Harbinger

typically in CA if the offense is not a chargeable violation per the DMV, then TYPICALLY your insurance premium will not be affected. that was how our company operated, however before you pay the fine CALL your insurance agent, or csr if they are a direct provider and ask.

link13

He stopped you to see if you were driving while drunk. Police say that headlights off at night can be as much of an indicator of DUI as swerving, etc.

92 SC400

I talked with my insurance agent and he said that they (Farmers) do not charge for this violation. So I will be paying the ticket and foregoing traffic school. Just thought I'd let ya'll know in case you ever get a ticket for driving w/o headlights... haha

GUJIGUJI

dispute the ticket? if it's possible for u? try to re-schedule a few times and see what happens. Sometimes my frd got away from tickets by doing that. Don't know if that works in the states or not though.

92 SC400

It's possible to dispute but I dont think I really have much of a case against it. It's almost not worth my time nor the headache so Im just paying it. On another note, I doubt rescheduling court dates will allow it to slip through the cracks as I know people who previously rescheduled their days 2, 3, and once 4 times (I think). So I'll pay the 144.50 and just be happy I dont have to do to traffic school.

joshthorsc

Sorry to hear what happened. Got pulled over once at night because I forgot to turn on my headlights after getting off from work, but luckily the cop let me off with a warning.

~Josh

mmarshall

Get a car with Daytime Running Lights and you probably won't have that problem......ever again (unless both bulbs burn out at once, which is very unlikely). They come on automatically when the ignition is on and the parking brake is off. Most new vehicles these days already come with them......it will probably be a Federal regulation soon.

DRL's don't operate at full intensity, but if you forget to switch the regular headlights on, they are enough to keep you from getting a ticket or driving completely blind at night. Some states also require headlights on when the wipers are in use or when visibility is less than 500 feet.

92 SC400

Yeah, In CA we have have that law about wipers and headlights, though if you watch it seems like many didn't know that.

DRLs are kind of cool, I know my friends E92 has 'em, but it's not to be able to turn them off at some point... I remember being in Canada back in like '02 and most of their cars had headlights you could not even turn off. I remember the rental we had did have a switch for it at all. First time I had ever seen anything like that.

If both my headlights stopped working, at the same time, I'd have to credit that to a pissed off ex g/f or something rather than both of them burning out at the same time haha

Ken'sGS300

iTrader: (3)

OK, you made a mistake. So now you're just gonna cough up $150 without even trying to save that money if you can? Seriously, schedule a court appearance. It doesn't matter that you may or may not have a case against it. Truth of the matter is, you remembered to turn them on before you got pulled over. At the very least, you should argue for a "warning" instead of a hefty fine. Mention the auto-on lights you have, and that for some reason it was not on "auto". BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOU NOTICED YOUR LIGHTS WERE OFF BEFORE YOU WERE MADE AWARE THAT AN OFFICER WAS BEHIND YOU AND YOU TURNED THEM ON.

greyBLITZ

iTrader: (2)

sure sounds like that cop had nothing else better to do that night, may have gotten a little bored. It is a shame that they'll do that. Don't you think that the driver would be a little bit more concerned about not being able to see than the cop? I'd agree with appealing it, in the end they won't deem it as a major infraction anyway so they might just ditch it and let you off.

Inabj2

Its very hard to prove that you had your lights off.

Go to court, and show proof of insurance, plead not guilty to lights off. Tell them your lights were off at the gas station but you turned it off while pulling out of the street.

felixsc300

iTrader: (5)

Being unlucky is better than being stupid; I was passing by the local high school this afternoon when the silver Accord in front of me pulled into the yellow left-turn lane, STOPPED in the middle of the road, and LOADED two passengers into the car ALL IN FRONT of a motorcycle cop whom was clearly visible (not hiding at all) less than 100 feet away. When the Accord accelerated, so did the cop. Probably one of the dumbest violations I've ever witnessed.

zzzzdoc

I went to the Lexus dealership once for a non-functional tail light. Unbeknownst to me, they installed the incorrect taillight which blew ALL of the rear lights (and, amazingly, didn't start a fire). That evening, I was driving home at midnight. I saw a cop pull right behind me. Didn't think much of it, but every time I changed lanes, he changed behind me like glue. He pulled next to me at a stoplight and told me all my rear lights were out. When I told him that the dealer must have screwed up, because the car was fixed for 1 bulb earlier in the day, he told me to drive carefully, and that he was following me to protect me so that I didn't get rear-ended.

What a different approach, by an obviously nicer police officer.

greyBLITZ

iTrader: (2)

I sure like that attitude much better! But it only makes sense, we don't notice everything about our vehicles, especially when it is the taillights.

92 SC400

Well I did do something wrong, technically, and I did tell the cop about the auto lights. I just told him straight up that I turned them off so as not to flash people in the face when I got gas and didnt remember turning it off when I pulled out. I actually figured it out when I used the turn signal, the switch didn't feel like it was on the "on" position. I told the officer that I was turning them on before he even began to pull me over but he felt otherwise... I know $150 is pretty hefty for what seems to be a petty offense but at the same time, is it worth going to traffic court over? To be honest, I really don't have the time to deal with it and in the event I get no resolution out of it I'd just **** me off more because of wasted time... I still have a little more than a month to decide what I want to do tough. If only traffic court were open on the weekends... haha