# Got a ticket!! :(



## Flint J (Nov 21, 2014)

Yep, I got my first ticket Ubering last night. It was for a failing to see before starting turning from a direct Lane that such a move could be made in safety. Which means turning when I shouldn't have been. Basically drunk ******y bros were waiving me down from the club and I turned around in a intersection to go and pick them up. Does Uber fire drivers for this? What is the limit of traffic violations one is allowed?

I know Lyft won't allow more then 3 traffic violations in the past 3 years


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## RideshareGuru (Nov 17, 2014)

Flint J said:


> Yep, I got my first ticket Ubering last night. It was for a failing to see before starting turning from a direct Lane that such a move could be made in safety. Which means turning when I shouldn't have been. Basically drunk ******y bros were waiving me down from the club and I turned around in a intersection to go and pick them up. Does Uber fire drivers for this? What is the limit of traffic violations one is allowed?
> 
> I know Lyft won't allow more then 3 traffic violations in the past 3 years


Uber might. I would either fight it in court or do the traffic school if offered to keep it off your record. Check the laws in your state to make sure what your options are. In my state, you can delay response to the ticket by up to 45 days. Then you can go to court and request traffic school there or fight the ticket. If you fight the ticket, traffic school is off the table. The trick I learned though is to look for the cops in attendance, if yours isn't there, then fight the ticket automatically. If he is and you have a good shot to win on the merits, then fight it out. If its pretty much cut and dry against you, opt for the traffic school, a slightly more expensive option up front, but it will save you a lot in the long run between insurance premiums and employment opportunities. I've only gone to court on a ticket once, it was a "move over" law violation. I fought it and won, damn cop that pulled me over was only there for move over law violations, no speeding or anything else, he lost every single case that day, he was just a revenuing prick.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2014)

Flint, 

You'll be fine. Here's the Uber canned response they send out to people given tickets. 

"
Thanks for writing in. I'm sorry to hear about your ticket: they're never fun. As long as it's just an isolated incident, there shouldn't be an issue with it. We mainly check for DUI's and other really major violations.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Guru, can you elaborate on the "move over" violation? Is that for impeding traffic, or failure to yield to an emergency vehicle? Haven't heard of that one here in CA. Just curious, thanks.


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## RideshareGuru (Nov 17, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Guru, can you elaborate on the "move over" violation? Is that for impeding traffic, or failure to yield to an emergency vehicle? Haven't heard of that one here in CA. Just curious, thanks.


In TN, and several other states, there is a law that says that if an "emergency vehicle" has its lights on, you have to have an entire lane of space between you and that vehicle, and if that is not possible, you need to slow down significantly. This is an often abused law as most of the time, cops just sit on the side of the road with their lights on and wait for someone to pass them, they are not doing anything "official" other than waiting to write you a ticket. The law is also blatantly unconstitutional because it creates a separate class of citizen (i.e. emergency vehicle drivers), it does not protect someone changing their tire on the side of the road, therefore it violates the "Equal protection" clause of the 14th Amendment. In my case, the cop who pulled me over claimed in court that he had just finished a traffic stop, which was BS, there was no other car on the side of the road with him, and he positioned himself right after a curve in the road. That was his story with everyone he tried to prosecute that day, coincidentally, all of the stops were also in the same location.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Okay, thanks for the explanation, Guru. We have a similar law here protecting law enforcement, CalTrans (highway crews) and tow truck operators. You are supposed to move one lane over if possible, otherwise slow down. It only applies to freeways here, but sounds like your law. Interesting that the traffic judge saw through the misuse by the officer.


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## RideshareGuru (Nov 17, 2014)

Older Chauffeur said:


> Okay, thanks for the explanation, Guru. We have a similar law here protecting law enforcement, CalTrans (highway crews) and tow truck operators. You are supposed to move one lane over if possible, otherwise slow down. It only applies to freeways here, but sounds like your law. Interesting that the traffic judge saw through the misuse by the officer.


He didn't, the loophole is to say that you slowed down. The cop didn't cite me for speeding, so they couldn't rebut my argument. I did not challenge the constitutionality of the law in traffic court, that's not the correct forum. I just watched the other drivers fight it the same way as I did. Again, same cop, only there for move over law violations, all at just about the same location. If I were the 3rd guy in line that day, I definitely would have made an issue of it, but I was the 1st for that particular cop.


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## Tx rides (Sep 15, 2014)

CabbieGuy93 said:


> Flint,
> 
> You'll be fine. Here's the Uber canned response they send out to people given tickets.
> 
> ...


I don't know how they can hold that position. Their insurance company will definitely care about a moving violation. That may be a response from yet another clueless rep.


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## RideshareGuru (Nov 17, 2014)

Tx rides said:


> I don't know how they can hold that position. Their insurance company will definitely care about a moving violation. That may be a response from yet another clueless rep.


