Another ticket

Death, taxes and the law...we all try to find the loophole but in the end they are all eminent...you might want to take Toto and get outta Kansas

 

Many states allow an unmuffled exhaust on fire trucks so paint it red,a siren ,and you're good to go.... If you absolutley feel open pipes are necessary on the street,but want to tone it down a bit,just run the exhaust inside the vehicle.......

 

they heard it on their cell phone...

 

you'll need a big,thick, long hose too!

 

There is likely also a law says the vehicle has to have mufflers. Zoomies are not mufflers. Everything depends on how the ticket is written. I don't think you have a chance at winning this one.

 

This all may be true (if it is from HER state), but the only thing that matters is WHAT she was ticketed for. There will be a statute number on the ticket and that's the ONLY law she has been charged with breaking. I've also had them try and change the charges right during the hearing. I always argue that they can NOT do that just like I can't go home anc just change the car I was driving. They also MUST give sufficient notice of ANY charges and changing them during a hearing is a violation of my due process rights.

And as far as getting a pain in the ass judge, I've had them. But the law is the law and I gaurantee that I will be more of a pain in the ass than them, and that my case will cost them at LEAST 10 times what my fine would ever be.

 

Urban legend...each block and/or each street you travel constitutes a separate offense.

 

With all due respect I can't believe some of the advice here. Mostly about nitpicking the law and which law you broke, which the cop sighted, this and that.

Point blank, this stuff doesn't go away. The cop might have it in for you at this point, and even if you get out of this particular ticket, without exhaust, there will be a cop waiting 50 feet away from the court, just waaaaaiting for you to leave.

The law wins if they want to. If you have to be a ball breaker to them, they will find 100x the amount of things with your 1934 daily driver that aren't up to snuff. The exhaust issue will then be a small deal in comparrison.

Case in point. I do a TON of work at my current house, small 1 car driveway, one car garage. Current car has been de rusted, chopped, blah blah blah. Next weekend probably primed, and nobody complains. On the contrary though, the town law is there is to be no unregistered vehicle ANYWHERE on your property in my town, except if its commercially zoned. Same goes for auto repair, not even so much as an oil change. I had to fight this awhile back when I got into a scuffle with a policeman neighbor, and I lost.

My point? Since minding the feelings of others and not being a rockabilly rebel (late nite open header starts), nobody complains, I keep cutting cars up...world keeps on turning.

 

Hate to tell you this but the law has the legal deffinition explained....zoomies are a exhaust component...NOT a complete system...I had someone try that on me....I won.

 

This thread has been amazing. FIrst of all, the general 'good for ya' theme. I'd think that those of us on this list, presumably hot rodders, would be more tolerant to one of our own. The second is everyone's predilection to assume facts not in evidence. None of us have any FACTS about what actually did or did not happen, or how they relate to the specific circumstances of this even. A three-sentence statement of a ticket received has this person assumed guilty. THat's not what this country was founded on, and it is why we have laws, and lawyers who can help us wend our way through the process. No, I am not a lawyer. But when I need something critical welded, I use a certified welder even though I can throw a bead. This is a legal problem, use a legal professional. Advice to the contrary must be considered as logical as having an amatuer welder weld your frame. It might work, and things might be ok, but maybe not. Assuming that this person is 'guilty' and 'deserves it' is like me saying that your frame should fail because you welded it yourself.

Has the cop been trained to understand what is a muffler? On how to inspect an automobile? The law is very specific. Let's not judge this situation by our own personal prejudices and instead offer support for a fellow hot rodder.

Rant off - did not mean this to be a rant - I do get rankled by folks who tend to throw away our legal rights based on personal opinion. Opinions change, laws - and the legal process that surrounds their enforcement - protect.

 

And I can't beleive that so many of you give in to the Gustapo mentality that the cops have all of the rights and we better not piss them off or we will be targets. I've always fought for my rights and never will stop. If it weren't for people like me over the last 200 years none of you people would have ANY rights.

 

A nation of laws is better than anarchy.

The cops enforce the laws that the city, county, state, and federal governments legislate.

Thankyou Gomer Pyle. Now go read how a Bill becomes a law, and how any person 18 or above can vote in an election, and how to get your government to change the law.

If you can find a way to convince your local government that internal combustion, turbo-jet, or rocket noise is wonderful, then all eyes will be on you for being a real USMC Gomer Pyle God-like humanoid!

 

Infringing on others by having an obnoxiously loud car is not a "right". Its an annoyance. Your thought process usually works well on people such as yourselves until you or your land is infringed upon. But until then, everyone ELSE should tolerate being annoyed and/or violated. Not so.

Next time you are having a nice quiet evening in your home that you work and pay for, and some idiot homeboy in a Honda is outside your house with his ghetto system blasting rap so hard your china cabinet is shaking think to yourself, I am so glad that we all have the right to annoy the shit out of each other.

Lastly, I think you are taking a bit too much credit there sir. Being a voice on an internet forum did not free the slaves or escape Englands unjust tax/religious tyranny. C'mon now John Hancock...

