Person said to police it had just happened on their way home. Police said not up to warrant standard (but it had a current warrant). Seems a little unfair because this can happen at any time to anyone and what would most people do!What are your thoughts, experiences of having only one headlight working!
ninja_man,
Nov 11, 2:47am
thats not fair at all, can they even do that!
saxman99,
Nov 11, 2:56am
Yes, they can.
Yes, it's unfair.They *could* use discretion but basically choose not to.
No, there's nothing you can do about it.
About the only defense possible is that the warrant is very new and you had reasonable expectation that the vehicle would still be in warrantable condition.However their argument with something like a blown headlight is that it's immediately obvious it has failed and that under the law (which states that it is your responsibility to keep the car up to WoF standard at all times between inspections) you should fix it as soon as it happens, which presumably means keeping a spare bulb for each type you have on your car with you in the car.
It sucks like a two dollar hooker but there it is.I guess you could rest easy knowing that you are directly contributing to making our roads safer.dammit, now I feel like having a beer named after a bird.
richardmayes,
Nov 11, 3:04am
Yes that's harsh. It's within the rules, but what are you supposed to do, leave your car parked in town overnight and walk to Repco in the rain to get a new bulb!
I wonder what aggravating factors were at work here, that we haven't been told about! Cops seldom pick on people for no reason at all, in my experience. (e.g. Was the car a matt black Silvia or Levin with "FTP" on the back window!)
ginga4lyfe,
Nov 11, 3:05am
Was is a police officer in a blue undercover car! yeah, if thats the same guy that pulled a mate up for going through a yellow light, he just is a pedantic fool, that mate of mine that was pulled up by him reckons he was a rookie too, as he kept calling the infringement notice a fine or a ticket, in fact, whats the police officers ID! Id be interested to see if it is the same one.
shazza541,
Nov 11, 3:11am
I got the same fine once, my low beam on one side wasnt working but high beams were fine. I was given 28days to get it fixed, take it to cop shop and they would waive the fine. I went in the next day (in daylight) flicked my high beams to the female officer and was let off there and then. I fixed the light when i got round to it
mantagsi,
Nov 11, 7:16am
I see a surprising amount of cop cars cruising about with a crook headlamp. Mind you it seems that every cop car has broken indicators minimum, just about never see them going
sifty,
Nov 11, 7:31am
batman!
jeffqv,
Nov 11, 7:48am
Too many cars on the road with the drivers side lights not working so at night looks like a bike. Bloody dangerous.
smac,
Nov 11, 7:53am
Did you ask for the rest of the story!
gunhand,
Nov 11, 7:55am
True but why! do you cross the center line if you think its a bike!
jeffqv,
Nov 11, 7:56am
Nope but if you are maybe overtaking a bike on the nearside it can get interesting.
david.b,
Nov 11, 8:27am
Happened to me a few years ago at Labour Weekend in Central Otago at Omarama, $150.Never been so angry at the Police.I felt it was just revenue gathering designed to piss people off, it was close to the end of the month, maybe the cop was down on his ticket quota!The headlights were working before I left as I checked them as I knew I was heading out on to very lonely dark roads late at night, the low beam must have blown while changing high to low beam sometime on the trip.Told the cop how you are expected to know a bulb not working properly as there is no warning of the fault inside the car.Anyway even if I knew, and had a spare bulb, there was no way I was going to stop to fix the bulb on the Lindis Pass at 11.00 p.m. on a very dark and wet night, I told him that if I had stopped he easily could be investigating a murder or disappearance or something.Unfortunately while the cop was busy messing around with the faulty head light, the infringement notice and so on, just up the road a lady drove off the road into tree and was killed.Surely there were better things for the cops to do!Had to take the repaired light and show that it was fixed at a Police Station, the infringement notice was cancelled.Reading this blog made realized how annoyed I still am years later!
