HELP!! i think i am in big trouble

[yahoo1z]

so there is about 2 inch snow tonight, i went to an empty bestbuy parking groung and tried to have some fun with my car, it was at night, no people or cars around, i didnt go faster then 25mph. just turning around the poles. after 15 mins, i got pulled over by cops, they gave me a ticket saying WRECKLESS DRIVING and need to go to criminal court. am i in big trouble??? the thing is that the car is under my dads name, and so is the insurance. will this cause the insurance to go up?? should i hire a lawyer??
it is my first time and i really didnt know, or else i wont do it, please help

[Munky]

**** the police.

[zx2uner]

9 words:
Do this kind of **** out in the country.

1 word:
Lawyer

6 words:
Your dad is going to kick your ***!!

2 words:
Good Luck

[Munky]

I would be more worried about what your dad will do than the police.

The state will give you a fine and points on your license. That won't remove the boot from your *** though.

[bdiggy]

This kinda cracks me up cause my dad was the one that told me to do this kind of stuff in an empty parking lot when I was younger. Matter of fact, he took me to stop-n-shop the first time I did it for "proper technique" in donuts and e-brakes. Sorry man, I don't know what to tell you. I guess do it in back of the building next time!

[Slapshotman7]

search for how someone needed help getting out of a ticket that should work as usual lol.

Around here cops do **** like this too, although I've never personally seen it. I suggest finding the list of driving laws and reading them and seeing what they say. I've also heard that if it is a private parking lot they have no jurisdiction over what goes on, as long as it isn't anything illegal. If this counts, would doing donuts in your own backyard be illegal also? (and no I haven't done this lol)

[ghrpdx]

It's a private parking lot, but it's public access so it's not the same as doing something like this in your own back yard. The citation was probably justified.

[Seinster]

LOL!
WRECKLESS DRIVING
That's so funny...but in seriousness, sorry for hearing about you getting busted. It all comes down to what you said to the cop when the incident occured. I would have spun some **** like, "look I've had some problems keeping the car in control on the road, so I was just testing the limits, in order to be a safer driver", or "this is a new car and I'm not used to it...". I reckon you would have gotten off.
But if you were all pissed off and giving the cop attitude, you probably won't succeed in court. All the best though, and in the future when you do these night manoeuvres, try my technique if the cops bother you. :thumbsup:

[toymachine566]

I dont know the laws in NY but if it helps I had a wreckless driving ticket last year, lost my license for 6 months. In PA it is an automatic 6month suspension. I too would suggest a traffic lawyer. Good luck

[yahoo1z]

it was at night, i was just praticing how to drive in snow. no one is around, i didnt make any really big noise, no tire marks, and there was nothing for me to damage, except maybe those hugh poles. and i dont c whats wrong.

[mtlelantra]

I know in BC, parking lots are still considered roadways under the provinces highway traffic act. I don't know about other jurisdictions, but if you pulled that there, it's considered the same as pulling that on the street.
btw, its "reckless".

[robs02elantra]

This kinda cracks me up cause my dad was the one that told me to do this kind of stuff in an empty parking lot when I was younger. Matter of fact, he took me to stop-n-shop the first time I did it for "proper technique" in donuts and e-brakes. Sorry man, I don't know what to tell you. I guess do it in back of the building next time!

yeah, my dad as well. I got my learners and he took me out to a parking lot one night to do donuts and learn how to control a slide...haha, this is a ridiculous ticket, but thems the brakes.

[mregt02]

I know that in Ontario (Canada) parking lots are private property so police can't apply the traffic act to a non-public road or parking in this case. I experienced it with a police academy graduate who was pulled over for not making a stop in the parking lot at a mall; he flat out told the cop that he couldn't apply the traffic act in the parking lot, the cop agreed and told him to watch his stops.........
Hopefully you can get away with a slap on the wrists, just play the angle of trying to improve your winter driving skills in a controlled environment. Good luck

[subvibe99]

get on legal forums and see if people have answers. usually parking lot speeds are 5 miles per hour or so. i would avoid saying you were going anywhere close to 25 mph at any given time. If you were solo, I think there would be a better chance of saying you were seriously learning how to control your car when it starts to spin. That way it doesn't look like you were showing off for a friend in a car.

