Ticketed for hypermiling

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by jimepting

Obviously common sense is the best guide and there are some things you want to do if you intend to hypermile:
-Don't pulse-and-glide between 50&20 MPH on an Interstate road.
-Give the trucks and any fast vehicles a couple of flashes when they still have space to adjust and pass.
-Ridge ride to alert some drivers.
-Set yourself a reasonable minimum speed for the conditions.
-Set flashers on solid if you get really slow and can't gain speed without wasting a lot of fuel.
-Stick to right lane only.
-In dense traffic, like the commuteing hour, just don't do it.

Good tips. I regularly do all of these.

[Diesel_Dave]

Originally Posted by redyaris

DiesleDave
Have you been able to get "disclosure" from the State, prosicuter yet? Because that will give you the info; as to what you will need to defend yourself at trial.

I've never heard of this before for a traffic ticket. Has anyone else done it/know how to do it?

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by euromodder

That's exactly what they're about - making people pay and get rid of the hassle of going to court over tickets.

I call this situation a reverse-lottery.
You know what you could win at best.
But you don't know what it's going to cost you

Yep - we have a double threat here that if you do challenge (e.g. for speeding) you face getting an extra punishment if you lose, and you can't challenge some items - such as the accuracy of speed cameras and detectors - even though in the US the same equipment has been ruled inaccurate.

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

Good tips. I regularly do all of these.

Except maybe for this time ?

[Geonerd]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

I'm not interested in making up any stories to get out of a ticket. I have a very high regard for law officers and I also believe in being honest. What I am saying is, based on my current understanding, I did not break the law.

If he wants to claim that my "stopping" was in violation of IC 9-21-8-24(1), I believe I'm on firm ground that I am definitely not, because there was no one behind me and therefore my action was reasonably safe. The only thing I could see is if he wanted to argue that the 28 in a 60 was a violation of IC 9-21-8-24(1) (which is not what he said at the scene). If that were the case then I guess it's a matter of my opinion against his as to whether the 28 in a 60 constituted a "slow down that is not reasonably safe".

I'm hesitant to say something negative against a law officer, but I'm wondering if he saw me, was sure he'd caught a drunk and then when I wasn't he was like, "Something is fishy here. He was doing something. I need to get him for something."

You can argue all you want about the letter of the law, but whether or not you came to a full and complete stop is completely irrelevant. What IS relevant is that you were going substantially slower than ambient traffic, thus creating a hazard. In the beginning you talk like there were zero other cars on the road - later you sort of admit that there was traffic, as witnessed by the cop. If people had to change lanes to pass, and were traveling significantly faster, you WERE creating a hazard. (And when several hazards get together you have an wreck.) I don't care what the law says, if you get hit from behind while putzing down the road, you are partially responsible for any resultant death, injury and mayhem. If you want to drive like an fool, please do it out in the middle of Nevada, where there is no one around to endanger. I'm no fan of the 'cop' mentality, but I don't particularly blame him for writing you up.

Keep in mind that people like Gerdes have already given hypermiling a bad name. Your driving 10 MPH down the freeway sure isn't doing anything to reverse that impression. Think about it.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Geonerd

What IS relevant is that you were going substantially slower than ambient traffic, thus creating a hazard.

Around here and I would guess were he is located there was likely no ambient traffic and thus no hazard.

Originally Posted by Geonerd

In the beginning you talk like there were zero other cars on the road - later you sort of admit that there was traffic, as witnessed by the cop. If people had to change lanes to pass, and were traveling significantly faster, you WERE creating a hazard. (And when several hazards get together you have an wreck.)

Is one other car traffic? Am I therefore a traffic danger when traveling at 55mph in a 40mph zone and other cars have to swurve to pass?

Originally Posted by Geonerd

I don't care what the law says, if you get hit from behind while putzing down the road, you are partially responsible for any resultant death, injury and mayhem. If you want to drive like an fool, please do it out in the middle of Nevada, where there is no one around to endanger. I'm no fan of the 'cop' mentality, but I don't particularly blame him for writing you up.

Lol, I have been driving 17 years and never had an accident with damage, the 3 accidents I did have were when somebody rearended me at a stoplight.
The police in this state have often commented that if you hit someone from behind you do not have your car under control, period in all circumstances.

