So I got pulled over this morning...

[D.I.P.]

So I\'m on my way to work this morning in the 1er at around 6:30ish ticking along minding my own business and all off a sudden baam! I get lit up out of nowhere!!

Unmarked car state trooper ( I was going northbound on the parkway) cop comes to the window with a shitty attitude and says NJ state police give me you license reg etc.. I say yes sir... He snatches the stuff from my hand and says I pulled you over because you were speeding, tailgating and driving carelessly. I tell him I apologize sir but I wasn\'t aware that I was doing any of that I was at least 1.5 car lengths behind the limo in front of me. I wasn\'t changing lanes irrationally ( in fact I didn\'t change lanes at all...) and I am sorry if I was speeding I didn\'t notice I was just following the traffic flow... This asshole who was wearing his hat with The brim so low I could not see Half of his face actually told me \" well if you didn\'t realize it that\'s a problem\". He then proceeds to write me 2 tickets one for tailgating and one for careless driving... Still tells me that I should really be getting 3 because \" I rightfully deserve it\" like he\'s cutting me a break... What a d-Bag!!! As soon as I pull out and he followed suit this idiot immediately proceeds to change lanes and tailgate a car for about a mile... I saw him pull over another person about 3 miles down the road. This guy was clearly on a mission today!

Just realized tailgating is 5 points!!! FML careless is 2 in NJ happy new year to me...

[Canyon Carver]

Damn. Sorry to hear that, man. What a d-bag, indeed!

You know what...I would fight it, because even if you lose, it would be worth it to drag his ass into court. Most cops hate doing court appearances and if he doesn't show...the tickets should be dismissed. Just a thought, anyway...

[pinmagic]

You were 1.5 car-lengths behind the limo in front of you - but at what speed?

[JHOOPS2]

Not to add to your crappy day, but I would consider 1.5 car lengths tailgating at any speed over 35 mph. Also, "I didn't realize" is never a good thing to say. It is an admission of carelessness. Just for future reference if you are later pulled over again.

[Mybad135]

get a lawyer and fight it...i dont know how it works in nj but im sure u can probably get off with a fine and no pts if your lawyer can pay off the right people lol it works that way in vegas and it did in michigan when i lived there

[D.I.P.]

Originally Posted by JHOOPS2

Not to add to your crappy day, but I would consider 1.5 car lengths tailgating at any speed over 35 mph. Also, "I didn't realize" is never a good thing to say. It is an admission of carelessness. Just for future reference if you are later pulled over again.

Understood but this guy clearly was going I ticket me no matter what I said an I didn't want to sound like an ass and fight him on it... In my experience it never pays to fight/give shit to an officer of the law even if he is being a jerk. I would honestly say I was speeding probably 75 in a 65 but again (and I know this is no excuse) I was just going with the flow of traffic hell there we're people passing me in the right lane...

[Lester]

The generally recommended safe driving rule rule is to be three seconds behind the car in front of you. At 60 miles per hour, that is 264 feet or 88 yards. At the speed you say you were travelling at, it is more like 110 yards - the length of a Canadian Football League football field.

If you only had 1.5 car lengths at that speed, then yes - you were too close - about 1/3 of a second behind the limo ahead of you.

The three second rule is a good one to follow at any speed. However, it is difficult to always use, because cars behind you will crawl up your tailpipe, blink their lights and generally insist that you close the gap. Also, you will have other drivers overtake you and pull in front of you.

Maintain a Safe Following Distance (The 3 Second Rule) - http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffic...cond-rule.html

Good Weather - During daylight with good, dry roads and low traffic volume, you can ensure you're a safe distance from the car ahead of you by following the "three-second rule." The distance changes at different speeds.

To determine the right following distance, first select a fixed object on the road ahead such as a sign, tree or overpass. When the vehicle ahead of you passes the object, slowly count "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand." If you reach the object before completing the count, you're following too closely. Making sure there are three seconds between you and the car ahead gives you time and distance to respond to problems in the lane ahead of you.

Inclement Weather, Heavy Traffic, or Night-Time Driving - In heavy traffic, at night, or when weather conditions are not ideal (eg. light rain, light fog, light snow), double the three second rule to six seconds, for added safety.

Poor Weather - If the weather conditions are very poor, eg. heavy rain, heavy fog, or heavy snow, start by tripling the three second rule to nine seconds to determine a safe following distance.

Tailgating - Following a vehicle too closely is called 'tailgating'. Tailgating is an agressive driving behaviour that is easily mistaken for road rage. Use the three-second rule to avoid tailgating. Most rear end collisions are caused by the vehicle in back following too closely. If someone is tailgating you, move to another lane or turn off the road as soon as possible and allow the tailgating vehicle to pass.

[pinmagic]

Sorry, but anyone who doesn't think he was tailgating at 75 mph because he was "at least 1.5 car lengths" back is NOT someone I want driving anywhere near me. We all do stupid stuff sometimes, but when you don't realize what you're doing is a problem, then THAT's a problem - just like the cop said.

Sorry to come down on you, but I'm sick and tired of people who tailgate, especially when I'm not in the left lane. Go risk your own life - leave me out of it.

[D.I.P.]

Originally Posted by pinmagic

Sorry, but anyone who doesn't think he was tailgating at 75 mph because he was "at least 1.5 car lengths" back is NOT someone I want driving anywhere near me. We all do stupid stuff sometimes, but when you don't realize what you're doing is a problem, then THAT's a problem - just like the cop said.

Sorry to come down on you, but I'm sick and tired of people who tailgate, especially when I'm not in the left lane. Go risk your own life - leave me out of it.