[strawb3rrygash3]

Call the city hall court and see if you can get it reduced. atleast thats how it is in NY.

[babot]

... assuming that reckless driving is misdemeanor in NY, too..

Yup.. it's a way more serious than speeding and you must attend the court (at least in Illinois. if failed to attend, they will come to take....) because it's a misdemeanor not an infraction... You'd better find a lawyer as soon as possible because they may need some time for your case. Just prepare and get ready (write down all the information, prepare/copy all the documents), then make an appointment and visit. Usually the first consult is free. :) In Illinois, reckless driving can put you in prison up to 1 year or(or/and?) fine. I don't remember the possible amount of reckless driving fine, but people who got reckless driving with clean record usually seem to be fined about $1,500 (+ court fee+ lawyer cost). For reckless driving, There may be 'flat fee' lawyers who work for traffic accidents/tickets in your area.

I got reckless driving ticket for "scratching tires" a year ago. However, the lawyer managed to convert it into a 'general speeding' ticket, which was $200 fine + $250 court fee. So, it was recorded as a speeding.

Good Luck.


ps. trespassing and prostitution are misdemeanor, too :D

ps2. funny thing is that the attorneys agreed for 'general speeding'. But the judge and my lawyer had NO IDEA what's 'general' speeding.

ps3. Oh.. man.. we got 15" snow yesterday... I'm screwed... I got no food at home! I couldn't even pull my car out of the parking lot. a snow truck dumped snow on my car's rear... .. :mad: But, I'll just steal some food from my friend's house.. hehe...

[05xd]

I got a ticket for reckless driving almost 7 years ago.The cop said I was spinning wheels thru all 4 gears.Automatic 89 s-10 pu.In the rain,stock exhaust and the cop was atleast 75 ft from the road.There would have been no way he could have heard me even if I did spin tires.And when I mean rain,I mean pouring down sloppy *** rain.The fine would have been 520 bucks plus 5 points and that would have meant I would have to attend a driving class and suspension of license.Boy did I get lucky though.The cop showed up as I was walking out of the courthouse.Beings he wasn't present at the time,the judge threw the ticket out.Haha.So good luck to you my friend

[SuperGLS]

Yeah, that's pretty stupid. Stupid for you doing what you were doing. And stupid for the cop for giving you a ticket if you were in fact alone and there was nobody around.

However, I did the same thing back when it snowed the first time once I had my license. I didn't do it for too long though. Still, whenever it snows I like to take a couple of minutes "remembering" the best ways to drive in the snow.

On my way to work this morning I saw a guy in a brand new (paper tags) BMW X3 playing around in a parking lot. He looked like he was having fun.

[ArunSenior04]

so there is about 2 inch snow tonight, i went to an empty bestbuy parking groung and tried to have some fun with my car, it was at night, no people or cars around, i didnt go faster then 25mph. just turning around the poles. after 15 mins, i got pulled over by cops, they gave me a ticket saying WRECKLESS DRIVING and need to go to criminal court. am i in big trouble??? the thing is that the car is under my dads name, and so is the insurance. will this cause the insurance to go up?? should i hire a lawyer??
it is my first time and i really didnt know, or else i wont do it, please help

Why would you do that for that long? You were asking to get caught.

[mregt02]

Based on the ticket anyone who participates in autocross in a parking lot could get a ticket, regardless if you have permission from the owners of the lot folks would still be in theory breaking the law.

Just food for thought.

[ghrpdx]

Organized events such as autocross are generally done with a permit from the local government (city, county, etc) and therefore, not unlawful.

[mregt02]

Over here no special permit is required (or used), different rules in different areas.