Yes ! I got my first Ticket
Not something that I can really be proud of but, since I cannot get it off my mind that easily I thought it is worth some rant..... !
Thursday evening I got off work heading 520 west as always the freeway was chock-a-block. The hot sun outside forced me to bring the window down; with "Va Va anbe anbe" from agninatchathiram playing on my car stereo I inched towards 405 north exit. I would have done 2 miles on 520 and barely 200 meters away from the I-405 ramp. Though 520 west was packed I-450 north ramp was quite free. I got a little impatient and joined I-450 north ramp crossing the solid white line and in the process gently grazed over the triangular crosshatch. In the past 3 years I 've seen a lot of people do this and I've myself done this a lot of times. Things didn't go well for me on this instance though, within just few seconds after joining I-405 ramp I could see a cop behind me with those fancy flashing lights.
Well well... he didn't explain anything to me neither did ask for any explanation, he asked me for my license and registration. While he was writing my ticket he also managed to stop close to 20 other vehicles apprarently for the same traffic infraction. As he handed me the ticket and my eyes quickly scanned for $$$ and what I saw gave me a jolt... yeah I got ticketed $388 for crossing a white line and grazing over the crosshatch but it was not quite RCW 46.61.150 in the true sense, which the cop claimed. This is what the law states :
"
Driving on divided highways.
Whenever any highway has been divided into two or more roadways by leaving an intervening space or by a physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing section or by a median island not less than eighteen inches wide formed either by solid yellow pavement markings or by a yellow crosshatching between two solid yellow lines so installed as to control vehicular traffic, every vehicle shall be driven only upon the right-hand roadway unless directed or permitted to use another roadway by official traffic-control devices or police officers. No vehicle shall be driven over, across or within any such dividing space, barrier or section, or median island, except through an opening in such physical barrier or dividing section or space or median island, or at a crossover or intersection established by public authority
"
How does it go from here..... ? I am going to request for a court hearing and see if I can talk myself out of the penalty. Yeah... much like in our movies "Ganam courtraar avargale, enmeedhu sumatha patta kutram nyayamanadhu allla"
Anyways, I will make another post out of what transpires from the court hearing, until then hooking up some pics I managed to click here for you all to enjoy :-)
Thursday evening I got off work heading 520 west as always the freeway was chock-a-block. The hot sun outside forced me to bring the window down; with "Va Va anbe anbe" from agninatchathiram playing on my car stereo I inched towards 405 north exit. I would have done 2 miles on 520 and barely 200 meters away from the I-405 ramp. Though 520 west was packed I-450 north ramp was quite free. I got a little impatient and joined I-450 north ramp crossing the solid white line and in the process gently grazed over the triangular crosshatch. In the past 3 years I 've seen a lot of people do this and I've myself done this a lot of times. Things didn't go well for me on this instance though, within just few seconds after joining I-405 ramp I could see a cop behind me with those fancy flashing lights.
Well well... he didn't explain anything to me neither did ask for any explanation, he asked me for my license and registration. While he was writing my ticket he also managed to stop close to 20 other vehicles apprarently for the same traffic infraction. As he handed me the ticket and my eyes quickly scanned for $$$ and what I saw gave me a jolt... yeah I got ticketed $388 for crossing a white line and grazing over the crosshatch but it was not quite RCW 46.61.150 in the true sense, which the cop claimed. This is what the law states :
"
Driving on divided highways.
Whenever any highway has been divided into two or more roadways by leaving an intervening space or by a physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing section or by a median island not less than eighteen inches wide formed either by solid yellow pavement markings or by a yellow crosshatching between two solid yellow lines so installed as to control vehicular traffic, every vehicle shall be driven only upon the right-hand roadway unless directed or permitted to use another roadway by official traffic-control devices or police officers. No vehicle shall be driven over, across or within any such dividing space, barrier or section, or median island, except through an opening in such physical barrier or dividing section or space or median island, or at a crossover or intersection established by public authority
"
How does it go from here..... ? I am going to request for a court hearing and see if I can talk myself out of the penalty. Yeah... much like in our movies "Ganam courtraar avargale, enmeedhu sumatha patta kutram nyayamanadhu allla"
Anyways, I will make another post out of what transpires from the court hearing, until then hooking up some pics I managed to click here for you all to enjoy :-)
