Last week I got a ticket for "following car too closely" (violation 21703).
I was on a 45mph street about 2-2 1/2 carlengths behind a minivan. a police car came behind me but didn't turn his lights on, then went to the side of me. i knew i wasn't speeding, so at this point i was more concerned with what the cop was going to do next rather than how close i was to the car in front of me. the cop then went back behind me and pulled me over. he said he wasn't a crime cop, but an accident prevention cop.

today i got the notice and the fine is $230, or $254 for traffic school. i was expecting the ticket to be about half this price..so i looked online to see how much other people paid, and on yahoo answers a San Diego PD said the approximate fine is $146 (see here: http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2...9175135AAEx5BR ). now, i realize that this is for san diego, but do counties really differ this much? a $100 difference?

i'm 20 years old and i look young for my age. i feel like i get a lot of **** from cops just because of the car i drive..for instance, the cop that gave me this ticket asked me my age 5 times, and was surprised each time. my first ticket was a 70 in a 45 (stupid, i know - it was a bad day in general) and it was $545. a friend did the same speed on the same street in between the exact same cross streets and his ticket was $240. i feel like i'm getting screwed here for no reason other than i drive a nicer car than the average kid. can anyone tell me what's the deal? thanks in advance.

 

My first ticket was the same thing, tailgatting, and it was around that price range. I dont rmr the exact amount but it was 200+. I live in OC area

 

most young adults including myself went through that. from 17 to 21 years of age i always had a ticket pending, speeding/plate/reckless driving/tints/more speeding. Its been 8 strait months me being 21 that i dont have a ticket pending and luckily my points are all coming off next year.

To answer ur question, i think it is a combination of both, u looking young and braking the law at the wrong time. It will go away though.

 

I've never heard of an accident prevention cop, let alone a crime cop. There are only two classifications of cops that I know of at least, patrol and traffic. May I ask what agency cited you?

 

What a bunch of bs. He pulled you over because you had a fast car.