*got a ticket for driving at night*

[Moreno636]

The amount of ********** on this site is amazing. Some of you guys just can't wait to pound your chest and look down on someone, who made a mistake.

To the OP, check the times and maybe you can get off on that type of a technicality.

[toyopl]

3rd page of replies and 90% of ppl just post out of boredom I guess, if u don't have anything positive to say move on, I'm pretty sure he knows he did a mistake.
And all of u put the guy for doing something wrong, I wonder how many times this week each one of u went over the legal speed limit ? Might as well create a topic like that and wait for bashing from other for breaking the rules.
IMO u guys are the immature ones and hypocrites at the same time. At least he has balls to own up he did a mistake.

[GP03]

3rd page of replies and 90% of ppl just post out of boredom I guess, if u don't have anything positive to say move on, I'm pretty sure he knows he did a mistake.
And all of u put the guy for doing something wrong, I wonder how many times this week each one of u went over the legal speed limit ? Might as well create a topic like that and wait for bashing from other for breaking the rules.
IMO u guys are the immature ones and hypocrites at the same time. At least he has balls to own up he did a mistake.

made a mistake

[Kiddo]

I'd speak to one of those traffic companies that fight tickets on your behalf etc, a lot of them do 'free consultations'. A lot are in fact ex-police, and they'll give you an honest assessment.

Legal advice from a lawyer etc would also be beneficial, I'd get as much input as possible from as many people in the know as possible.

Details as people have posted earlier in the thread will be the deciding factor. What time was it? Was it within the 30 min after sunset give or take? If so I'd say you have greater chance of fighting it successfully.

If on the other hand it was no where close to the that boundary then you'll probably lose IMO.

[Xhumeka]

The amount of ********** on this site is amazing. Some of you guys just can't wait to pound your chest and look down on someone, who made a mistake.

+1

How the hell do any of you guys know if he's a "n00b" or "immature"? For all you know he's been riding dirtbikes all his life or let his m2 expire years ago because he got his bike stolen or something.

Quit with the 'holier than thou' attitude and either answer his question or STFU.

To the original poster, like a few have asked, please provide more details such as the time you were pulled over. It probably makes a big difference if you were 30mins to 1 hour beyond the legal riding period, or if you hopped on your bike at 2am and cruised home.

Either way in my opinion it's worth fighting, even if you just try to fight it on your own. You never know when you might get a lenient judge or are able to slip by on some technicality. This charge also apparently affects your car licence (ie G licence) and will affect both your car and bike insurance for years to come if convicted.

[HyRyze]

wow... hypocrites all over the place on this site.. hahhaha..
The restriction is pretty much BS, and it is the easiest to occur. Sometimes you just get caught and there's nothing you can do.

too many people are bashing the OP and just telling him "that he shouldn't have done it in the first place, it's avoidable"... what ****in ******** that is!

If you speed and ***** about getting a ticket, do you expect 90% of the people to say, "hey dumbass, the posted limit is CLEARLY visible, if you didn't want a ticket, don't exceed the limit!"? No, you want advice on how to fight it... damn people..

To the OP, fight it.. I got no other advice.. never got caught..

P.S. A week after I got my bike, still under my M1, I rode out to Hamilton with a friend.. back roads all the way, only some burst of highway, and I did get caught at dusk. I was gonna get back home but it was too late so we stayed at a friends.. anyway, I rode on the highway, AND at night... AND asked a cop for directions... hahaha, I was right under his nose and he didn't even know.. muahahhhaaa.

btw... when I asked him directions this was his reply, word for word, "I don't know where Strawberry drive is, but I can point you to the nearest Tim Hortons"... true story..

[skip]

Well the wording of the M1 restrictions is "you must ride only during daylight hours (1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset)". Acording to Environment Canada sunset was 20:45 yesterday. So if the time on the ticket is after 21:15 not a hell of alot to do about it. If its before 21:15 fight it.

[yettiman121]

the OP hasnt replied to anyone yet. no point in offering advice until further details can be given.

[Grimmy]

Ok. Time to time sheet happens.

I can understand that you got caught late at work, and were heading home. Innocent enough.

What time did the offense occur? What exact time did you get pulled over (not the time the ticket was issued, which could be 15 mins to 30 minutes after you actually were pulled over, depending on how the cop writes the ticket)?

Sundown is 20:46 today per the weather network. That 8:46PM for regular folk.

By reading up on the Ministry of Transportations website, you have 1/2 hour AFTER SUNSET to cease riding. Not 1 Hour, and the word DUSK is NOT used.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dan...du/index.shtml

therefore, if you were riding at or after 9:17PM, you would be guilty of the offense.

