So let me set this up. I'm going to pick some friends up from the international airport. They didnt get out on time, so i looped around twice, on the third time i waited on the side of the road just after the ramp down. I waited there for a few mins before i saw an AFP car coming down so i figure i better get a move on. So i set off on my 3rd circuit. This is when the incident happened. Here is a diagram!

http://dump.justwipeit.com/Pics/airport.jpg

So we start off down the ramp. Where the first arrow is on the right. We get to where the red X. That's when i realised the turn off was coming up sooner than i thought. The Pink line is my car and the other car is the yellow line. So i put my blinker on for a good 5 seconds. Looked over my shoulder and there was a car near the rear wheel of my car. So i figure if im to make that right turn (orange arrow) i would need to accelerate a bit and cut the guy off. Keep in mind this is all happening at no more than 25-30 km/h. The yellow car also had to turn right.

So 20 meters down after i made the turn, the AFP that was behind me before flagged me down and proceeded to fine me for $300 and 4 points (double ownage time and all) for "failing to give way when changing from one line of traffic to another". When he asked questions he said to me that the car behind me had to "break suddenly" which is total bulls*** because he was going at 20ish km/h and i had indicated for a good 5 seconds before i sped past him to make the turn.

When the officer asked me why they pulled me over i said "umm, is it because i cut that guy off before" and he nodded. He then asked if i knew that was an offense and i said "no i didnt know it would warrant a fine".

He also powertripped a little bit when he thought i wasnt giving him the respect he deserved and said that he could of taken away my license and fined me even more if he liked but he was being nice and only got me for the 300... tosser.

Thoughts?

laws the law i guess :/

Grabbing a park would have been cheaper.

You were in the wrong, of course that is illegal... just all round s*** driving.

Why not just brake and then slot in behind him?

since when are afp traffic cops?

If you cut someone off you didn't give way, did you? Pretty f***ing simple.

sounds like another cop being a dick. Also sounds like the other driver could have been less of a s*** and slowed down to let you in.

"umm, is it because i cut that guy off before"

big mistake saying that. If you didn't say that, you'd have a reasonable chance of getting off by claiming that the other car slowed down to let you in (even if he didnt) and you didnt fail to give way at all. They probably have this on audio recording, so if you tried to contest it, they will whip that out and say 'hah! he even admitted to it'.

However, as with all bulls*** fines, you should contest it and wait to get your court summons before deciding if you want to take it any further. There is always a chance they will elect not to persue it.

When you get your summons to court, wait right up until 3 or 4 days before the scheduled appearance, then fill out the attached form (which basically says "i've decided to plead guilty" and send it in. Reason for this is a lot of the time, police will wait until the last possible moment to decide not to contest it. You may get lucky and about a week before your court date receieve a letter saying 'we have decided not to contest it blah blah'.

yeah wtf.
either speed up properly or hit the picks and get behind him.

argh it's so difficult, mein brain
!~!~

since when are afp traffic cops?

First thought too. Since it's within the vicinity of an airport though I guess they do it.

i think you will find that roads in and around airports are considered federal property and therefore policed by AFP.

The cop also got me to sign a simple transcript of the questions he asked and my answers. What legal rights do i have in this situation? Someone said that you can just not say anything, accept the fine and deal with it later instead of possibly self-owning yourself.

"umm, is it because i cut that guy off before"

self ownage took place right about here

omfg, it's like u let urself get raped then are asking how to get ur anal virginity back

i only asked for opinions, its not like im asking if i can get my anal virginity back :P. Probably am in the wrong but its more of a let steam off thread than anything else. And just checking what bright ideas people have when they get pulled over.

edit: and yes i realised i self owned myself the instant i was driving off.

last edited by CSIRAC at 16:26:07 20/Dec/09

i only asked for opinions

Asking for opinions on QGL is like fishing in piranha-infested waters ... you'll get s***loads of bites, but you're probably gonna go hungry!

Also, BL on fine. Learn to do the innocent-smiley, then surprised-apologetic face to cops.

sounds like some s*** driving and poor handling of situation with the cop, all in all if you hadn't been fined by the cop you should be fined for lack of life skills

since when are afp traffic cops?

pretty sure since airport drive is private property that normal cops can't do s*** to you, anywhere around the airport is usually under federal control anyway - po po wise

You're a dick. You were in the wrong lane and you cut someone off. If you wanted to get over, slow down more, then slip in behind.

So i figure if im to make that right turn (orange arrow) i would need to accelerate a bit and cut the guy off

As awesome as it is to do that, I think legally you have to slow down and wait to change lanes, not speed up.

Airport is Commonwealth land and the AFP have exclusive jursidiction over it.

