in need of opinions!

[shaz10]

Anyway well in a 1 year span i've now been pulled over for the 15th time. This was my most expensive trip to fill up gas ever!! Anyway since i only go to sunoco, i decided to head up to the one thats at HWY10/Bristol as its the closest one to my house.

I typically cut through sq.1 and take rathburn up to hwy10 to beat some of the traffic. Anyway i was doing that and i was on centerview when i got pulled over. Cop said that my car was so loud he could hear me 2 blocks away (b/s, i have one of the quietest exhausts that i've seen on a gtr).

Anyway he makes me wait in my car with the cherries flying (very embarassing) at the corner of rathburn/centerview for literally 20-25 minutes. After making me wait forever he finally comes back with 2 tickets, "improper muffler" and a "rear lights" because my brake lights flash (led conversion, i need to make that stop). I don't know if i can get out of the brake light one, but for sure i will take the muffler one to court.

constant frustration, i swear i avoid cops like the plague..... they prey on me.....

Do you guys have any suggestions as to the best way to proceed? Or should i just bite the bullet and pay the fine?

[CanadianGTR]

Unfortunately the noise thing is pretty much officer's discretion.

75. (1) Every motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle shall be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise and excessive smoke, and no person shall use a muffler cut-out, straight exhaust, gutted muffler, hollywood muffler, by-pass or similar device upon a motor vehicle or motor assisted bicycle. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 75 (1).

Which means that it's up to the officer to decide if it's "unusual noise"

As for the blinking brake lights, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to have any blinking red light on your car in any direction. So you're screwed with that one. In some places it's okay but I'm pretty sure Ontario isn't one of them (Unless you're a motorcycle, then I think you can get away with it because you're just making yourself seen).

[Shadao]

i will find the info for you to fix your "ricer flash" as a couplke sites i go to have called it... and you should be able to fight that light ticket.... he should have given you a VI because of that... which is why you will be able to fight it otherwise you couldnt fight it...

and as for your noisey exhaust, while it is up to the officers discretion... the easiest way to get out of that ticket is to get a db noise meter to find out the noise level it puts out... if it is with in tolerable range then how can your exhaust be too noisy..

weith any kind of noise infraction they need to proove how loud it is in a court of law... as some may find it not as noisy as others...

[Jeff Chapple]

If the cop was 2 blocks away,how would he know it was you?B.T.W. let's see the db reading that he took.if he has to prove it in court,he has to have it there.;-)

[RHD180]

If the cop was 2 blocks away,how would he know it was you?B.T.W. let's see the db reading that he took.if he has to prove it in court,he has to have it there.;-)

Not in Ontario he doesnt. Here the cops are so power hungry they get to decide whats loud and what isnt .

[Shadao]

but you still have to PROOVE it in a court of law... unless he directly saw your car he cant proove it was yours, so a DB rating would comfirm his accusation...

doesnt matter if your in BC or ONT laws are laws, and while it may be up to the officers discrestion to issue the ticket, you still have to proove without a reasonable doubt that the by-law which was being broken has been broken...

all you would have to do is go to a cop shop and get them to do a db reading... that would proove how loud your exhaust is.. and unless its over the tolerable range the ticket will be nulled....

http://forums.neons.org/viewtopic.php?t=257098 heres that link to fix ricer flash... if it doesnt work i will c/p it and post it up, granted this is for neons(my DD is a neon i know i know), but the same process should work for our cars... i hope

[CanadianGTR]

I think people are
a) not sure what "officer's discretion" means
or
b) don't realize that in Ontario there is no benchmark dB level

In Ontario, if a police officer thinks your car is too loud, he can issue you a ticket.... PERIOD. There is no "If the vehicle is over XX dB from XX feet away", it is simply "If the vehicle is producing any un-necessary noise".

It's stupid, but that's how it is. It's like tint, how dark is too dark? The rule of thumb is 35% on the front, but it's STILL totally dependant of the officer as there is no SPECIFIC value or testing method for tint.

I personally think giving officers the ability to excersize ANY discretion is a horrible idea.

[GTS-4Skyline]

In Ontario, if a police officer thinks your car is too loud, he can issue you a ticket.... PERIOD. There is no "If the vehicle is over XX dB from XX feet away", it is simply "If the vehicle is producing any un-necessary noise".

CanadianGTR got it right, legaly speeking...

but i like to think of it as:

how much of a prick the cop feels like beeing...

[CanadianGTR]

CanadianGTR got it right, legaly speeking...

but i like to think of it as:

how much of a prick the cop feels like beeing...

Haha, yeah exactly.

[RixR32]

You say you've been pulled over 15 times in a year? Got details on those other stops? Any other violations, warnings, etc?

I would be gearing up for filing a harassment complaint if I were you.
Take your car directly into a station and ask WTF is wrong here why am I getting stopped every time I go out? (After you fix the lights of course)
Show them the papers that you are legal, ownership, ins, safety, etc., Show them how quiet it is, and speak to a supervisor that you keep getting stopped for no reason and that it's un-necessary profiling, and you may speak to an attorney if it keeps up.
State that you are an enthusiast, just like the guys driving muscle cars, bikes, etc.

(Now if you are getting justifiable tickets every time you are stopped this won't fly).

This is all coming from an OPP officer who is a friend down here, and knows well of these a-holes up there.

This is pure BS, especially if you were acting and driving normally.

Something needs to be done about these f'in communists for once....

This makes me not even want to attend any meets up that way this year..:hit newb:

*Edit - I know what you mean on the exhaust thing, I have an Apexi 3.5", thats quieter than my stock 07 CX-7, but my bud says the big tip is what would attract the dickheads.

Rick