ok... i was pulled over in L.A. for tailgating.. I was driving 70mph and was about 4 car lengths apart from the car infront of me... The officer said the distance was too close for that speed so I guess he must be right.. I was wondering if anyone has gotten a tailgating ticket before and how much the ticket cost?? thanx in advance guys!!

Will-
i hate going to chinatown now

 

Ticket is like 100 bucks...hard to argue in court about this one though, I've tried and the judge never gave me the time of day. Best of luck, get a lawyer if you can afford it and win one for me, I'm still pissed to this day about that damn ticket.

 

thanx guys...... dont think i'm gonna fight it.... hard to win against a cops WORD.. 100 bucks?? ugh!!!!! hope my insurance doesnt sky rocket ... Oh and do i have to go to traffic school for this??? thanx again

Will-

 

If you have not been to traffic school in 18 months, you should do it. It will prevent the ticket from going on your record. That will keep your insurance company happy.

 

Get a lawyer and GET IT FIXED. That is always cheaper in the long run. Otherwise your insurance rates will go up and you could have problems getting a job if one of the requirements includes driving. Besides, if you leave the ticket on there and then get a another one, its a double whammy. Then it is even harder to keep off your record and your insurance company will really work you over. FIX IT. You won't regret it.

 

Will, come on man. You know better than to tailgate JK, go for traffic school if you can.

 

4 car lengths sounds like a lot of room to me. Sorry you got a ticket for that. At least it's not as bad as getting a ticket for parking over 18 inches from the curb. WTF?!?!

 

rule of thumb for following distance is 1 car length for every 10 mph, so by that rule, you should have had 7 car lengths instead of 4.. another way that doesn't require looking at the speedo and estimating car lengths is the 4 second following rule.. note a location as the car in front of you passes it and count out the old "one one thousand" stuff until you pass the same object.. you should look for 3-4 seconds, more in bad weather.

Of course in high traffic situations, following distances are pretty tough to maintain.. tough luck getting stopped for it.. kinda lame if you ask me..

 

I believe the TN driver's handbook says to keep at least 2 seconds in between you and the car in front, more in inclement weather. At 70mph, you cover over 100 feet every second, so you should have had at least 200 feet between you and the car in front (2 seconds). BTW, that would be about 12-13 car lengths. 4 car lengths at 70mph is VERY close.

 

4 car lengths at 70 mph is tailgating.

 

4 car lengths is not bad whatsoever -- rage against the machine!!!

 

tailgating tickets?
huh?
that's lame...
BTW if everybody follow the books, our traffic will be worst..
but it depends on what time though, according to the book, i don't find any ppl that don't tailgate in rush hours.
the topic that ppl should concentrate is that ppl are always distracted somehow...
and they don't look infront of them enough..anticipate...
o well...
Back to topic...
yeah get a lawyer...
better in the long run....

 

At 70 mph, I hope you got the reflex of Neo in the Matrix. Yeah, I know a lot of people are about 4-5 car lengths within in the freeway, but this probably a reason why why rear end collisions are the most common type of accidents.

 

if i tail the guy 6 - 7 car lengths... people are gonna be asses and cut infront of me pushing me farther back!!! but o well.. ima go to traffic school!! no more driving close... gonna drive like 10 car lengths behind the guy in front of me... stupid CHP cops!!!! everyone else is tailgating... has to pull over the guy with the integra

Will-



[Modified by *****rAcEr, 2:26 PM 2/11/2002]

 

"I'm not tailgating, i'm drafting."

 

LOL, better gas mileage too, right, LOL

 

Perfect excuse.