Woman Ticketed for Honking

An Oakland woman alleges Berkeley police violated her First Amendment rights when an officer ticketed her last year for honking in support of a labor union's picketing outside the Claremont Resort and Spa to protest rising health care costs and other issues.

Harris was among nearly 40 motorists who received tickets beginning shortly before midnight on Aug. 27, accused of violating a California Vehicle Code section prohibiting the use of horns except "when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation" of vehicles or as part of a theft-prevention system.

www.chron.com...

If you drive on any state- or federal-maintained roads, you are subject to their laws. It seems the cops do have a case here, but, why do they have to be such hard-asses all the time?

Ok, it's a little weird, but I've seen people get tickets for jaywalking. That's worse.

$143 is a little excessive, IMO, but the problem is that it disturbs people greatly. And, unless you're doing it for safety on the road, it only creates problems with other drivers, distracting them and inflaming them. In cities, it rains havok upon people in buildings, and there are many places where you can get fines and points on your licence for honking.

There are signs all over NYC warning of high fees (I think $250) for honking. Obviously it doesn't help since NYC is full of the sound of honks 24/7...

Originally posted by djohnsto77
There are signs all over NYC warning of high fees (I think $250) for honking. Obviously it doesn't help since NYC is full of the sound of honks 24/7...

Yeah, I've seen those. I think they only qualify for certain areas.

We'd honk less if the damn Jersey people would learn to drive!

I wish they ticketed people here in PR for that crap. I mean seriously sometimes people honk just to be assholes. Makes me wanna get outta my car and slap em around a bit.

Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
Ok, it's a little weird, but I've seen people get tickets for jaywalking. That's worse.

Jaywalking tickets in NYC!!!.... I thought the motto about the walk signs there was
"If it says Walk....Walk............If it says Dont Walk......RUN!!"



[edit on 24-4-2005 by Quake]

This is what pisses me off, and the only place i've seen it is in LA and NYC. If you are at a stoplight, people will honk at you right when it turns green. It's not because you are waiting too long, after all, the light just turned green. They are doing it to try to get you to speed up right when they see the light turn green.

So that's why, when that happens, I just sit for awhile. And then when whoever passes me, I give them a dirty look. Those are like the only times I feel a bout of road rage coming on.

Originally posted by Quake
Jaywalking tickets in NYC!!!.... I thought the motto about the walk signs there was
"If it says Walk....Walk............If it says Dont Walk......RUN!!"

Rarely. Only when they're being cranky and want money FAST for a special purpose. Once, a few years ago, they got hit with some stupid lawsuit I think, or maybe an extra bill, and needed some money fast and wanted to make a scene. They ticketed jaywalkers for two days and they were set.

We close plenty of streets because we just keep walking, and they don't REALLY wanna hit us. Serves em right for driving in the city.

Anyway, Jamuhn, those people tick me off bad. Especially when they're in the back. Louis C.K. (comedian) does a good bit about it, how you can't drive through solid mass. I still blame Jersey.

Honking and Jaywalking tickets....Ticketing officers:bash:....I remember Mayor Bloomberg suspending a ticketing officer for ticketing during the NYC blackout for handing out tickets when he should have been controlling the traffic...

But this incident cracked me out last year:

An Illinois Institute of Technology student was ticketed for "sleeping dangerously" on train. I remember this being in Chicago Tribune but now it requires paid access.

technews.iit.edu...
See pg 5

timesofindia.indiatimes.com...

CHICAGO: When a 25-year-old Indian student at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) dozed off in a Chicago subway train, he did not realise his predicament would quickly become a cause celebre.

Gaurav Bhatia unwittingly got caught in a controversy over Chicago's bureaucracy after he was given a $50 ticket for sleeping on the train.

The incident occurred when Bhatia, who does not own a car and resides on the IIT campus, fell asleep while riding to work.

Local TV and radio channels have highlighted Bhatia's experience, but Chicago Transport Authority (CTA) and police officials say he was penalised for "sleeping dangerously".

Though the ticket was revoked ultimately, you got to give credit to the ticketing officer for creativity...sleeping dangerously..ROFL

in.news.yahoo.com...

dont forget the woman who was ticketed for eating a candy bar in Wash. DC subway system. Laws ,laws, and more laws that is all the gov can do!!!!!

Great story quake, but iirc here in NYC it's actually illegal to take up more than one seat on the subway. Nobody gets anything for this, but they could. I feel bad for the 'large' people.

ncb, you got a link? What was the scenario? Even I can't imagine how THAT went down.

"She was eating sour skittles, and when she was done, there was all this white powder at the bottom. Good thing I nailed her."

Originally posted by Amorymeltzer
Great story quake, but iirc here in NYC it's actually illegal to take up more than one seat on the subway. Nobody gets anything for this, but they could. I feel bad for the 'large' people.

So, thats where the airline fellow are getting the idea of double seats for fat people.... Did they EVER ticket someone for that? Maybe an anamoly like the jaywalking incident...

[edit on 27-4-2005 by Quake]

Originally posted by Quake
So, thats where the airline fellow are getting the idea of double seats for fat people.... Did they EVER ticket someone for that? Maybe an anamoly like the jaywalking incident...

I doubt it. You're also not allowed to spit, but that doesn't mean anything.

It happens for all sorts of things, cops don't do much about certain things. Marijuana and alcohol especially, some of those offenses are commonly gotten away with (not that I would know!). It's easier for them to deal with adults, you're more likely to get something done if they're a major. Also, tickets are hard to complain about if you've got a leg to stand on.