OKAY. Seriously, im NOT a bad driver. most of you on here dont know this, but i got a ticket a few weeks ago from a king county sheriffs deputy. Ill explain.

It was 7:15pm and i had just got off work and gotten gas. I was getting on i-90 west at the 16th mile marker and if you know this on ramp, you know there is a carpool lane, and 2 other lanes. i was waiting at a redlight in the 2nd position (had a truck infront of me) the light turned green.. we didnt move, at least 30 seconds goes by and i then honked, the truck starts going but wasnt going fast enough i guess so i passed him in the carpool lane. and get on the freeway doing 65MPH. My radar detector starts going on Ku alert, i tap the brakes, slow down to 62indicated (my speed-o is off a little so this is exactly 60MPH) and i stay in the far right lane, i keep going for about a mile and my radar goes off again as Ka alert. I look in my mirror and there is a sheriff a little ways back and a few lanes to my left. I keep going and she comes up right behind me and my radar goes off on K alert. but she doesnt pull me over. we are now at my exit and mile marker 13 and she flips on her lights and pulls me over. i immediatly get off the road way to the right. she did the usual police thing and then told me she pulled me over for using the car pool lane. i then said "well its 715 and that sign there *point to carpool sign right next to where she pulled me over* and the carpool is from 5am to 7pm" she then said "that rule does not apply on on ramps" after a few more words and about 10min she comes back to my car and said she wrote me a ticket and ill get it in the mail in. apparently its 124$ and my insurance will go up.

SO.. just wondering if anyone knows what i should do. I cant afford my insurance to go up. so i want to either get a lawyer or mitigate it. problem with mitigating is that if i get another ticket in a year ill have to pay both of them! and with the tC its like a ticket magnet for STUPID tickets.

one thing i noticed that i MIGHT beable to use as a way to get out of it is that she wrote me a ticket for something that had happened THREE miles prior. not sure if there is a distance rule or anything like that between when the thing occured and when the citation was issued. yes i know i was in the carpool lane and im not denying that. just alittle upset that i couldnt get a warning for something like this, the signs CLEARLY say 5am-7pm.. also i was only in the carpool lane less then 50yards.

dont know if anyone knows the rules or a good lawyer but if you could please post up I would greatly appreciate it.

and remember the 5-7 DOES NOT apply on onramps.

 

I bet if you contest then u will get it taken off because I didnt know that On-ramps/off-ramps didnt apply to that 7pm - 5am rule. i use them all the time during those hours thinking that its acceptable.

 

that sounds totally bogus, where does it say "carpool lane: 5-7, but not on ramps?"

a carpool lane is a carpool lane, and hours are hours. ramps don't get special treatment, just take it to court, that kinda trash should get tossed out.

 

Found this on WSDOT page

What hours do HOV lanes operate?

HOV lanes on westside freeways operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. HOV lanes on eastside freeways are open to all drivers at night.

Direct access ramps are restricted to carpools, vanpools and buses all the time - even when HOV lanes are open to all traffic. One exception to this is the direct access ramps at Ash Way. These ramps are restricted to buses-only for safety reasons.

HOV operating hours are as follows for all seven days of the week, except as noted:

I-5: 24 hours a day.
I-405: 5 am – 7 pm.
SR 520 (east of I-405): 5 am – 7 pm.
SR 520 (west of I-405): 24 hours a day.
NOTE: The SR 520 HOV lane requires three or more people west of I-405.
I-90 (east of I-405): 5 am – 7 pm.
I-90 (west of I-405): 24 hours a day.
NOTE: Single occupant vehicles are allowed in the I-90 Reversible Express Lanes between Mercer Island and Seattle.
SR 16: 24 hours a day.
SR 167: 5 am – 7 pm
NOTE: Now that the HOV lanes on SR 167 have been converted to HOT lanes between Renton and Auburn, the operating hours remain the same. HOVs are never required to have a transponder or to pay a toll when using these HOT lanes. Other vehicles may use the lanes without a toll or transponder between the hours of 7 pm and 5 am.
SR 305: 6 – 8 am and 3 – 6 pm, M – F.
Direct access ramps (all): 24 hours a day.
NOTE: Direct access ramps at Ash Way are for buses-only.
Hours are also shown graphically on the Puget Sound HOV map.

 

If the ticket has the time on it you should be ok...why is she mailing it...that seems weird. I would contact a lawyer after you get the ticket and see what they say. I believe they can at least give advice for free...

 

I see that nobody is posting any help....cough....kanchi...cough....So give Fred Hopkins a call @ 425-391-7427 or Mitch Green @ 206-760-9822...No thanks needed.............

 

fight it. cops are dumb

 

you should win.

 

read the above post the ramps are not included in the open times per WSDOT I did not know this good find.
"Direct access ramps are restricted to carpools, vanpools and buses all the time - even when HOV lanes are open to all traffic. One exception to this is the direct access ramps at Ash Way. These ramps are restricted to buses-only for safety reasons."

 

^haven't needed one...which one is higher up on speed dial for you?

 

Actually I've never needed them, but some of my friends from my old crew have used them.. Check out the PNW forum at www.vwvortex.com and search for traffic tickets to read the responses.....

 

Thats BS man. How coem the cop didnt pull you over right when she saw you doing that in the on ramp and not however long you went down the road. Fight it. You will win. Also for peace of mind just call on of those traffic ticket lawyers and see what they say. I now guys who dont even show up and have those traffic ticket lawyers go for them. They charge like 50bucks which is usually cheaper than th ticket was and no points. Cops are stupid sometimes, i mean like they dotn have anythign better to do than give you a ticket for that.

 

lol ok no they do not have a limit to pull you over. they can follow you for like 20 miles if needed. only think i can guess is she was going to get you for speeding. go back and check the ramp for a camera. if she is sending it to you did you by chance get her badge number??? make sure she wasn't getting it for another cop. also talk to a lawyer to find out weather sheriffs can write tickets stuff that happeneds on the freeway or on ramps. also if you fight it find out weather or not she was on duty or not. she wrote the ticket but mailed it sounds pretty fishy to me.

i will say this for anyone who reads this. 405 is one big construction project. you will get pulled over for anything and everything. be very very carefull. they need money to cover construction costs.

 

your insurance won't go up, in California carpool violation is not considered a moving violation. fight it, you got nothing to lose, make her work for her doughnuts

 

this isn't california, this is WA...

 

x2! Always fight your tickets, even if you were in the wrong.

Don't mitigate it, contest it. Tell the Judge you were not aware on/off ramp carpool lanes were under a different time restriction and there is no sign with that posted, other than the sign that reads: carpool lane open 7pm-5am.

 

yah corina thats what i planned on doing, but i wasnt sure if there was any distance rules. but thanks for all the help guys. its just kinda silly that the onramps arent open to all but the regular carpool lanes are open.

 

dude im sorry but im callin stupid on your part . your right next to the state patrol office, starbucks, McDonalds and an interstate. your just looking for a ticket.
sorry to say but thats a dumb move, there is ALWAYS officers in that area.

As far as getting another ticket, you have a modified car with a loud exhaust, to them your just another punk street racer no matter what, there gonna be looking at your car. you do somthing stupid like this and they will pull you over.

not watching for a reply cause its not worth it.

 

you can fight the ticket off or go to traffic school, i believe you guys also have an online test that only takes around 30 to 60 minutes to complete. Simple

 

take it from someone that has went to court on car issues more than anyone that the judge will say that "ignorance is not an excuse"