Today I was taking my son to work. I did not make a complete stop at a stop sign in my neighborhood. It was on Maple St. in Fairfax City at the intersection of Maple and Crest. A Fairfax City police man on a motorcycle stopped me and gave me a ticket. He was very nice about it but I still am very sad that I had broken the law and now I am a scofflaw. Will this give me points on my license? Will I have a record? Will my name appear on the arrest list?
I never even speed and now I have a bad driving record.

Trickie

Will this give me points on my license? Will I have a record? Will my name appear on the arrest list?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Its 3 points, and stays on for 3 years.

http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/citizen/drivers/points_assess.asp


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lets see if FFX underground turns on one of its own...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2007 01:34PM by bdimag.

I doubt your name will appear on the list here as it is only Fairfax COUNTY and not CITY tickets/arrests. You will get points and you will have a driving record. Be extra careful from now on Trickie because another offense or two, no matter how innocent, may qualify you as an abusive driver.

Welcome to the wonderful world of "the ticketed"!

Too bad about the ticket, but at least it was not for a "major" violation.

:-)

... I always heard that if there is a white border on the stop sign it is a "stoptional", and you can just drive right past ... (bad bad joke from some unknown source!)

Good news! I mean about me finding out that most violations are only on a record for 3 years. I thought it was 7 years.

Sorry to hear you got a ticket Trickie, gotta watch those FFX City cops, they'll ticket any one.

O i wasnt paying attention... i meant to say "Yes. Yes. No"

Is it abusive to not come to a complete stop at a stop sign? Not that I EVER plan to make that mistake again!!!! But I will definitely be very careful from now on. Two nights ago this one Fairfax City copy talked to me for an hour for fun at my place of work the other night. I could tell he really liked me. I bet he would have just given me a warning!!!!!! He works at night though and this happened this morning.

Trickie

No, failure to stop is not abusive, per se, but aggregating points due to a series of offenses could qualify you as an "abusive driver." I have attached how it works related to points.

"Demerit-point-related abusive driver fees apply to drivers who accumulate 8 or more demerit points. Abusive driver fees can not be imposed for demerit points related to offenses committed prior to July 1, 2007. No single traffic violation results in 8 demerits points and attending a driver improvement clinic may reduce the points on a driver’s record. Bad drivers who accumulate and keep 8 or more demerit points will be charged a minimum of $100 fee and $75 for each additional demerit point."

I seriously doubt that you are a scofflaw--you are either being facetious or too self-critical.

I don't think that the Underground will "turn on one of its own." In fact, I hope that we all feel the empathy that I do. You may have the opportunity to take a DMV class that will give you some positive points--please do so, as the positive points will help you.

Trickie,

So sorry to hear about your ticket, and please don't loose any sleep over it. If failure to come to a complete stop at at stop sign is one of the worst things you've ever done, you are leading a wonderful life!

Just something that FFX citizen left out.. the class gives you 5 points..

dont take the online ones, theyre stupid, and depending on how you look at it: more difficult.

what time was this? i saw a bunch of cops waiting at the dunkin donuts right there around 7 am or so



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2007 02:49PM by KeepOnTruckin.

It was about 10:45 am. They also like to gather at the 7/11 right there on Maple St. and 236. I see them every morning.

Trickie

LOL....So you got your first ticket...No big deal...Pay the fine and forget about it ( Maybe you should tie a pink ribbon on the stop sign post to decorate it a little)..Don't be so hard on yourself, (We still love you).

I make a complete stop at stop signs. But I admit I got a ticket many years ago in the stone ages for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. Total BS ticket, but I was in hurry.

So welcome to the club. The ticket is no longer on my record, so Trickie after three years the whole incident vanishes, no big deal.

I bet from now on you'll be coming to a complete at stop signs,(LOL) and yes, it's going to tick those FFX drivers off behind you that expect you to roll threw the stop signs. Just make sure you don't get rear ended when you come to a complete stop.

I would venture to say that not even FFX police officers come to complete stops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2007 05:16PM by Lurker..

Don't worry about making a full stop if driving within the Town of Vienna. No one, I repeat, NO ONE does. I took the defensive driver program as it is mandatory for Town employees who drive Town vehicles. I heard it straight from the horse's mouth (A TOV Police Officer) that they do not ticket for failure to come to a complete stop as the tickets were always getting reversed at court anyhow.

