Senseless Stops : Intersection Traffic Ticket Defenses That Usually Fail

If you received a traffic ticket for failure to stop, you could lose points from your license if you do not fight the ticket. Many traffic violations take place at intersections, and failing to stop is the most commonly ticketed traffic violation. 

If you are innocent of the charge and do not dispute the traffic violation, with the next violation, you could rack up enough penalties to have your driver's license suspended. Yet going to court with feeble defenses is a waste of time and money. Following are three defenses for intersection violations that commonly fail. 

"The Crosswalk Lines Were Faded"

When you come to a crosswalk, no grey lines exist in the law. Drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing the road. But what some drivers do not realize is yielding the right of way to pedestrians is required at marked and unmarked crosswalks. 

If the crosswalk lines are faded or do not exist, the driver is still required to stop to allow pedestrians crossing the road to safely do so. Once the pedestrian has passed your car lane and is in front of a lane for traffic moving in the opposite direction of your vehicle, you may proceed through the intersection. 

"I Was Driving On A Private Road"

If you have the reckless habit of running stop signs in the business park where you work each day to get to work on time, if it is a private road, the police cannot ticket you. These roads are maintained by the industrial park and its private security force, not the public purse. 

But if you run the stop sign while a pedestrian is trying to cross the road, gotcha! If you endanger the life of others, drive recklessly, or drive while drunk, the police can charge you with traffic violations. 

"There Was No Yield Sign"

When you come to an intersection with no traffic lights or stop sign, you are required to yield the right of way to drivers on your right. Some intersections have yield signs to provide a reminder, but most do not. How to yield to other drivers at an intersection is part of basic driver education training. If you try to use this defense, the judge could rightfully conclude that you do not know the basic rules of driving. 

Knowing and following the rules of the road is the best way to avoid traffic violation charges. If you do receive a traffic ticket, consult a traffic ticket attorney on how to make your case based on defensible arguments.