Michigan seat belt law..BS!!

[Pistonsfan70 10+ year member]

Today, I got pulled over.. the cop walks up to my car and says "the reason I pulled you over is because you didn't have your seat belt on."

I kind of get annoyed cuz I ALWAYS have it on and pointed right to it sayin "it's been on the whole time officer."

He THEN says, "well I didn't see it and if it was on, it is being worn improperly." I drive a smaller car and am 6'3, so the seat belt rubs against my left shoulder pretty bad, so I put my shoulder in front of it, while still having the part across my chest and lap.

Needless to say, I get a ticket. I KNOW this officer pulled me over cuz I was a younger looking guy and I know he had no clue whether or not I had my seatbelt on. It's BS and don't feel like paying $65 for a ticket when I did have my seatbelt on.

Any ideas?? I know I can fight it but on what grounds?

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[Slammed 5,000+ posts]

its hard...its your word against his

only thing I can think of is have someone take a picture of you seating with your seatbelt on and explain to the judge why the cop must have thought that you didnt have it on.

 

[yne721 10+ year member]

oh my god michigan cops are so annoying. where abouts are you from in the detroit area?

i grew up in livonia, and the cops there are the worst. I just got pulled over a couple months ago(ironically hours after i got my system installed) and when i asked him why i was being pulled over he replied with "uhhhhh you have an air freshener hanging from your rearview"

when the real reason is because i'm a 21 year old guy, driving a black sports car and a crooked baseball cap.

so after harassing me, and basically accusing me of being a drug dealer/user because of my wad of cash in my pocket, he then wrote me a ticket for "obstructed view"

i hate livonia cops. westland cops NEVER gave me a ticket, and i've been pulled over by more westland cops than i've gotten livonia tickets. complete bullshit.

as for you fighting it, i'd go with the picture idea. either way, even if you can't get a picture or something, just show up in court, and explain the entire situation. if you're lucky he won't even show.

 

[dkguitarist 5,000+ posts]

i was driving out to work in yukon (just outside okc) and i come up to my exit off the highway. notice a cop is following me. so i proceed on my way not speeding, using my turn signals (like always) and right before i make my turn into my work's parking lot, he flips on his lights. i get pulled over and i'm freakin out like wtf did i do? he approaches me and he said "the reason i pulled you over is because it didn't look like you had your seatbelt on, but as i got closer i could see that you were". so he ran my license and insurance, then let me go. i have no tinted windows. maybe cuz my seat back is far back (6'2) so i'm kinda cramped in my escort. but he let me go. sucks about your situation tho.

but you could take it to court and hope the officer doesn't show and they drop the ticket. never kno.

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

I hate cops.

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

its hard...its your word against his

only thing I can think of is have someone take a picture of you seating with your seatbelt on and explain to the judge why the cop must have thought that you didnt have it on.

i hate you.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

Well, you could fight it, but it's basically your word against his considering you don't have any way to prove you were wearing the seat belt ...

just pay it and move on... you'll end up spending more time in court than it's worth

 

[Slammed 5,000+ posts]

i hate you.

you are just upset cuz I wont let you hold my gun //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Phrozt 10+ year member]

oh my god michigan cops are so annoying. where abouts are you from in the detroit area?
i grew up in livonia, and the cops there are the worst. I just got pulled over a couple months ago(ironically hours after i got my system installed) and when i asked him why i was being pulled over he replied with "uhhhhh you have an air freshener hanging from your rearview"

when the real reason is because i'm a 21 year old guy, driving a black sports car and a crooked baseball cap.

so after harassing me, and basically accusing me of being a drug dealer/user because of my wad of cash in my pocket, he then wrote me a ticket for "obstructed view"

i hate livonia cops. westland cops NEVER gave me a ticket, and i've been pulled over by more westland cops than i've gotten livonia tickets. complete bullshit.

as for you fighting it, i'd go with the picture idea. either way, even if you can't get a picture or something, just show up in court, and explain the entire situation. if you're lucky he won't even show.

I had something similar happen to me. Was a 2 lane road.. I was doing about 60ish, and there was a camper ahead of me. I went around him... used my turn signal to pass.. and this white car started RACING up on my *** hardcore. He FLEW around the camper and start riding my ***.. so I sped up for awhile to play with him, then he tried pushing up close to 80MPH and I was like "this dood's crazy" (it was kind of a tight 2 laner), so I slowed and put my passenger side wheel in the shoulder a bit so he could go around.

THEN he slows down and turns his lights on. It was an unmarked car. REALLY unmarked. He comes through and says that I was speeding, didn't use my turn signal to come back in the lane from passing (which is false... I did, and we were going around a curve and there was no possible way he could see anyway), he said that I had improper lane usage, and that my vision was obstructed.

My single white tassle from HS graduation... was apparently obstructing my entire field of vision. When I explained to him that the reason I was speeding and "not properly using the lane" was because he was driving like a maniac and forced me practically off the side of the road, he decided it would be best to just give me a warning.

If he tried to press a ticket, you better believe I'd subpoena the damn video... because he was more wrecklass than anyone I'd seen driving for a long time. I think he knew that.. which is why he just gave me a warning.

 

[Wonderbread 5,000+ posts]

Fact of the matter is, it wasn't on properly and he was well within his duties to ticket you for it.

However, if you go and fight it, I'm pretty sure it'll get lowered/dropped whatever.

 

[swimfreak26 10+ year member]

Is today seatbelt day in Michigan?

On my drive from campus to my apartment there's a road I have to take straight, for just about a mile...almost exactly a mile actually. Today on my way back from classes, I saw 6 township cops, and 2 state cops within that mile, all in little pull offs ready to pounce.

Insane

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

when i moved up here, i didn't have my plates and liscense changed to my new address so it still regestired that i lived in detroit, and i got pulled over cause my exhuast was too loud, even though i just got it replaced the day prior. anyways the cop says so you are from detroit, what are you doing up here? when i told him i just moved up here, everything was fine and i went on my way with no ticket

 

[diet snapple]

Ticket or ClickIT. Duh!!! Watch tv or read the newspaper and you'll find out. It's always around the same time every year. You better make sure you buckle up till at least the middle of June, otherwise you'll get pulled over and get an automatic ticket.

 

[Loudrango112 10+ year member]

I know 2 people personally who has had this happen to before. This was in NY, but still.

Anyways they both faught it and lost.

Idk if you can fight something like this and get it dropped completly, prolly can get it reduced to like something smaller.

 

[Crown_amps]

cops have quatta's on tickets so they can make they city money

you got pawned

no its not a myth google it