The different markets act like franchisees. They all have the same logo, but some have different menu items and the pricing isn't the same everywhere, sometimes the do coordinated promotions. But they all handle their drivers a bit differently. Some have "retraining classes" and they charge different amounts for their drivers (anywhere from $50-$100 I've heard), some just cut you loose whenever they feel like it, and they all have different local rules that they follow (or break).


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## Tx rides (Sep 15, 2014)

RideshareGuru said:


> The different markets act like franchisees. They all have the same logo, but some have different menu items and the pricing isn't the same everywhere, sometimes the do coordinated promotions. But they all handle their drivers a bit differently. Some have "retraining classes" and they charge different amounts for their drivers (anywhere from $50-$100 I've heard), some just cut you loose whenever they feel like it, and they all have different local rules that they follow (or break).


That maybe true, but their insurance is still a national level.


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## Piotrowski (Sep 9, 2014)

Tx rides said:


> That maybe true, but their insurance is still a national level.


Yes and no. The policies go state by state. The policy we have here in PA is different than many of the other states, but it's all underwritten by the same company. We have primary insurance at all times here in PA, whereas next door in NJ, they don't.


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## Tx rides (Sep 15, 2014)

Piotrowski said:


> Yes and no. The policies go state by state. The policy we have here in PA is different than many of the other states, but it's all underwritten by the same company. We have primary insurance at all times here in PA, whereas next door in NJ, they don't.


True, but still same policy, at least what they submitted in Austin Texas was the same policy written in California. I can't imagine James River doesn't cancel over moving violations, or at least penalize, they're too big.


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## Piotrowski (Sep 9, 2014)

If you think they are going to look at anyone driver your kidding yourself. The only thing that matters is the aggregate risk, just like with group health insurance


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## Tx rides (Sep 15, 2014)

That is certainly not what we have heard from a senior insurance exec who is really familiar with JR. He said they do collect driver data, and once risks increase (and they are, also due to grow exponentially with new state laws mandating more primary), more filtering will occur. JR has a very high score in spite of high risks, they won't tarnish that by eating costs of bad drivers.


Piotrowski said:


> If you think they are going to look at anyone driver your kidding yourself. The only thing that matters is the aggregate risk, just like with group health insurance


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## CLAkid (Oct 23, 2014)

Flint J said:


> Yep, I got my first ticket Ubering last night. It was for a failing to see before starting turning from a direct Lane that such a move could be made in safety. Which means turning when I shouldn't have been. Basically drunk ******y bros were waiving me down from the club and I turned around in a intersection to go and pick them up. Does Uber fire drivers for this? What is the limit of traffic violations one is allowed?
> 
> I know Lyft won't allow more then 3 traffic violations in the past 3 years


Sorry to hear. I have learned that it is not worth it to do two things: rush to pick up a rider, who usually isn't outside and ready anyway, and rush to get the rider to the destination. Safety must come first.


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## AMBUDRIVER03 (Jul 1, 2014)

RideshareGuru said:


> In TN, and several other states, there is a law that says that if an "emergency vehicle" has its lights on, you have to have an entire lane of space between you and that vehicle, and if that is not possible, you need to slow down significantly. This is an often abused law as most of the time, cops just sit on the side of the road with their lights on and wait for someone to pass them, they are not doing anything "official" other than waiting to write you a ticket. The law is also blatantly unconstitutional because it creates a separate class of citizen (i.e. emergency vehicle drivers), it does not protect someone changing their tire on the side of the road, therefore it violates the "Equal protection" clause of the 14th Amendment. In my case, the cop who pulled me over claimed in court that he had just finished a traffic stop, which was BS, there was no other car on the side of the road with him, and he positioned himself right after a curve in the road. That was his story with everyone he tried to prosecute that day, coincidentally, all of the stops were also in the same location.





Older Chauffeur said:


> Okay, thanks for the explanation, Guru. We have a similar law here protecting law enforcement, CalTrans (highway crews) and tow truck operators. You are supposed to move one lane over if possible, otherwise slow down. It only applies to freeways here, but sounds like your law. Interesting that the traffic judge saw through the misuse by the officer.


The law in CA now applies to all emergency vehicles with their emergency or hazard flashers on, you MUST move over one lane (if possible) and if not, slow down to a (subjectively) prudent speed.



> *The Law*
> 
> Vehicle Code 21809. (a) A person driving a vehicle on a freeway approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle that is displaying emergency lights, a stationary tow truck that is displaying flashing amber warning lights, or a stationary marked Department of Transportation vehicle that is displaying flashing amber warning lights, shall approach with due caution and, before passing in a lane immediately adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle, tow truck, or Department of Transportation vehicle, absent other direction by a peace officer, proceed to do one of the following:
> 
> ...


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