pollymay,
Nov 11, 8:58am
Don't need them if you drive faster than the speed of light. Ya can stick ya physics, commodores aren't like those slow cars rice tossers drive
thejazzpianoma,
Nov 11, 9:17am
Good to see others speaking up about this kind of stupidity. The sooner the public say enough is enough the sooner things improve for us all.
smilie4,
Nov 11, 9:19am
Happened to me earlya this year in my cortina the tail light blew then headlight on my way home from work at 11 at night. Cop reaconed he was going to fine $150 for each light out, I then showed him my wof that was 3 weeks old and he only done me for 1 light out. ended up writing a letter to police and they wiped fine
ema1,
Nov 11, 11:54am
And the percentage of those that should be considered innocent but deemed guilty actually gets higher due to lack of discretion/common sense, can't see that changing anytime soon due to reasons above. It's called dotting the i's and crossing the t's beurocracy (sp) gone stark staring mad.
pico42,
Nov 11, 12:37pm
Am I an odd one out in that I do keep spare bulbs in the car!
next-to-normal,
Nov 11, 12:43pm
they will reap what they sow in the long term,time will tell, been a while since 81 ,and more generations coming through,.wish them luck .with their future theft,im mean fines
pollymay,
Nov 11, 12:54pm
My great grandfather was a cop and my grandfather to a point. Carried revolvers and patrolled the town, commanded a bit of respect because they operated near on their own with less reliance on courts/fines. It's a different profession now.
hatchback,
Nov 11, 6:50pm
I had to pay a $300 speeding ticket yesterday, now that hurt
smac,
Nov 11, 7:16pm
I'm just kinda curious here, given there's a couple of examples sighted where they got off the ticket once they showed the issue was fixed; what are you guys saying SHOULD happen when somebody is stopped with lights out! A warning! SO when they pull somebody over who has now been warned 10 times.how would the cop know this! How would they know the light wasn't fixed and had blown again due to a fault! All gets kinda messy and not worth the hassle.
Seems to methe easiest thing all round (and cheapest for the tax payer.don't start suggesting the cop puts the warning on record so the next one sees it.)would be to issue the ticket, and waive it once you show you've fixed the issue. No wait, that's what's happening.there must be something else.
jeffqv,
Nov 11, 7:21pm
Obviously. Many times that is out too, hence my comment about it looking like a bike.same goes for no stop lamps, see that heals of times.
thejazzpianoma,
Nov 11, 7:58pm
The key thing here is sometimes you just can't enforce a law with 100% efficiency and we shouldn't be trying. Plus a bulb out while definitely dangerous is not a significant cause of road deaths.
Sometimes you just can't be sure someone will fix it or that they really have not realized the bulb was blown. However, likewise you can't be certain that it wasn't a genuine mistake or expect people to stop every 5 minutes and check their lights are all working.
Therefore a warning is the best you can do. Trying to fine mostly innocent people for this is just absurd and unfair and should not be tolerated.
Police are still trying to raise 100 Million a year from infringements. Now that speed is reduced overall (and thus the $ value of fines) they are having to be more and more picky to the point of rediculoseness to keep the revenue stream going.
Only the public demanding change is likely to force a readjustment of Policing that is fair, reasonable and safety focused.
With regard to the ticket which is then waived that would be fine IF and only IF. It was a legislated procedure it MUST NOT be left to Police discretion because that's inconsistent and unfair.
Also, it should not be a requirement to have to write in to get the ticket waived if this is a procedure you MUST be allowed to have this checked at any Police station. It would be very easy and efficient for this to be entered into a database and recalled by any Police station when confirming the repair.
But really, its probably not worth the hassle for the increase in safety gained. Its really just more red tape for red tapes sake. Especially when you consider that apparently Police don't have the manpower to recover stolen vehicles, prevent kidnappings and otherwise save lives directly/ Wasting any time on bulb failure administration does not seem wise for the safety of the public.
smac,
Nov 11, 8:11pm
Not gonna argue it, I know you won't let it go. Personally I'm happy to get a ticket that will be waived if I comply, if it means the little scroat who knows damn well his lights are out, or has in fact removed them, gets one as well.
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