just some areas that aren't safe for pulling someone over.

 

We have multiple legal systems, at least four of them. This rule applies in only one system. Most traffic citations, including the OPs case, are not handled in that particular system.

 

Ok, heres an opinion from someone who has been on the other side of the tickets (former police officer). This is not true in every case, but since we are generalizing here let me add my two cents. In general it is a fallacy that officers have ticket quotas, that doe not mean that officers are not graded on their performance. Although we may not know why you caught the officers eye to begin with it happened, and happens all the time. As for cutting someone a break, and this is just how I operated over my time in in law enforcement, if I took the time to pull you over for a violation I was going to cite you 99.9% of the time (there are those instances when mitigating circumstances arose). On the same note regarding your situation, I would have only issued one citation for the tint but would have made note on the ticket of all the violations. That being said I do know officers that would cite you for every violation. That does not make them wrong and me right thats just the way I policed. Understand this, law enforcement personal don't always agree with the laws they are required to enforce but it is their job to enforce those laws. I understand you are venting about the situation and maybe over time you can step back and look at it from the other perspective.