Originally Posted by Geonerd

Keep in mind that people like Gerdes have already given hypermiling a bad name. Your driving 10 MPH down the freeway sure isn't doing anything to reverse that impression. Think about it.

Around here buggies going 5mph are on the highway and they can't accelerate or navigate out of the way as easily as his truck.

Anyway, In over 1 million miles I have yet to have an accident on the freeway, yet I have always since drivers ed driven the same way I do today, yet for some odd reason no accidents while actually on the open road. Perhaps people need to relearn the NON-nanny state rules of the road that were around in the 30's and 40's where safety is in paying attention to what is around you not your actual speed.

Oddly him going down the blank highway 10mph is made more serious than the ideots around here going 120mph down 2 lane farm roads.

Done correctly, 10mph = safe.

If has a good driving record and knows what he is doing, he is likely far safer on the road and less of a danger than the other 90% who are speeding, texting and drunk.

[redyaris]

Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave

I've never heard of this before for a traffic ticket. Has anyone else done it/know how to do it?

Contact the clark of the court and ask them, or contact the prosecuters office and ask them. The other option is contact legal aid they usualy can give you free advice or maybe even a university Law proffesor/department.

I just went to Indiana Courts web site then civil case, administration Rule 9.Access to court records. I get the impression that the clerk of the court will provide the info on your case. I hope this helps a bit...

[pete c]

I think the "I just wasn't in a hurry" line was not very well received. He knew you were bull****ting him.

I think simply telling him that coasting down to low speeds, then accelerating, saves fuel may have worked better.

As for safety, you must remember a few things.

Drivers seeing a car ahead of them with no flashers or brake lights on, have a reasonable expectation that you are driving something close to the speed limit.

Depth perception at night is ****.

Put these two together and you come to the realization that driving at night at less than half the posted limit is a recipe for an accident.

I have no problem what so ever with P&Ging. I do it myself. But when doing it, you must take into consideration that everyone else on the road is not obliged to do so.

Most of my P&Ging is done on local two lanes. If there is traffic behind me, I start my pulse right around the speed limit, maybe a few under, this is usually 35-40. I run it up to maybe 50, then glide. If there is no traffic, I will glide down to minimum 5th gear speeds (25-35, depending on grade).

Goog luck with your ticket and remember that we actually have to share the roads with others.

[Diesel_Dave]

Yeah, since the incident I've changed my P&G style. Now I typically don't go below 40 mph unless there absolutely no one around me--in which case I may glide down to 35 mph. And if there's any "real" traffic, I keep it over 45 mph. My FE may have come down a little, but not too much.

[pete c]

Good to hear it Dave.

Almost 32 mpg out of a rig that would win a tug of war against pretty much every other member's car on this forum....combined, amazes me.

[Arctic Fox]

Reading through this, I can just picture in my mind the cop, sitting on the side of the road with his RADAR gun, looking for speeders. Then his radar pops up for 12MPH... and he has to sit there... and wait... until finally... you coast past him at 10... miles... per... hour...

You're going way too slow for a 60mph road, no flashers on, no reflective triangle, no smoke billowing out of the back of your car, no real sign of distress other than going so slow. The cop then decides to follow. You speed up, you slow down, you speed up, you slow down.

You are driving drunk. Cop pulls you over.

Cop goes through the motions of talking to you (to smell your breath) by asking you why you're going so slow. You tell him you're "not in a hurry". Cop recognizes a BS line and gives you the "official" DUI/DWI tests. But, you pass. Now cop thinks you're smoking crack or shooting meth - either way he's going to want to keep an eyeball on you and put your ID through the system paces, just in case you're a repeat 10mph offender.


I really think, if you have the respect for cops like you say you do, you should've just explained about aeromodding/ecomodding & pulse/glide testing to him from the very beginning (hell, tell 'em about ecomodder.com). If he tells you that you are going to slow, then apologize and say you won't do it again. There's a good chance that he was in a "WTF" moment watching you pass him doing 10 in a 60, then giving him a "BS" line of "I'm not in a hurry" adds up to an "OMG-WTF-BS" mood, which for a cop is never good because he'll reply with "IC 9-21-5-7" and call in "Code3" on the radio. Very bad.

I hope the judge was understanding.

By the way, the minimum safe speed limit for a 60mph zone, is posted on a sign at mile marker 153, east bound, on Interstate-40 in New Mexico, for your reading convenience. Yep, one sign. Don't be ignorant of the laws now. lol