Driving speed child seatbelt violation $430 ??

In CA SF bay area :

I got cited for driving at approx 60 mph at a street with 50mph speed
limit.

Also I had my unruly 5 yr old kid in the backseat who had taken the
seatbelt off after I was pulled over by the police officer.

The officer cited me (1)22350 CVC for speed and (2) 27360.5 CVC for
Seatbelt.
I got a notice in the mail to pay a bail of $427.75.

I think this is very high ! Any pointers / ideas on why this amount is
so high and how can I get a break up of the amount ?

I havent been able to get details over phone and am planning to go to
the traffic court to find out more.

Thanks in advance ...

In article , nilanjan says...

In CA SF bay area :

I got cited for driving at approx 60 mph at a street with 50mph speed
limit.

Also I had my unruly 5 yr old kid in the backseat who had taken the
seatbelt off after I was pulled over by the police officer.

The officer cited me (1)22350 CVC for speed and (2) 27360.5 CVC for
Seatbelt.
I got a notice in the mail to pay a bail of $427.75.

I think this is very high ! Any pointers / ideas on why this amount is
so high and how can I get a break up of the amount ?

It's saving you money and grief in the long run.

If you address your seatbelt and speeding issues because of the high fine, you
can go on with your life.

If you don't, you're risking death or serious injury to the child.

So pay up and get it together.

Banty

"nilanjan" wrote in message
m...
: In CA SF bay area :
:
: I got cited for driving at approx 60 mph at a street with 50mph speed
: limit.
:
: Also I had my unruly 5 yr old kid in the backseat who had taken the
: seatbelt off after I was pulled over by the police officer.
:
: The officer cited me (1)22350 CVC for speed and (2) 27360.5 CVC for
: Seatbelt.
: I got a notice in the mail to pay a bail of $427.75.
:
: I think this is very high ! Any pointers / ideas on why this amount is
: so high and how can I get a break up of the amount ?
:
: I havent been able to get details over phone and am planning to go to
: the traffic court to find out more.
:
: Thanks in advance ...


Well, it's high because California apparently is very serious about kids
having their seat belts on. Or maybe they're using that as a way to solve
the budget crisis. Sadly for you, I don't think you have a leg to stand on.
You can explain until you're blue in the face that your kid took the seat
belt off after you got pulled over, but you're going to have to convince the
judge of that. Maybe they would do a probation sort of thing--let you off
the hook this time, with the understanding that there will be no leniency
whatsoever if there's ever a next time.
--
ColoradoSkiBum

Hi -

About the speeding part, just pay.

About the seatbelt part ... see if you can get reliable, credible people
to testify that yes, you always require your child to have his seatbelt
on when the car is in motion, and yes, your child hates the seatbelt and
removes it the second the motor is turned off. (Or whatever is accurate
about your child.) In other words, have some evidence that you don't go
around with your child loose in the car, and see if the judge believes
you.

Good luck,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

"nilanjan" wrote in message
m...
In CA SF bay area :

I got cited for driving at approx 60 mph at a street with 50mph speed
limit.

Also I had my unruly 5 yr old kid in the backseat who had taken the
seatbelt off after I was pulled over by the police officer.


When our children were young, but still old enough to figure out how to get
out of a car seat or seat belt -- if they were unruly or got unbuckled
themselves we would pull the car over to the first place where we could park
safely and park. There we would wait until the child was 1) calm... and 2)
safely buckled up.

It only took a couple of times before they realized that there was
relationship between getting to where we were going (usually someplace "fun"
like the pool or playgroup) and being properly buckled up... and quiet (the
car was more often pulled over when there was excessive bickering between
siblings).

No appointment is important enough to risk your child flying through the car
during a sudden stop.

It's saving you money and grief in the long run.

If you address your seatbelt and speeding issues because of the high
fine, you
can go on with your life.

If you don't, you're risking death or serious injury to the child.

So pay up and get it together.

Banty

I take it you don't have children, or you wouldn't have made such a stupid
argument. The child took the seatbelt off when the car was stopped. It is
most likely that no seatbelt law was even violated.

This reminds me of one time I was stopped for "speeding" (going with the
flow of traffic). While I only wear my seatbelt about 50% of the time, this
particular day I got lucky, as I was wearing the seatbelt when I was
stopped. After the cop came to my window, he very politely explained that
he had stopped me for speeding, told me how fast he had measured my speed at
and asked me for my license and registration. I immediately complied with
his request for my license and registration, but had to remove my seatbelt
to retrieve my license and registration. The cop was watching me as I
removed my seatbelt to comply with his request. Luckily, I was not ticketed
for speeding, probably because the cop ran a record check and found out my
record was spotless for many years. But he gave me a written warning for
not wearing my seat belt. (!) -Dave

In article .net, Dave C.
says...

It's saving you money and grief in the long run.

If you address your seatbelt and speeding issues because of the high
fine, you
can go on with your life.

If you don't, you're risking death or serious injury to the child.

So pay up and get it together.

Banty

I take it you don't have children, or you wouldn't have made such a stupid
argument. The child took the seatbelt off when the car was stopped. It is
most likely that no seatbelt law was even violated.

Yes I have a child and you should refer to HCN's post as to how the OP should
solve this problem.


This reminds me of one time I was stopped for "speeding" (going with the
flow of traffic). While I only wear my seatbelt about 50% of the time,

You're taking your life in your hands as well. It's difficult to take seriously
someone who has admitted to such poor judgement.

Banty

You're taking your life in your hands as well. It's difficult to take
seriously
someone who has admitted to such poor judgement.

Banty


Life is risk, Banty. If I wore a seat belt all the time, I'd probably wear
a safety helmet to post on usenet, also. After all, you never know when a
meteor might crash through your roof and hit you on the head. Better safe
than sorry. I'm kidding, of course. I'm debating whether to hit the
"send" button, as, with my luck, it will soon be law to wear PPE while
surfing the Internet. -Dave

HCN wrote:

No appointment is important enough to risk your child flying through
the car during a sudden stop.

The poster said her child took off his seatbelt AFTER she stopped the car.

--
iphigenia
www.tristyn.net
"i have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
i do not think that they will sing to me."

"iphigenia" wrote in message
...
: HCN wrote:
:
: No appointment is important enough to risk your child flying through
: the car during a sudden stop.
:
: The poster said her child took off his seatbelt AFTER she stopped the car.

But if she's going to get a neighbor to testify that the child "hates
wearing his seatbelt and removes it the second the motor is turned off" then
she's going to have an awful hard time convincing anybody of that. I'm not
sure I believe it myself.
--
ColoradoSkiBum