I see why you made the thread, cause we all do this sort of s*** in real life and get away with it.

Problem is it's still illegal, you should have known not to do it when a POLICE car was behind you.

If I was the AFP I'd have arrested you for acting suspicious. Doing aps of an airport? Terrorist.

When it comes to what she says, Anna lives every day as opposites day.

You could try sending the fine to be paid by the airline company who arrived late :p, after all.. it is their fault, isn't it?

Haha. Well my mate called me when he got off the phone at which point I left. It usually times pretty well but for some reason he got owned by a sniffer dog and got all his s*** searched through. I'm blaming the sniffer dog.

Hmm I only assume it was double demerit just because $300 and 4 points seems pretty harsh. lolz imagine $600 and 8 points.

last edited by CSIRAC at 20:34:39 20/Dec/09

Maybe the Po Po just don't like you and your friends?

Rookie error, keep lapping till your person is outside. Didn't think the AFP could fine you, hmm better be careful speeding down there :/

CSIRAC, bad luck mate. Similar has happened to me for crossing double white lines. Only $180 and 3 demerits though.

Them's the breaks. You get a copper with refractive glasses looking at his own f***ed up reality and that's what happens. What annoys me about such things (which are generally often unreasonable in most circustances) is that the only outcome here is that you become disillusioned with people enforcing the law, because every other day you will see someone do worse and get away with it. That's what sucks.

When it happened to me I was 100% polite, even though I had my gf drunk and vomiting in a plastic bag in the passenger seat, and I obviously had enough to deal with, and I said to the copper, "Thanks. Have a good night." as he gave me the ticket. So you can't get much nicer than that. Also, when he told me what I did and why he was fining me I had no idea, so I said, "Oh sorry, no, I didn't notice." - so yeah, you lose and you lose, doesn't matter which way you turn.

In my opinion, you're in the wrong so yeah cop in the the chin.

nothing you can do. even if you say "i didn't cut that guy off" the cops are an "expert witness" in road matters, so if they said you did, the judge is going to take their side and give you a bigger fine for wasting the courts time if you plead innocent.

you could also try and get a reduced fine saying that the maneuver was necessary and it wasn't dangerous but its really not worth the court saying "you could have just slowed down" and slapping you with a bigger fine.

$300 is pretty excessive though, but i guess the government is running out of money so it really is a necessary evil

You deserved what happened because you did it wrong. If you want to save petrol not "lapping", just park at the DFO or the Kingsford Smith Memorial and wait for a phone call from friend/family saying they're waiting outside the airport.

I just parked at the shopping centre before the airport and then waited for the text to say at the right place to be picked up come pick us up. Works for me :)

You deserved what happened because you did it wrong. If you want to save petrol not "lapping", just park at the DFO or the Kingsford Smith Memorial and wait for a phone call from friend/family saying they're waiting outside the airport.

you get fined if you park at the kingsford smith memorial for any other reason but to be at the kingsford smith memorial.

just do what I do when people ask for a lift from the airport
you say, and I quote "get a taxi"

if they can't afford it, they can afford to get a train
if you have no choice, you just rock up 45 minutes after they told you their flight was supposed to be out
that way you're generally driving up as they're walking out

then you give them an ear bashing about making you wait

last edited by tequila at 15:16:07 21/Dec/09

If I was you the first thing I would have done was ask the cop for a badge number and ID to prove he was a real cop. This is your right, and don't they hate it. Then I would have NEVER ADMITTED TO ANYTHING. The charge is a pure allegation. Your word against theirs. It cannot hold up in court.

So, if I received a fine I would then proceed to send a letter in response to that notice to whoever the person was that sent you the fine, asking for proof of claim that an offence was committed. Then you watch your fine disappear. They won't chase something in court they have even the slightest chance of losing. A quick study of how law works will tell you this.

I had an undercover cop pull me over a couple of weeks ago. I was "accused" of speeding, and I was probably doing like 35 over the limit, and because I knew my rights and that hearsay is not permissible in court, I didn't even get a warning. The cop knew it, and I knew it. He had nothing. They rely on people not knowing their rights to collect their revenue.

^^ Don't they have video cameras in the cars these days to prove you were speeding?

I just slow down to merge if I may not have enough room at the present time just in case, even when I'm in my v8.

aha, there are so many conflicting stories here about what you should/shouldn't do.

If they do indeed have cameras in car, then you should ask to see the recording of whatever the offence was they supposedly caught you doing.

If I was you the first thing I would have done was ask the cop for a badge number and ID to prove he was a real cop. This is your right, and don't they hate it. Then I would have NEVER ADMITTED TO ANYTHING. The charge is a pure allegation. Your word against theirs. It cannot hold up in court.

