Halo Headlights (Page 4/4)
82-T/A [At Work] APR 10, 12:41 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Patrick:
I had those lights on my Subie for four years before some sawed-off young runt newbie highway patrolman pulled me over. (Don't they have minimum height requirements any longer?) The part of the story I don't think I've ever mentioned before, is that I challenged the ticket in court. Without getting into what he said/I said in court... the judge lowered the fine to ten bucks. However, it was a given that I also had to replace the Halo LEDs with ones that were more yellowish. I preferred the bluish lights... but I drive right by the highway patrol station every week during hockey season, so I'm not willing to risk being sighted by that same power-tripping short-ass officer again.

No matter how you count the cost & time, you lost the Bet that day. Then you went to Count... while that judge Reduce the Fine, the Time doing so count as Negative to you even if "burn" vacation or other time from work. Plus more money to get another light set to meet the Orders.

Is also a another reason Why many cops stop out of state tags... Even if the Fine is High, often still Cheaper then fighting it. Worse, If you lose @ court too... Judges can add more Fines to Jail time depending on case & other things. So most Mail the Fine. Others Ignore them but then could have a Warrant that can cross state lines or just wait years if needed for you to drive there w/ Toll & other cameras tracking tag numbers now.[/QUOTE]


To be clear, you cannot go to jail for failing to pay a fine (in the U.S.). Our Constitutional law does not permit "debtors prison." You could lose your license and then if caught driving without a license, or failing to go to court when summoned, can lead to jail time.
Patrick APR 10, 05:01 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

No matter how you count the cost & time, you lost the Bet that day. Then you went to Count... while that judge Reduce the Fine, the Time doing so count as Negative to you even if "burn" vacation or other time from work. Plus more money to get another light set to meet the Orders.



Not everything in life is about money. I didn't feel the lights I had installed warranted being pulled over, made to wait half an hour on the side of the road while the officer shuffled papers in his car, and given a $100 fine. An order/requirement to remove/replace the lights would've been sufficient, which I also did receive (which then entailed me having to go to a local RCMP detachment within two weeks to prove the lights had been decommissioned). I could have easily paid the fine and forgotten about it, but I wanted to express my displeasure in court. I looked upon the experience as a adventure. I'm retired, so finding the time to go to court was a non-issue.

I could tell the judge was entirely sympathetic with my indignation. I probably could've pushed it a bit further and had the entire fine thrown out. However, as mentioned earlier, every week I drive right past the highway patrol detachment where the officer who pulled me over is stationed. I didn't wish to make him look any worse in court than I already did, and then possibly have him trying to be vindictive. The lights only cost $10, so that cost was insignificant. It was a nuisance having to swap them out though, especially when I preferred the ones being removed.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 04-10-2024).]

theogre APR 11, 11:56 AM

quote
Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
To be clear, you cannot go to jail for failing to pay a fine (in the U.S.). Our Constitutional law does not permit "debtors prison." You could lose your license and then if caught driving without a license, or failing to go to court when summoned, can lead to jail time.

Suggest you Read a Ticket before you sign them. Every ticket I've seen in several States says, paraphrased, "Pay By X Date Or Appear in Count on Y Day @ Z Time." Ignoring a Ticket = Fail to Appear = Judge can issue a Warrant because most Tickets are Criminal Cases.

The Fine on the Ticket Means Nothing to the Judge that can void it, raise or deduce the amount, add jail time or other things.

Nearly all "Photo" tickets from Red Light & Toll Cameras etc have about same wording or if Ignored = Instant Suspension in many States because most of these are Civil Cases. Even Then Judges can issue Warrants for people w/ a lot of these Forcing you to Appear.

Even More Confusing... When crossing a Bridge or use a Tunnel, Cops may not be Local but Port Authority etc Cops that have extra problems.
Example: Driving I95 to NY using I295 & DE Twin Bridge have to deal w/ DRBA Cops & even when Stop you in "DE..." Nope. That road section isn't part of DE & DRBA Tickets have to Fight in NJ Courts.

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 04-11-2024).]

82-T/A [At Work] APR 11, 03:10 PM

quote
Originally posted by theogre:

Suggest you Read a Ticket before you sign them. Every ticket I've seen in several States says, paraphrased, "Pay By X Date Or Appear in Count on Y Day @ Z Time." Ignoring a Ticket = Fail to Appear = Judge can issue a Warrant because most Tickets are Criminal Cases.

The Fine on the Ticket Means Nothing to the Judge that can void it, raise or deduce the amount, add jail time or other things.

Nearly all "Photo" tickets from Red Light & Toll Cameras etc have about same wording or if Ignored = Instant Suspension in many States because most of these are Civil Cases. Even Then Judges can issue Warrants for people w/ a lot of these Forcing you to Appear.

Even More Confusing... When crossing a Bridge or use a Tunnel, Cops may not be Local but Port Authority etc Cops that have extra problems.
Example: Driving I95 to NY using I295 & DE Twin Bridge have to deal w/ DRBA Cops & even when Stop you in "DE..." Nope. That road section isn't part of DE & DRBA Tickets have to Fight in NJ Courts.




Ogre, to clarify, you should re-read what I said. The thing is... you cannot be jailed for failing to pay a fine... as I said. I just finished a law degree, so I might as well brag about it. What you CAN be jailed for, is violating a court order, or some other action ... which may result from failing to pay a fine. But failure to pay a fine will NOT result in you going to jail.

In the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Bearden v. Georgia, 461 U.S. 660 (1983), SCOTUS affirmed that following a COURT ORDER to pay a fine (note, not a police officer giving you a ticket), that you can only go to jail if you're clearly able to pay the fine, and choose not to. Which is remedied as soon as you pay it. If you lack the financial means to do so, you cannot be put in jail. U.S. Constitution affirms no debtor's prison through the 14th amendment equal protection clause (as further affirmed by Federal law passed in 1833).

... of course, I'm only talking U.S. law.
css9450 APR 12, 02:22 PM
LOL I wondered how a thread about halo headlights could have so many posts so quickly.... I was not disappointed.
IMSA GT APR 12, 04:18 PM

quote
Originally posted by css9450:

LOL I wondered how a thread about halo headlights could have so many posts so quickly.... I was not disappointed.



Yeah and this thread is a couple weeks old and the OP is no where to be found. Everyone who replied is talking to themselves.

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 04-12-2024).]

Patrick APR 12, 05:24 PM

quote
Originally posted by IMSA GT:

Everyone who replied is talking to themselves.



I can't say I agree with that. The OP may be a no show after their initial post (which sure, is disappointing), but nevertheless it's pretty obvious that there's still a relatively interesting discussion taking place.