Is the League City judge in touch with reality? (Houston: houses, neighborhood)

[Gru]

Originally Posted by chuckd83

"She was told before and reminded after this that if she ever gets a ticket, she's paying for it on her own."

This implies that this time, you're paying it.

It implies to someone who is looking for any excuse to validate their preconceived notions. She was told before [running the stop sign] and reminded after [running the stop sign] that if she ever gets a ticket [including this one] she's on her own. Yes, I could have been very explicit when writing that, but I didn't realize I was entering a forum where most everyone assumes I'm an immature idiot who can't be taken for his word.

I've written a posting where I said up front I agree she broke the law and she should be punished. And I have to spend 98% of my time in my responses to posts defending myself against people who think I don't think she did anything wrong or should not be punished. I suppose we can make this thread not only against activist judges, but my pet peeve of people who accuse me of saying something and attacking my character based on something I never said - and actually based on something the opposite of what I said.

Imagine all the productive discussions we could have if we didn't have to go through all that first.

[Bily Lovec]

so this is just a rant post ?

well rant away,
im gonna go start a rant post about teenage girls blowing stop signs @ 40 mph

[chuckd83]

Originally Posted by Gru

I have to spend 98% of my time in my responses to posts defending myself...

If 98% of people misunderstood you, consider that the wording and intention of your original post is confusing at best.

[Gru]

Originally Posted by Bily Lovec

so this is just a rant post ?

well rant away,
im gonna go start a rant post about teenage girls blowing stop signs @ 40 mph

Go for it. I could see a $200-$300 fine for that - for anyone actually.

[jasonamd]

Originally Posted by Gru

And then there's the baseless accusations that I'd be ok with her driving while drinking as long as she's .01% over the legal limit. Seriously?? If she got in the car with a BAC of .001% forget the courts, I would take away her driving privileges. But that's me. I'm talking about what's reasonable for a court to do.

Originally Posted by Gru

Let's get some perspective. What she did was a small mistake. A stop sign is there to make you stop and look for other traffic before proceeding. Ok, she didn't stop, but she slowed to less than 1mph and looked for other traffic before proceeding. That fulfills the safety requirement of a stop sign.

You seem to think not fully stopping at the stop sign was okay since she slowed down which makes it sound that you are okay with breaking the law a little...so what's the difference?

With a provisional license which if your daughter has a Texas license has, I've heard of cases of judges being more strict when violations occur during that period.

Most traffic violations have a set fine. Other than speeding, they don't vary in price based on how bad you violate the law. This is the same everywhere and not just in League City. Is the fine high compared to some other cities, by a little, yes. But it's pretty easy to avoid it by just stopping at stop signs.

[Gru]

Originally Posted by jasonamd

You seem to think not fully stopping at the stop sign was okay since she slowed down which makes it sound that you are okay with breaking the law a little...so what's the difference?

She broke the law, she needs to pay the fine.
The post was about how much the fine was. I didn't say it's ok to break the law. I'm saying at least she was safe. Which means her infraction was not as great as say DUI, speeding 30 mph over the speed limit, driving on the wrong side of the road, hit & run. Do you not agree?

BTW, I was curious so I googled the fine for driving on the wrong side of the road. I was surprised: $110 - more than $250. But apparently that's the more common range. I would have thought that's more dangerous than a rolling stop.
What are the fines for driving on the wrong side of the road? | TrafficViolationLawFirms
Oh, and in case anyone reads something else into that, she broke the law, she needs to pay the fine.

There are degrees of violations, and likewise there are degrees of penalties. Unless you really think this is about something else, can we limit the discussion to that?

Originally Posted by jasonamd

With a provisional license which if your daughter has a Texas license has, I've heard of cases of judges being more strict when violations occur during that period.

Could you give examples?

Originally Posted by jasonamd

Most traffic violations have a set fine. Other than speeding, they don't vary in price based on how bad you violate the law. This is the same everywhere and not just in League City.

I understand that. I'm saying the set fine for a "rolling stop" is too high relative to other infractions that are more dangerous.

Originally Posted by jasonamd

Is the fine high compared to some other cities, by a little, yes. But it's pretty easy to avoid it by just stopping at stop signs.

It's 50% higher than other cities I've researched. Your 2nd point sidesteps the issue. Let's say if you were caught rolling through a stop sign. You're fined $4000. You'd be upset naturally because that's a lot of money and other cities only charge $200 for that. But hey, just don't do it ok? Let's not worry if the courts are over stepping their bounds or wondering if this is just a money making program. Obviously $4000 is extreme. At what point is it not extreme?

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by westhou

It also taught her that a stop sign means to stop and not to slow to 1 mph and keep going. I bet she will think twice before breaking traffic laws or at least be more aware of when a cop is nearby.

Sure, because nobody EVER brakes the law (speed limit)
In front of The Woodlands on I-45 everybody is doing 10 over and the fast driver do 15 over.

[txdemo]

I think $300 is a fair fine for running a stop sign. People are killed every day by drivers that "just didn't completely stop".

[jasonamd]

Originally Posted by Gru

I'm saying the set fine for a "rolling stop" is too high relative to other infractions that are more dangerous.

But there isn't a set fine for a rolling stop. There is a fine for not stopping. A rolling stop is not stopping. How is a rolling stop not dangerous? All it takes is one time of not paying attention because you get used to doing it and someone could be killed.

Originally Posted by Gru

It's 50% higher than other cities I've researched. Your 2nd point sidesteps the issue. Let's say if you were caught rolling through a stop sign. You're fined $4000. You'd be upset naturally because that's a lot of money and other cities only charge $200 for that. But hey, just don't do it ok? Let's not worry if the courts are over stepping their bounds or wondering if this is just a money making program. Obviously $4000 is extreme. At what point is it not extreme?

As I posted earlier, Houston is $235, Austin is $255.

As far as examples of judges being more strict for under 18 violations, those would be stories from friends / family / co-workers. Nothing I can point to online. I have heard of being forced to re-take drivers ed classes through a friend in Austin.

[Gru]

Originally Posted by txdemo

I think $300 is a fair fine for running a stop sign. People are killed every day by drivers that "just didn't completely stop".

What about driving on the wrong side of the road? Isn't that worse? That's a $110-$250 fine. Or speeding... about a $200 fine. I thought those were more dangerous?