So, if I received a fine I would then proceed to send a letter in response to that notice to whoever the person was that sent you the fine, asking for proof of claim that an offence was committed. Then you watch your fine disappear. They won't chase something in court they have even the slightest chance of losing. A quick study of how law works will tell you this.

I had an undercover cop pull me over a couple of weeks ago. I was "accused" of speeding, and I was probably doing like 35 over the limit, and because I knew my rights and that hearsay is not permissible in court, I didn't even get a warning. The cop knew it, and I knew it. He had nothing. They rely on people not knowing their rights to collect their revenue.

There is some good and bad advice in here. Asking for their badge number is stupid. Unless you have real concerns that they aren't a police officer (not in uniform or something), then all you are doing is antagonizing them. Despite what you think you know, they can and will make things harder if they think your a smartass.

Never admitting to anything is very good advice. Most officers will be recording the conversation, and if you admit to anything it will be used in court against you.

Sending a letter is likely to get you a template letter back quoting a bunch of crap that basically has nothing to do with your original letter, but it doesnt hurt to try.

Electing for a court appearance is a good idea, even if you have no intention of fronting up to the court date. The system has changed somewhat these days though. I believe they caught on to the whole thing about people contesting fines with no intention to turn up to the court date, and just waiting till the last minute to see if the police would drop it cause they couldnt be bothered fighting it. Last I heard, the first court appearance will not involve the issuing officer, and will instead just have the police prosecutor there, who will listen to you plead not guilty, then say that they will review the case and decide whether or not to contest it. They make you come back in a few months to listen to them say 'we will contest it'. Then they make you come back again a few months after that for the actual court hearing where you get to plead your case. It's all designed to make it harder for you to contest a fine (3 days off work, 3 trips to the court house, etc.).

All of this information is just anecdotal evidence and stuff i have heard. Take from it what you will.

^^ Don't they have video cameras in the cars these days to prove you were speeding?

they do but the video feed only has the cops speed on the HUD, not the targets

Asking for a badge number lets them know you know your rights. It is for this reason I am sure I never received any sort of fine or warning for my alleged speeding.

. Asking for their badge number is stupid. Unless you have real concerns that they aren't a police officer (not in uniform or something), then all you are doing is antagonizing them. Despite what you think you know, they can and will make things harder if they think your a smartass.

You are absolutely allowed to ask who they are. If it s***s them off, then that is their own problem.

Cops will always think you're a smartarse, because they are not very clever, so anything you say goes over their head, and rather than understanding that you are more intelligent, they will dismiss you as being an antagonist. That is also their own problem.

Don't change who you are out of fear for some schmuck that couldn't get a real job.

Asking for a badge number lets them know you know your rights. It is for this reason I am sure I never received any sort of fine or warning for my alleged speeding.

or that you watch too many tv shows. Your call, keep trying it and see what happens when you get a cranky cop. 3 yellow pieces of paper instead of 1 is my guess.

Don't change who you are out of fear for some schmuck that couldn't get a real job.

What?

I don't know about 'badge number' but I would ask their name, rank, and where they work. Surely I learnt that in legal studies, not on tv, but I can't be sure.
Most importantly, remember every single thing that happens, and write it down after. Sometimes even the cop not wearing the right clothes can invalidate their fine.

You are absolutely allowed to ask who they are. If it s***s them off, then that is their own problem.

Do you think after slugging you for an extra $150 for driving a defective vehicle (because your washer fluid wasn't topped up) and another $300 for 'driving with undue care and attention' on top of your speeding fine, he's walking away thinking 'god this is my problem?'.

edit: beside the fact, the first thing the cop will say to you is 'I'm *rank* *surname* from *place* police department. You going on to ask for their badge number serves no real purpose but to annoy them if they think your trying to be clever.

Cops will always think you're a smartarse, because they are not very clever, so anything you say goes over their head, and rather than understanding that you are more intelligent, they will dismiss you as being an antagonist. That is also their own problem.

Don't change who you are out of fear for some schmuck that couldn't get a real job.

