"Following too closely" ticket

[NetBoy]

I'm at a stop light, one old Corolla in front, nothing in front of her. Light turns green, Corolla sits there. It goes after about 3 cars on right side have passed her. Corolla brakes at 10mph so I brake. starts to accelerate so I go then it slows down again.
Right then a cop shoots behind me and lights on. I pull over immediately. I was going about 15-20mph hour at this point. Total distance from stop light to when he pulls me over is about 500 yards. No accident.

Cop asks why pulled over and I said I was close to the Corolla. He says yes. Then says (exact words) " what year is this?" I say 2008. He asks if it has V8. I say yes. He says nice car.
"how long have you had it?" I said since 2008. He asks if I bought it new. I said yes. He asks how much does a M3 cost new. I said about $70k. Gives me ticket.

Fine is $260. I'm in Georgia. I was just going to pay the ticket. But this is my first ticket ever.

Should I go to court and try to argue the ticket? The ticket says there is video. No speed is listed on ticket. Ticket says I admitted I was too close.

Thanks

[4nroots]

Sounds like a BS ticket to me, I say fight it. You really have nothing to lose here, especially since it's a first offence

[Mavrick151]

You should always fight every ticket. Some times the officer wont even show up. There are multiple questions to ask in court that can help you get off.

[mkoesel]

Just curious if you new the cop was near or not? If so, you probably would have been more wise to just stay back and let the (undoubtedly distracted - in some way that makes her much more dangerous than you were) driver in the Corolla.

The cop clearly cited you because he didn't like the idea of you in that car. That makes him a) a total ass b) complicit, at least morally, if that idiot lady kills someone. I'd fight the ticket for sure. I'd like to give that cop a nice swift kick in the nads actually. Clearly not interested in delivering justice.

[3XTR3M3]

Even tho you admitted you were too close, why you were close is not taken into consideration.

[JohnnyRoaster]

I would fight it. I used to live in Georgia and I always went to court for any infraction. The ticket was always lowered or like another poster said thrown out if the cop doesn't show. Just plead your case and explain the situation. Could you tell if she was on the phone or otherwise distracted.

Did this happen in a college town? Sounds like a cop with a chip on his shoulder.

[Georgeair]

This is a good example of why you never, ever offer any speculation as to why you were pulled over, even if you were out with the local drift club sideways on 285 at 130mph. Never. Ever.

Your ability to get off is seriously limited now, even if you go to court. He will have audio if pressed, you can NOT commit perjury to avoid a traffic ticket.

I'd still go plead my case for crazy, stuttering traffic conditions and your attempts to always drive safely. If you've got a raft of tickets back there, good luck!

"I'm sorry officer, I have no idea!"

[Subw00er]

The way you handle this sort of situation is that when he asks why you were pulled over say, "for being stupid." This way you are not saying specifically what you did wrong and establishes a rhetorical approach that the cop is not expecting. Think about it, all day long he is getting stupid excuses from people. Someone with a bit of honestly is a breath of fresh air.

[yamahuh]

That one is at the discretion of the officer, I'd pay it and be done. Since you admitted you knew you were too close to the other car you don't have much of an excuse.

I've been to court in Roswell and the officer didn't show up so they rescheduled (making me take another day off from work). I was clocked on a steep downhill grade and if the grade is in excess of (can't remember the %) they should not be writing tickets. I got reports that proved portions of the hill were in excess of the %; however the entire hill was not in excess so I go to pay it.

[skierman64]

Dig into the Georgia statues and find out what the legal definition of "following too close" is, be sure to be armed with that when you go into court. If the legal definition is based on time (like 2 seconds back) then at 10 mph the distance would be very short. Perhaps you weren't even breaking the law.

Definitely go to court though. $260 is steep for that infraction.

[LeeD31]

Never admit to anything in front of a cop.

[MonteCarloM3]

when stopped, always deny being at fault and force them to prove it.
otherwise pay the price. best to pay the ticket and move on.

[skierman64]

Originally Posted by LeeD31

Never admit to anything in front of a cop.

Originally Posted by MonteCarloM3

when stopped, always deny being at fault and force them to prove it.
otherwise pay the price. best to pay the ticket and move on.

This!!!

You can request a copy of the video if you take it to court. See what proof they have.

[King Tut]

1. You WERE following too closely
2. You ADMITTED you were following too closely
3. There is a law against following too closely to prevent fender benders
4. You broke that law and were properly ticketed

Why would you take this open and shut case to court? Leave at least a car length or two of distance between you and other cars in the future and pay the damn fine.

[330CIZHP]

Go to court and fight it. It will put 3 or 4 demerits on your license.

He has no proof you were following too close. This $260 ticket looks BS to me.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by 3XTR3M3

Even tho you admitted you were too close, why you were close is not taken into consideration.

Although it sound like a good argument the reality is that the reason of being too close becomes irrelevant once the accused admits that in fact he was too close.

A better case would have been not saying anything when asked and, once the cop accuses the OP of following too close, then offering the argument of the behavior of the driver in front as the reason the cop saw the situation that way... and still not admitting anything.

I never admit anything at a traffic stop. I'm not hoping for a good, understanding cop that will respect honesty, I have to know the accusation first. That accusation may or may not be what I actually did or may have not done at all, so I need to know first what's going on before saying anything.

[elh0102]

As others have said, never admit to knowledge of any violation if asked. I would not recommend the admission of stupidity, the officer might not take it well and, who knows, in GA in might be against the law. In some states, extremely slow driving can be in violation of a law that prevents the creation of a traffic hazard. It might be worth checking, in case the lady in front was creating such a hazard. That might not necessarily help, but it can't hurt.

[joozie]

so im giving you advice from someone who has got TONS of tickets... im in la so the cops here are less forgiving. what you always want to do is extend your due date. extend it untill they wont let you anymore.. than you want to argue it.. and if the cop doesnt show up (which they never do) it will be a no contest and you will get off with no penaltys.

[joozie]

oh also even if you admit to it if you read the ticket where you sign your name says "i am not admiting to guilt all i am agreeing to is to show by the date below" so you never actually admit anything either way

[Krozi]

What a fucking asshole.

[FruitCake]

It all boils down to the Officers mouth vs. yours.
and in this case you most likely will lose, good luck tho

[GOLFFRR]

thats weird. bc last year i got pulled over randomly on the hwy early in the morning when a similar car pasted me doing 100(G35 coupe all blacked out) and i was in at the time my all blked out 335 and a cop came out of no where pulled me over and asked me all the same questions, how much was the car, what year, when i got it and it i was leasing or bought it. then i told him wrong car and he told me to slow down and let me go. I wonder if they ask those question on purpose?