# Your thoughts on this traffic citation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-this-traffic-citation/551226>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 24, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-this-traffic-citation/551226 "2010-08-24T00:12:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![PainBank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@PainBank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PainBank)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-this-traffic-citation/551226/41 "2011-08-17T23:15:28Z")

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So, question:

If the only time you can enter the turn lane to make a left turn at a light is after the yellow turns to a white line (with opening), what do you do when there are cars filling that spot? Stay in the traffic lane until those cars move? Then you are breaking another law (impeding traffic) because you don’t want to move over into that lane!

I say this cause I received a ticket for the following violation, which occurred when I drove in the center turn lane probably a 1/4 mile to get past backed up traffic and make a left turn at the light.

I recently received a ticket from Troy, MI for the ordinance (257.635) of Improper Passing:

> [@](#):
>
> 257.635 Passing vehicle proceeding in opposite direction; violation as civil infraction.  
> Sec. 635.
> 
> (1) Drivers of vehicles proceeding in opposite directions shall pass each other to the right, each giving to the other not less than 1/2 of the main traveled portion of the roadway as nearly as possible.
> 
> (2) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil infraction.

[state doc.](http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(xsv1bc31zttzrl3nql1bxb45))/mileg.aspx?page=GetMCLDocument&objectname=mcl-257-635)

I would have expected to get a ticket for either of these two:

[257.638](http://law.onecle.com/michigan/257-motor-vehicles/mcl-257-638.html)  
or  
[257.640](http://law.onecle.com/michigan/257-motor-vehicles/mcl-257-640.html) - although this is more to a highway.

[Here is the city’s memo on the subject as well.](http://troymi.gov/TrafficEngineering/centerlane.pdf)

Now mind you, I don’t mind getting a ticket and paying, but I don’t like being targeted. Especially when cities now a days are broke and need to make up some revenue.

I also want to be ticketed for the proper offense, not some application of a law to interpretation. Of course everyone hates insurance, 'nuff said about that.

Thinking of fighting it to try to get out of the points (I’ve been good), but ugh. of course cannot look at past records (for free, it is data people) cause the state wants to make money on that as well.

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