logic of a brakelight ticket

[Flint]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

What difference does it make if your car is in the shop?

I fixed the light myself, the next day, and took it to the courthouse. Instead of letting it go at that point (like the cop said they would do) they set me a court date. Why? I have no idea. Now, my car is in the shop, as in: I can't drive it to court to show them I fixed the light, like I could have done two months ago.

[xoxoxoBruce]

When you took the car did they come out and look at It?

I doubt like hell, the judge will come out and look at your car. He/She just wants to see the paperwork.

Originally Posted by Flint

I fixed the light myself, the next day, and took it to the courthouse. Instead of letting it go at that point (like the cop said they would do) they set me a court date. Why? I have no idea. Now, my car is in the shop, as in: I can't drive it to court to show them I fixed the light, like I could have done two months ago.

That is odd... usually they will just send a clerk out to look at it and pass it. Were you "unpleasant" at any point?

(Every couple of months my wife and I check our lights, brights included... we are dorks &, yes, being raised on a ranch/Scouts messed me up)

[Flint]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Were you "unpleasant" at any point?

Nope. No reason for it. According to the cop, all I had to do was go on down and show them it was fixed, and it would be dismissed on the spot.

I was glad he told me it was out. I fixed it the next day. (Made a nice excuse to get a u-joint for my socket set...)

Slight glitch though, they didn't dismiss it on the spot, they wanted me to come back in 2 months. Okay, no problem. I'll come back in 2 months.

However, my court date is coming up soon, and my car isn't drivable anymore. I suppose I could have it towed to the courthouse . . . ???

[xoxoxoBruce]

I have even pulled up alongside a car, told the driver he has one or two brake lights out, and on rare occasions have that driver be mad at me.

That made me laugh, I know exactly what you mean. It's funny, you can tell immediately if they all ready knew it was out. Sometimes, out of embarrassment I presume, they try to fake it, but you can tell they knew it.

I had one car that had the brake lights tied to the same fuse as the interior dome light. I thought that was a good idea. If you open the door and the dome light doesn't go on, you might not have brake lights. Bulbs usually don't all go out at the same time, but the fuse kills everything.

Flint, that's a strange system you have down there.
I wonder if some clerk was having a bad day and decided to give you a court date rather than do what they were supposed to?
Be that as it may, for whatever reason it didn't go down as the cop said it should, now it's become your problem. You can be justifiably pissed about it but you still have to deal with it before get gets worse.
I'd write the Judge a letter, in advance of your court date if possible, and lay the whole thing out for him. At least if he reads it before you get there, he might be predisposed to let you skate.
Good luck.