TRICKIE Wrote:
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> ... now I am a scofflaw.

The Cop knew what a scofflaw is?

Trickie, if you have had a Va drivers license for a long time, you can assume that you have accumulated 5 "safe driving points"...you get one for each calendar year that you do not get a ticket, up to a maximum of 5.

So, this rap will leave you with 2 "good" points....nothing to worry about.

The only real downside is the fine and the insurance aspect of it...your premiums might go up a bit...

I have had a Va. license since 1976 with no tickets at all. Is that a long time???

Trickie

yes. You're ancient! Just kidding. But you get a maximum of 5 positive points, so as stated above, your only worry is insurance.

TRICKIE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have had a Va. license since 1976 with no
> tickets at all. Is that a long time???
>
> Trickie


No worries than. You'll stil have "good driver" points to cover it and a couple left.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

I was in the same situation about 9 months ago. I got my first ticket in like 15 years (the first one was a SET-UP!!...damn). Anyway, I too felt like a criminal for months. I was speeding like 68 in a 55.....not paying attention. Cop gave me 64 to keep me under reckless. I thanked him...plead guilty...and got the ticket dismissed (judge was nice to me because I was an upstanding citizen and an valuable member of the community or some such thing). I thanked him too. Now I drive by the book, which pisses everyone else around me off. They have no idea what the real speed limit is....but I do...it's the speed I'm going.

Welcome to the club. We're here for you! Just remember, one day at a time....

They should have ticketed you for being an ugly old twat.

Don't worry about being a scofflaw Trickie. The cops won't start a whole task force based on your behavior. But you can gaurantee that there is an insurance account exec somewhere that will increase his profit by upping your monthly rate.

Hi Trickie,
Are you sure there wasn't a bit Verizon truck blocking the sign ????

Last year I got a ticket for the same thing while taking my son to school. I didn't know why I got pulled over until the police told me that I had run a stop sign. I was a bit baffled, because I did not remember seeing one, but nonetheless, I signed for the ticket and proceeded to explain to my 7 year old why Mommy got pulled over. It was kind of embarrassing. My son proceeded to tell me that he did not see a sign either.

At that point, I turned the car around to see what it was that I had obviously missed. To my surprise, there was a large Verizon utility truck parked on the curb in such a way that is obstructed the view of the sign.

I then proceeded to get my cell phone and took a picture which showed the situation....(thank goodness for cell phones) and went on to school.

I went to court (my first and only time) and I must admit, even traffic court can be intimidating. When it was my turn, the judge asked me if I pled guilty or NOT-guilty. I had to think a minute....because I had obviously run the stop sign. But since I couldn't see the sign...was I still guilty?

I made a quick decision to say "not guilty". I explained the situation to the judge and even told him I had a picture of the truck. He didn't even care to see it. He immediately said NOT GUILTY and I was on my way. I couldn't believe it. I don't think the policeman could either. The judge had been so strict with everyone else. He didn't even care to see the picture to prove it!

I don't know if I was just lucky or what. You might want to see if there is any Verizon work going on in your neighborhood !!!!! Be sure to take a picture. :)

By the way.....I'm the Terri you thanked in the Navy thread. Good Luck!

Hi Terri,

That's a good story. But alas, there was no verizon truck blocking anything. My son was in the car with me also and I was busy talking to him and just did not come to a complete stop. Like the previous posters, I never speed much to the chagrin of many drivers behind me. I obey all the laws and I was proud of not ever getting a ticket. My son, who has been in lots of trouble with the law but now seems to be shaping up, has been kidding me mercilessly since yesterday. At dinner last night, he was making siren sounds. This morning he referred to me as "Jailbird Mom." I still haven't told my husband. He snoops around in my checkbook too so I will have to change the name to something like "Sephora" in the register. Thanks for the story. I am glad you were able to convince the judge. I bet you are pretty. That's why he didn't need to see the picture. Maybe I will go to court just for fun.

Hugs to Terri,
Trickie

Go to court, ya gotta pay court costs. but you can play the i havent gotten a ticket before in the 30 years i have been driving card.

KeepOnTruckin Wrote:
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> Go to court, ya gotta pay court costs. but you can
> play the i havent gotten a ticket before in the 30
> years i have been driving card.


Good advice, you may be able to get it dismissed/thrown-out.

If you've had a clean record for all those years, I'd take my chances in Court, and let the Offecier Pove you violated the Law.

Good Luck!