Really? You really thinkg ALL cops are stupid and you are smarter than all of them? I'm not advocating being a pushover and just blindly accepting whatever they say (despite most of the population doing that). The best thing you can do when you have been pulled over is say as little as possible, admit to nothing, be polite on the off chance that the cop is going to let you off with a warning, and take the ticket and get out of there. If it really is a bulls*** ticket, then fight it in the courts. Arguing/antagonizing with the officer on the spot doesn't help your cause at all.

last edited by Strik3r at 11:02:26 22/Dec/09

If you have a defective vehicle then it's fair game and maybe you should get a fine. They can't just make s*** up because they don't like you, and they get asked who they are all the time. Yes they're stupid, it's even in their policy that if a person's aptitude/intelligence is over a certain level they cannot become police officers and are offered military positions. There are discrimination cases happening over this as we speak.
You know who becomes a cop? The school bully, or his sidekick, or the rugby player that didn't do as well in class as his teammates. The genius kids in science and drama class don't aspire to become a traffic cop. Clever people don't get off on harrassing and threatening people when they ask for a badge number.

what totally pisses me off about brisbane airport shenanigans is how ludicrously over-priced the train service is & due to that... how under-used it is. my olds travel a lot as they are both retired. i get the job of picking them up from the airport coz i live closest of all my relatives to the airport. with international i tend to give in & just pay the $10 or woteva for short term parking & go inside & wait at the luggage pickup point. for domestic i park way back on the side of the road & wait for an sms when my olds are out the front n then cruise through n pickup.

one time the pickup was during peak hour n i've insisted they get the train. they had to wait 40mins for the train & it cost them $40 for 2 retired oldies !@#! wtf! they said that the train was completely empty... not a single other person in the carriage. good work qr!!@# :/

Yes they're stupid, it's even in their policy that if a person's aptitude/intelligence is over a certain level they cannot become police officers and are offered military positions.

are you related to faceman ?

Do you say s*** like this in real life at parties and stuff thermite?

wow
retard

Nice way to play a stereotype there Therm. Not all officers stay in Traffic, but it looks good when you have done everything when you apply for Snr Sgt one day. Its still a specialist roll.

The Science types in the police service have to go somewhere and do something before there was a job opening in a CS (Crime Scene, Crash Scene) roll or other MANY options they have.

one time the pickup was during peak hour n i've insisted they get the train. they had to wait 40mins for the train & it cost them $40 for 2 retired oldies !@#! wtf! they said that the train was completely empty... not a single other person in the carriage. good work qr!!@# :/

yeh the train is a complete rort as soon as there is more than one person - it quickly becomes about the same price as a cab.

Is it actually a QR thing? I thought it was some bulls*** privatised link.

Yes they're stupid, it's even in their policy that if a person's aptitude/intelligence is over a certain level they cannot become police officers and are offered military positions. There are discrimination cases happening over this as we speak.

Can you provide links to either of those two things? Would like to read more about them.

the train line is private from eagle junction to the airport
still operated by QR trains though

Doesn't psycho work in a science related field of the police or law enforcement or something

Is it actually a QR thing? I thought it was some bulls*** privatised link.

whoever is responsible... they suck! people generally avoid trains unless they are walking distance from stations anyway (in preference to cabs)... making it just as expensive as cabs means no one will use the service... yet the trains still run... does the private company involved foot the electricity bill for the trains? i doubt it. :(

Doesn't psycho work in a science related field of the police or law enforcement or something

retired forensics photographer/expert from memory.

Is it actually a QR thing? I thought it was some bulls*** privatised link.

Airtrain is the owned by a private group of companies and they set the prices this is why it's so f***ing retarded as they need to turn a profit quickly as it's privately owned. I believe it got quite complex leasing structures between the airlink entity and QR or some such s***. This was also why the smart card wasn't working for a while at the airport stations... man what a f***ed system if you asked me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airtrain_%28Brisbane%29



last edited by Opec at 14:02:05 22/Dec/09

I can tell all of you now that it's best you listen to strik3r. he's the only one in this thread to give good advice/information.

Agree that air train price sucks. It was a negligible difference between me and a mate taking the air train to the airport and me just paying for parking at the airport for 3 days.

yeah pretty much unless you live on the coast or in ipswich, or if there is more than a few of you going, taxi is the same price or very close

and very close = worth the extra bit so you can get out right out the front of your airline, rather than f***ing ages away from the front doors and carrying your bags etc

hardware why dont you just have sex with him
anyone who knows what an rb2*det(t) is has had to deal with cops in the past regarding defects ;)

what totally pisses me off about brisbane airport shenanigans is how ludicrously over-priced the train service is & due to that... how under-used it i

Gotta love private companies running public transport! Same goes for utilities, greedy a******s.

^^Yeh can't believe we sold off Telstra

teq i would but i'm still busy with your mum

ooh burn, take that teq

OP, sounds like you got stung by a bored copper........
ive done heaps worse things in front of actual police and gotten away with it.

and at 20km/h, who gives a f***........

sure you were in the wrong, but you would think AFP would have more important things to worry about......

so, i feel for ya, but yeah.....sux to be you !!!!!!

I don't watch tv actually, strik3r. Good old study and experience, and a bit of common sense gets you a long way in this world.