Help with a traffic ticket issue

[JodiR]

My dd is 15 and has a school permit. She turns 16 in August.

She was picked up for being off the route yesterday. She went to get gas and was going to a baseball game at the school. Her ignition key was stuck so she was going to drive to my sisters house (yes.. 2 blocks off the route) to get help. She saw a cop following her and she panicked and started turning (never went to my sisters).

A cop saw her and followed her until she got to our house. She had already pulled into the garage. He motioned for her to come to his car. He then told her to stand at the trunk of the cop car. She received a ticket and a big fine.

I want to know why he waited until she got home to give her the ticket. The cop told me today when I called that he knew she was 15 and had a school permit. So there is no excuse that he had to put the car plate in the computer, etc. She was not speeding, not drinking, not texting. He knew who she was..

No one will give me an answer.. I want to know why he did not stop her the minute she made a wrong turn. He followed her for over a mile.

He asked if the parents were home (we were not).

I just feel this whole process was handled wrong. Yes she did something wrong but I was told they are basing the reasoning of giving a ticket vs. a warning on hearsay. That is not admissable in court.

 

[npmommie]

what is the hearsay?

I am confused.
how did he know who she was without running the plate?

 

[sparklynails23]

You could always take her story to court, but they will probably believe she was going to pick up a friend. Does she have a friend that lives near your sister or near the place she was turning, since she never went to your sister's house?

 

[HM]

Your 15 year old is allowed to drive alone???

It's very likely that you'll be hearing from many lawyer/firms shortly wanting to help you with this. Contact a couple to see what they can do for you.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

She didn't follow the rules put in place for her to drive, she suffered the consequences. They are not obligated to give her a warning.

 

[ohiomom28]

Your 15 year old is allowed to drive alone???

It's very likely that you'll be hearing from many lawyer/firms shortly wanting to help you with this. Contact a couple to see what they can do for you.

Wow! In Ohio, kids have to be 15.5 to get their permit and then they have to drive with an adult until they are 16 and old enough to take their tests (16). I don't think I would ever let my 15 yr old drive alone.

 

[phorsenuf]

My dd is 15 and has a school permit. She turns 16 in August.

She was picked up for being off the route yesterday. She went to get gas and was going to a baseball game at the school. Her ignition key was stuck so she was going to drive to my sisters house (yes.. 2 blocks off the route) to get help. She saw a cop following her and she panicked and started turning (never went to my sisters).

A cop saw her and followed her until she got to our house. She had already pulled into the garage. He motioned for her to come to his car. He then told her to stand at the trunk of the cop car. She received a ticket and a big fine.

I want to know why he waited until she got home to give her the ticket. The cop told me today when I called that he knew she was 15 and had a school permit. So there is no excuse that he had to put the car plate in the computer, etc. She was not speeding, not drinking, not texting. He knew who she was..

No one will give me an answer.. I want to know why he did not stop her the minute she made a wrong turn. He followed her for over a mile.

He asked if the parents were home (we were not).

I just feel this whole process was handled wrong. Yes she did something wrong but I was told they are basing the reasoning of giving a ticket vs. a warning on hearsay. That is not admissable in court.

Why does that even matter? She was doing something she wasn't suppose to be doing. Plain and simple.

She didn't follow the rules put in place for her to drive, she suffered the consequences. They are not obligated to give her a warning.

I have to agree.

 

[kwelch10377]

Is there a law where you live saying that they would have had to give her a warning first?

I am also confused as to why you think they didn't run the plates. Why would them knowing that she was 15 and had a school permit mean they didn't run the plates.

She went off route when she knew she shouldn't have. She could have either called her aunt to come meet her or she should have went to the aunts house instead of panicking when the cop started following her, pull over and if he pulled over too she could have explained the issue.

 

[sam_gordon]

I don't understand at all.

First, what was the ticket for?
Second, why does it matter where he gave her the ticket?

 

[LisaR]

I'm confused. What do you mean she went off route? Are you saying she is allowed to drive as long as she only goes a certain way? She went home anyway so wouldn't that be along her normal "route?" And in what state is a 15 year old allowed to drive alone?

 

[Hannathy]

Perhaps he didn't want to scare her by pulling her over sooner and was safely following her to her destination before pulling her over.Knowing she was young and a female he may have felt this was the safest way to handle it for him and her, in case she panicked if he had pulled her over sooner. He may have even seen that she was acting panicky. Or he was trying to see how far off the route she was going, maybe to give her a chance to get back on it, but she kept turning.

Either way I don't know what you are mad about, she broke the rule and received a ticket, Does it really matter where? Also if he had pulled her over sooner YOU would have had to come get her and the car because then he would not have been allowed to let her get back in and drive. So what is the problem.

I lived in PA and never heard of this permit.