It is not that clear cut however, so getting a paralegal may help in finding an alternative defense, in case you were riding after sunset.

[BlackCrowe13]

Fight it if you want, but if you know you are in the wrong, what outcome can you really expect.
Good luck either way.

[TomC]

i haven't really read through the thread thoroughly, but here's my advice.

If you're going to fight it, which you should, hire a paralegal (x-copper whatever), your grounds for dismissing the case will probably be something along the lines of the officer not having any real reason to pull you over, similar to raiding a house without having a search warrant. My $0.02, but like everyone else mentioned, don't keep your hopes up.

You can also fabricate a *ahem* lie, say something like you were caught up at work, had to do some OT, and was just trying to get home safely.

[Meleemark]

w

If you speed and ***** about getting a ticket, do you expect 90% of the people to say, "hey dumbass, the posted limit is CLEARLY visible, if you didn't want a ticket, don't exceed the limit!"? No, you want advice on how to fight it... damn people..

If I speed and I get a ticket, that's exactly what I'd expect 100% of the people to say.

[Baggsy]

How does breaking the law make him immature? What about speeding? Jaywalking? Assisted suicide? Is everyone who breaks the law immature and therefore a danger to the rest of us? The answer is 'no', in case you have to mull the question over forever.

He obviously knew the risks, and consciously decided to accept those risks, and he got caught and he's not complaining that he got caught, he's just looking for help on how to make the best of the situation he's put himself in.

First off I said, “For the rest of us it might be best…” not it would be best. It needs to be thought about.
For me maturity involves the ability to delay gratification. i.e. wait the excruciatingly long two months, before riding at night. The law gives a severe and serious penalty for the offence. Speeding 50 over would be similar, but I don’t see that as often as I used to. Speeding the same as prevailing traffic is almost always overlooked. Jaywalking is so prevalent that no one notices. I was told a long time ago that they were issuing 2,000 jaywalking tickets a day in Toronto, yet I have never heard of someone who had gotten one. Assisted suicide involves certain death and is on a whole other scale. So, no not everyone who breaks the law is immature.

Did he know the risks? I’m not so sure. People who truly know the risks, know what they’ll do if the circumstance were to happen. If that were the case, he'd already have his lawyer lined up, or just taken the punishment rather than ask here. That being said, I know a couple of people who have accumulated tens if not hundreds of tickets, but still drive the same way, believing that they will be able to talk their way out of the next one, or beat it in court.

As far as the rest, I believe my advice was solid, and I actually care about what happens to the guy. Reading the link will show him how much this can affect his future. This incident may be a maturing one, but if he can’t wait the two months, he may not be able to wait for a dotted line before passing a truck, and I’d rather not have him join the fallen riders.

Ride safe.

[infernalmajesty]

Not sure what you ride, but I'm guessing some tiny bike? Maybe that was the tipoff that you're a n00b.

[sempire]

you knew the risk, you took the chance, you knew what would happen if you got caught, so now you have to live with it...

You know you work late, and you thought you can get away with it. If you take it to court you'll probably lose. it's not like you ran out of gas, or got caught 5 minutes from your home 10 minutes after the "m1 curfew"..

as what i've heard, after they suspend your license your insurance company will **** you hard and juicy...

[yettiman121]

you knew the risk, you took the chance, you knew what would happen if you got caught, so now you have to live with it...

You know you work late, and you thought you can get away with it....

Sempire. that has the makings of a great country song.

[Kuro]

For those who think they need to bag on the OP.

Quit being the internet police.

[godsd3vil]

Not sure what you ride, but I'm guessing some tiny bike? Maybe that was the tipoff that you're a n00b.

They might have done a random scan of his plates and seen the bike is registered to an M1 rider (my case) which is why they pulled him over to see if it was him who was riding past the riding time allowed for an M1 .. !
I already asked this question and realised it isnt worth the risk I do ride but latest 1015 pm but I know the risk an if for any reason I do get busted ill face the music !!

How late were you riding ????

[sempire]

Sempire. that has the makings of a great country song.

that is true...

hrmmm..

[sempire]

Sempire. that has the makings of a great country song.

For those who think they need to bag on the OP.

Quit being the internet police.

No one is trying to be the internet police.

People are explaining how risks and common sense work. As the example with speeding. I speed, I get a ticket, and I don't bother coming online to explain to people how i got a speeding ticket for speeding and what i should do next.

Your two cents didn't offer anything. So don't worry about what everyone else is saying.