 

And the more people try to stretch the law, the more the law makers define the law so every time some hot head tries to justify bending or breaking the law it just adds to to problems of other Hot rodders / Street rodders who work within the system they, through groups like SEMA have fought hard for.

So those who brag about beating the system and then complain latter about new laws strickly defining things like ride heigth, exaust systems, windsheild heigth, ect think a minute about the entire picture and how you fit in.

 

Seems to me that open pipes are there to attract attention....seems like it worked very well........

 

You are right. And while you keep going to court and winning, they can keep writing you tickets and having you in court all the time. Even if you win, you still lose. They can write you 10 tickets a day, every day, and you can get them all dismissed in court, but you still have to go to court everytime. If you have a job, going to court takes time out of work. If you miss work, who wins?

 

This all could have been avoided if you had just given him a little.

 

James, We ARE "them". WE the tax payers fund this countries legal system, there is no "THEM". So, unless you dont work/pay no taxes, you pay into the system.

 

Get some pipes with a manual/electric cutouts. Drive that for a while. Wave to the cop that's got your number as often as you can, then after a while go back to the zoomies if ya like.

 

Very uncalled for I do not find this funny at all.Next time you get pulled over by a cop will you give him a little to get out of the ticket ? This statement is not cool .

 

Wonder why the police man didn't write that thing up for no fenders? Be careful, if they look close they could probably find a dozen other things wrong with that heap.

 

I guess I would if he was cute.

 

Ok that was funny

 

Next time, drive topless.

 

This is what I was thinking as well. The only thing that would possibly trump this would be them chasing the supposed year of the motor, and requiring the exhaust to be up to par with the year of the motor. However, I doubt tht is the case. Didn't '34 Fords have basically a straight exhaust from the factory? If this is the case, then yes, you've probably beaten it.

When and if you do beat it, I'd keep a copy of the judgement in the car with me to prevent the chance of being re-issued a ticket under that ordinance or law. Many people carry copies of the law regarding seat belts just for this purpose.

Also, since you've gotten a ticket regarding the same offense prior to going to court, I think you may be able to get this one kicked as well while you are still in court if you beat this ticket.

Ask for the continuance, chase the day the cop is off duty, ask to see what certification that is required for the officer to decide you are out of compliance with the law, show proof of exhaust systems include zoomies, etc.

If you look at the dictionary definition of 'exhuast' (www.dictionary.com) the 13th definition states the following: "Also called exhaust system. the parts of an engine through which the exhaust is ejected." According to this definition, and the required equipment for this vehicle as it is titled as a '34 Ford, the zoomies are an exhaust system.

I'll draw some flack for this I'm sure, but quite frankly, I don't care. I'll never make it easy for a cop to cite me for something that is subjective. It is NOT the job of the officers, regardless of who they work for (state, city, etc) to INTERPRET the law, but to merely enforce it. If you have an officer who is interpreting the law, then he is dead wrong.

Yes, they can write you tickets all day long for other violations, but then again, if this is the case and they are all nit-picky tickets, you can sue the PD and the Officer himself for harassment. Trace it back to the first ticket you beat, and then watch how the pattern follows around from there.

Another thing I always do when I am in my vehicles is keep a pen and pad of paper close by and in easy reach. I've been stopped before and when the officer draws up along side my window I start with writing down his badge number, name, and any other useful information. I'll be asked what I'm doing, and I'll reply "I'm taking notes for if we need to go to court." That'll usually set them back for a nit-picky ticket. They'll only write me for something that'll stick, or give me a warning.

I once had a cop stop me for having my license plate obstructed. Turns out the plate was partially obstructed, but in the small town Oklahoma where nearly EVERYONE drives a truck, it was obstructed by the trailer balls that were mounted to the bumper. Turns out the cop was looking for an excuse to get me on the side of the road, and he did. I requested a supervisor, and when he arrived I told him why I had been stopped and he sent me on my way immediately.

Also... just one last thing and I'll be on my way. Does the city/township/county/state cops use a audio or video recording device in their cars? Find out for sure, as these tickets may be a result of this officer not liking being rejected when he asked you for a date or to spend the afternoon with him. Departments frown strongly upon officers using their patrol cars for this type of behavior. You didn't do anything about it at the time because you thought it would stop. But now you've gotten the second ticket. If you catch my drift...

 

I think it's interesting that we haven't heard any more from Skuz herself. Maybe she's just havin a little fun shakin us up a little?

 

I thought there was no benefit to running zoomies, which this thread also proves...isn't it just asthetic? Isn't there a wives tale about warping valves or somesuch. I mean really, with all the headache, why wouldn't someone just run a set of lakes and save the unplugging for highway or a nice country drive? Just thought I'd get this in before it gets closed. Thank you.

 

works in Indianapolis

 

Well, all that pleasant and friendly advice seems to have scared her away. Some of you guys seem to have flunked charm school.