 

[happygirl]

I don't understand why it matters where the police pulled her over at? Maybe he let her come to a stop by herself since it clear she was nervous

Why should she have got a warn? She was breaking the rules plain and simple

 

[jrmasm]

Perhaps he didn't want to scare her by pulling her over sooner and was safely following her to her destination before pulling her over.Knowing she was young and a female he may have felt this was the safest way to handle it for him and her, in case she panicked if he had pulled her over sooner. He may have even seen that she was acting panicky. Or he was trying to see how far off the route she was going, maybe to give her a chance to get back on it, but she kept turning.

Either way I don't know what you are mad about, she broke the rule and received a ticket, Does it really matter where? Also if he had pulled her over sooner YOU would have had to come get her and the car because then he would not have been allowed to let her get back in and drive. So what is the problem.

I lived in PA and never heard of this permit.

I'm totally confused too. How would the cop know she was on her route? Wasn't a school permit? What difference does it make how long he followed her before he pulled her over?

In PA you can't get your permit until you're 16 and you have to have it for 6 months before you can take the license test.

 

[Sadie22]

The cop waited to see where she was going. Due to the tender age (too young to drive alone in most jurisdictions these days) he asked to speak to her with parents present.

There is no hearsay since there was no one there but your daughter and the policeman. She was not picked up. A traffic stop was made at her destination, which happened to be her home. The policeman took her statement, but what she may have intended and what she did are two different things. There is no way to prove intention. The penalties are based on the facts.

Your daughter can go to court and plead guilty with an explanation if that is allowed in your state. Perhaps that will make more of an impressioin on both of you. She needs to understand the gravity of what she did, and you need to understand that, also. The key is stuck? Pull over, park, and call Dad or Mom or the aunt and ask what to do. Wait for a policeman to pass by. Do not go anywhere else. If a cop is following you, pull over. She should have been signaling for him to follow her since she was having trouble with her car. These are the sorts of things Mom and Dad need to reinforce with a beginning driver.

 

[JKMJ441724]

Where I live, some kids are eligible to get a "hardship" permit which basically allows them to drive solo back and forth to school or back and forth to work while still under the normal driving age. I would bet that most states have this even though a lot of people have not heard about them.

I once had an officer follow me. I was making a turn into my neighborhood. I saw that he was behind me for a while so I made sure I was going the speed limit and using my blinker. When I turned into my neighborhood, he put on his lights. My street was the next turn so I said to myself "if he's going to give me a ticket for something, he's going to do it at my house." When I pulled into my driveway, he turned off his lights and drove off. To this day, I wonder what that was all about.

 

[penguin087]

Since the officer knew your daughter, knew she was 15, and knew she only had a school permit perhaps she was previously stopped for this and already given the benefit of a verbal warning.
Of course I dont' know your daughter but it has been my experience with my own that kids tend to leave a few details out at times.

 

[DopeyDame]

? Also if he had pulled her over sooner YOU would have had to come get her and the car because then he would not have been allowed to let her get back in and drive. So what is the problem.

I lived in PA and never heard of this permit.

I have no idea what a school permit is either or why/where a 15 year old is allowed to drive alone on any route, but I think this is a great point. The cop may have been trying to do her a favor by letting her get somewhere safe before pulling her over (or also giving her plenty of rope to hang with if she was driving somewhere else). Why are you mad that the cop waited to give her a ticket? It sounds like she's learned a very important rule about driving - if you don't follow the law, you may get a ticket.

 

[happygirl]

Where I live, some kids are eligible to get a "hardship" permit which basically allows them to drive solo back and forth to school or back and forth to work while still under the normal driving age. I would bet that most states have this even though a lot of people have not heard about them.

I once had an office follow me. I was making a left hand turn into my neighborhood. I saw that he was behind me for a while so I made sure I was going the speed limit and using my blinker. When I turned into my neighborhood, he put on his lights. My street was the next turn so I said to myself "if he's going to give me a ticket for something, he's going to do it at my house." When I pulled into my driveway, he turned off his lights and drove off. To this day, I wonder what that was all about.

My guess he got another call that was more important

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow! In Ohio, kids have to be 15.5 to get their permit and then they have to drive with an adult until they are 16 and old enough to take their tests (16). I don't think I would ever let my 15 yr old drive alone.

Here they can't even get a permit untol 16, and need an adult driver at all times. At 17, they can get their provisional license, and that lasts until 21, I think.

OP, he probably assumed your dd was in the wrong spot, but it took a few minutes to look her up, and by then she was in your driveway.

 

[ccgirl]

I agree with the others. What she did was wrong. Teach her responsibility and self accountability and have the fine paid. A police officer does not have to give a warning for a first offense. Maybe he followed her home because he wanted to make sure she got home safe? I would teach her to deal with this better in the future. If she has a restrictive license, she has to follow the restrictions. It does not matter if she was 1 block, 2 blocks, 1 hour, or 3 hours outside of the restrictions.

Good luck.