In our state police cannot write tickets in parking lots that are private property. It was many years ago, when I had an incident not my fault, sorry can’t remember the outcome.I do not know if a report was filed.
Back about 3-years ago, I just could not sleep and decided to take the car out for a short drive. It was about 2 AM. My wife was asleep so I left a note on the kitchen counter and went out. A short while later, she awoke and called me. I pulled over into a closed gas station and took the call. Afterwards, I pulled out and the station had put up a stop sign, probably bought it somewhere, it was much smaller than an official one and it was mounted on a 4x4 pole.
As I wrote, it was 2 AM, and there was no traffic so I pulled straight out without stopping for the sign. I got about 100’ and police lights lite up behind me. (turned out that he was sitting in the gas station too with all his lights off…). I pulled over and exchange pleasantries with the deputy along with my license and registration. I asked him why he stopped me and he said I ran the stop sign. I said that was not a real stop sign, they probably got it from the dollar store. He said it does not matter…
He also told me my “third” brake light was out too, I asked what third brake light, and he said the one in your back window.
I said this is an '85 and the “third light” had not been invented then and it was not a fixture until '87 (I’ve been through this before…). He said I guess you’re right. Listen, I’m going to only give you a warning this time, but You will get a ticket the next time…
I left and went home and I checked the law and I was right…
Virginia § 46.2-831. Unofficial traffic control devices prohibited; penalties.
No unauthorized person shall erect or maintain on any highway any warning or direction sign, signal, or light in imitation of any official traffic control device erected as provided by law.
The next day, I stopped by the sheriff’s office to report this but everyone denied that I was stopped and no deputy would have said this… I had no ticket nor official warning to prove my story and I did not catch the name for the deputy.
I know I was not spoofed by some wanna-be, pretend deputy as he was driving an official county sheriff’s department car…
He should have said that you failed to stop after travelling through private property and entering the road. A sign reminding drivers to stop is not required.
Your assessment of the story suits you.
There is a thumbs up button. Why is there not a thumbs down button to save time whe this guy posts.
This whole story sounds like Westmoreland Co. I the 70’s or Culpepper Co. in the late 80’s-90’s.
It disappeared years ago with some version change. Software changes spawned at least two other sites along with rant and rave. The folks running them became fewer and fewer and then died. One might still be going but very political. So something to be said about stability. I think some of the disagreements though are simply opinions and not fact.
Maybe being a little too tough on the deputy? Given the early AM time, and presumably you didn’t impede traffic flow, your offense was minor, and in response he gave you a warning. No fine, no court appearances taking a lot of your time. Seems fair to me. In my area anyway, still are required to stop in that situation, irrespective of the validity of the stop sign.
Now had you had been pulled you over along side a dangerous section of road in heavy traffic, where accidents are frequent, simply b/c the light bulb that illuminates the license plate had burned out, then I’d say you’d have a complaint.
I don’t think you were pulled over for a stop sign or brake light. I think you were pulled over for driving in the wee hours. Drugs, alcohol, etc. they just need an excuse for probable cause. Actually I understand that.
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In NY state you must stop before entering a through highway. A non conforming stop sign is not an issue because no stop sign is needed.
You must YIELD the right-of-way. Which may mean you might have to stop or slow down. But if there’s no traffic then you don’t have to stop.
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The New York driver’s manual says this, for what it’s worth:
A vehicle that enters a roadway from a driveway, private road or another place that is not a roadway, must stop and yield the right-of-way to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians.
Quote from the following NY State link.
- Vehicle entering roadway. The driver of a vehicle about to
enter or cross a roadway from any place other than another roadway shall
yield the right of way to all vehicles approaching on the roadway to be
entered or crossed.
I can’t figure out what Lord Thunders story has to do with accidents .
Probably not if you are filing for insurance. Insurance companies want the police report.
I don’t know if this was intentional, but when my 97 Nissan PU was totaled in 2017 with about 250k miles on it, the police report did not become available until the 10 day maximum. By that time, the truck that cost me $9995 brand new, had accrued around $7000 in storage fees plus I got $2900 from the collision insurance. My insurance company paid out about as much for the accident as I did for the truck brand new.
Interesting, seems to be a difference of opinion in NY state between the driver’s manual and the state vehicle code. Wondering if same is true in Calif?
I’ve never bothered looking at Minnesota, but the difference between language in a statute and some writer putting together a pamphlet at the 8th grade reading level. Results may vary as they say. I don’t remember which administration but map updates were farmed out to a contractor. Wouldn’t surprise me if the road manual was farmed out too.
Apparently the vehicle code on this has been revised since the last time I read it. The state code has been completely revised from top to bottom at least twice since I started driving. It was revised somewhere around the late 70s and they forgot to require mud flaps on tractors not pulling a trailer and for a couple of years the companies would not provide them and we were bobtailing down the road in the rain, throwing 10 ft high rooster tails until the changed that section.
You’ve must have read it before 1970 when I got my drivers license in NY. As far as I remember the code always said to Yield.
On another forum they did some kind of automated system that would down vote anything I posted. Even it a completely different topic and a non controversion response or answer, it would get down voted.
No surprise there.
You may have brought that on your self.
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