Guess you never been on the parkway in NJ... It's all but impossible to "tailgate" during the morning rush hour. The sheer volume of traffic on the highway makes the 3 second rule a non option. Either way I'm just pissed off I get it....

[xerox445]

How did you not realise the cop car was there? Even the un-marked cars are so obvious its not even funny. Not to mention all the state troopers have the same driving characteristics. Situational Awareness is your friend.

[RootCanal05]

Next time let them yell at you all they want and refrain from saying anything no matter what. Let your attorney do all the talking in court. You basically admitted to everything by saying "sorry....."

[D.I.P.]

Originally Posted by xerox445

How did you not realise the cop car was there? Even the un-marked cars are so obvious its not even funny. Not to mention all the state troopers have the same driving characteristics. Situational Awareness is your friend.

I'm usually pretty good at that too... Guess it was just early in the morning still dark and I was still a bit groggy

[mike06612]

75 mph or about 110 feet per second

1 1/2 car lengths or about 20 feet.

Yeah, that's a safe way to drive.

You were lucky he only ticketed you for two things.

If all of that is true, and you were that close, I'd be quite careful if you fight it. If it was a video stop you probably don't want some prosecutor reviewing his tape.

[AW128i]

A) It's impossible not to tailgate on NJ highways during high traffic times. If you're not tailgating, every car around you will pull in front of you...causing it to appear you're tailgating anyway. Go ahead, I dare you to leave enough space in front of you for even just one car. I guarantee that someone will pull in front of you.

B) I drive I-95 in NJ every weekday to/from work and the traffic flows at 80 MPH during rush hour and there are still people passing on the left lane. I'm guessing they're doing at least 90 MPH to do so.

C) State cops in NJ are d-bags. That aside, I was pulled over once for tailgating. Mind you, this was immediately after coming around a bend on the highway where the cop was hiding behind some shrubbery. That is, the cop had no way of seeing what transpired immediately prior to passing him. And what did transpire was that I did have space plenty of space in front of me and a Mustang in the lane to the right moved into my lane between me and the car in front. So as we passed the cop, it looked like I was indeed tailgating the Mustang. My situation had a good outcome as I explained what happened to the cop and he let me go with just a warning. I've had other experiences with NJ state cops and I will second my earlier statement: state cops in NJ are d-bags.

[FOACAD]

Originally Posted by pinmagic

Sorry, but anyone who doesn't think he was tailgating at 75 mph because he was "at least 1.5 car lengths" back is NOT someone I want driving anywhere near me. We all do stupid stuff sometimes, but when you don't realize what you're doing is a problem, then THAT's a problem - just like the cop said.

Sorry to come down on you, but I'm sick and tired of people who tailgate, especially when I'm not in the left lane. Go risk your own life - leave me out of it.

LMAO!

Please never come and drive in Germany if you think 1.5 car lengths @ 75mph is dangerous....

Try cruising along at a buck twenty something and glance at your rear view mirror only to see a bmw/audi/merc WAGON riding your ass as close as possible and pist that you arent moving out of their way fast enough.

: : :


NHTSA garbage always cracks me up.

[ken1137]

Such is Life...a certain % of people are d-bags so this applies to cops as well as any profession including one of my neighbors. Sounds like it's his MO. As for tailgating... I have clients on the East Coast and there is a bit more of the aggressive driving attitude, but then again we are pretty damn close here in Chicago. Almost everyone tailgates if you review the physics involved, just be thankful we have 6 piston front brakes, it's not good that the car behind you doesn't.

[F1Flagger]

Unfortunately I agree with the Officer.
You were following at an unsafe distance. At 1.5 car length behind the 'Limo" you had no space to react to what might happen in front of you.
If you were over the limit (with the flow of traffic, or not) You are guilty.

Learn something from the experience. Change your driving habits! Become a safer driver!

[meg180]

Originally Posted by FOACAD

LMAO!

Please never come and drive in Germany if you think 1.5 car lengths @ 75mph is dangerous....

Try cruising along at a buck twenty something and glance at your rear view mirror only to see a bmw/audi/merc WAGON riding your ass as close as possible and pist that you arent moving out of their way fast enough.

: : :


NHTSA garbage always cracks me up.

+1

[amancuso]

People, give me a break. We weren't there so we can't say who is in the wrong here. However there have been many a cop who's out there to piss people off, and if you don't think that it happens, you are fooling yourselves. (Not saying they're all like this but there certainly ones out there that do exist. Those "safe driving distances" were written years ago when cars could barely stop. Also If you live in a congested state, there is no way you could follow those rules during rush hour. This cop obviously was meeting the "quota" which "doesn't exist". My advice to you OP, is to fight it in court, so that you at least don't get points on your license. Just prepare to pay $$ in fines.

Best of luck.

[BrokenVert]

weve all been pulled over for various bs reasons.



Pro Tip: Dont put the front of my car anywhere near someones bumper unless you have to. You gotta save the paint on your hood from rock chips and sand blasts!


That way you arent tailgating and its for a good cause!

[Rich@GTBPerformance]

It stinks that you got pulled over.

What exit were you by? I know between I78 and The Turnpike there is a large volume of troopers and they love to give tickets. When I was working my day job before I started GTB I used to have to go from Exit 148 to 117 every day.

It sounds like you ran into the wrong dude at the wrong time. Probably trying to hit his quota or something.

[ptack]

Tailgating on a highway in NJ is all relative to the flow of traffic. If you and the limo were the only 2 cars on that section of the road, then you look like you're tailgating. If you're surrounded by other vehicles moving about the same pace you're not. Anytime you leave 2-3 car lengths between you and the car ahead in traffic and you will have someone pull into that space so often you'll be going backwards.