Good News and Bad News. I need serious advice.

I got an interesting phone call from my partner Paul today. He aparently ordered me a Cedar Fair platinum pass, which is very good news! The bad news is, that I may have to drive all the way to Cedar Point to pick it up.

So, I am wondering. Since it is a platinum pass ,and I have the ticket number and the confirmation number, would it not also be possible to pick up my pass at Michigan's Adventure? I may not be able to make the drive to Ohio for some time. Due to an unexpected developement.

Here's the story on the unexpected developement. I was driving home from Grocery shopping, when I was pulled over by a county police officer who says I failed to stop at a stop sign, and that I was not driving in my own lane.

I don't know where he came from, but I did stop, and he was only behind me for a matter of seconds, to say that I was not driving in my own lane. So, how he can justify giving me a ticket is beyond me. I have a perfect driving record. And, to not stop where he claims I didn't stop could have got me into an accident, as it is a t junction, and you would have to be an idiot to not stop there. With a total ticket of $285.00!!!!

I want to see the video from his cruiser. I want to know where he came from. I'm betting he was just looking for someone to give a ticket to. I'm calling the local police department on monday, to see what I should do.

At any rate, back to the Cedar Fair platnum pass. Can you pick it up at any park? or do you have to go to a certain park, after you purchase online? My friend bought the pass, so I don't know what I will need to pick it up.

Why don't you call the park? We can't definitively tell you. Then lawyer up. We can't help you with that either.

I plan on calling Michigan's Adventure tomorrow Jeff. But, thought maybe somebody with experience in buying a platinum pass, would give me some hints on to what questions I should ask them when I call. I don't want to drive all the way to Ohio, to find out that I can't use my pass.

I have also never had a traffic ticket in my life, so thought maybe somebody could give me a heads up on what to expect. I wasn't asking for legal advice thank you. I do know people who have had them. But, $285.00 seems like an aweful lot for someone who has never had a ticket.

And, I know the officer is wrong.

I was told by a Kings Island rep in an email that I could get my Platinum Pass made at any park. However, I would still call the park to make sure this is in fact, possible.

Edit: Traffic tickets have gone up a lot in the last few years. I'm pretty sure I did something wrong to get all of them. (I also think it was profiling to pull over the 20 year old in the Mustang and not the 50 year old in the Aveo. But that won't matter to a judge if both were in the wrong.)

The police don't hand out tickets based on whether you've had a ticket before. They hand them out when you're observed breaking the law.

I got pulled over by the police last week. I was going to make a left turn at a "Protected" Intersection (Turn on Green arrow only) but the car in front of me didn't get there in time to trigger the sensor, which meant I'd have to wait abouht eight minutes brfore i could make my turn. Instead i did what I called a "P-Turn" Seeing the coast was clear I turned right with the intention of doing a U-'Turn after traveling about 100 yards down the road, returning to the intersection and crossing it, thus going where I wanted to go. Unfortunately a Police Car was in a parking lot of an office building, theb officer spotted me and pulled me over for an "Improper Turn". I told the officer If I commited an infraction I'm soeey, and that I only have one regret. He asked me what that was and I said I wish I could afford a High-Powered Attorney, one that would take my case all the way to the US Supreme Court. I then said if I had such a Lawyer I'd file a Lawsuit in Federal Court charging that the State Law regarding the timing of Traffic Signals is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. I said time and again I see motorists (including myself) arriving at an intersection too late for the sensor to register someone's there and have the left-turn light go green. The US Constitution PROHIBITS Vague Laws, but the law regarding protected turns is vague because it says "According to demand". I hate to say this but zero seconds is not a proper minimum. Sensors have their places, they can determing there is an unusually long line at an intersection and adjust the green time appropiately, however as the law stands now if a motorist can end up waiting for the light to cycle, spending five minutes or more wasting $3.50 a Gallon Gasoline or $4.00 a Gallon Diesel. The only beneficiaries are the Oil Companies and the OPEC Sheiks. My proposal for a Remedy, at protected turns have a MINIMUM green time of ten seconds. This would allow approaching vehicles and Motorcycles (Often the sensors don't detect these kinds of vehicles so there is no green time given). Guess what? The Officer AGREED with me, and told me to drive safely.

Well you can go to court to protest the ticket but the judge is going to believe the police officer over you. If your record is clean you might be able to get the fine reduced.

Hello, T-R. Here, I thought your story was going to be that you got caught with brownies. Dammit.

Anyway, life ain't fair. I could tell you about my speeding ticket I got last summer crossing from Iowa into Illinois but it doesn't matter what I thought about it. I paid the ticket and so will you.

I might just know the answer to your other question.

If you have your Cedar Point voucher with you, you can get your pass at any park. I had a friend do it at KI a couple weeks ago, and I've done it myself. One thing, (and this may be of concern to you since they piss you off on a regular basis), is in doing so Michigan's Adventure will become your home park, you'll be the owner of a Michigan's Adventure Platinum Pass, and all future information and offers will come from them, not Cedar Point. You'll have to take an extra minute and fill out their forms while they make the transition from one pass to the other, so be braced for that heinous delay while idiots try to figure it out.

Show your voucher to the parking attendant, (who you will automatically hate because they hold the job), and they should send you off to mid-timbers for free. If they insist on collecting the fee, be ready for another delay while another stupid kid refunds your money at processing.

Be careful going to Muskegon, and please, please try to stay out of trouble on the road this time.

Oh, and yes- call first just to make sure I'm telling you right. That's my serious advice.

P.S. We around here have always thought very highly of Paul. Nice gift.

You gotta be careful out there. Cops love to set up traps mid-Timbers.

A friend of mine bought a Dorney Plat pass but didn't know if she'd be able to get to Dorney before our Kings Dominion trip. She was told she could get her pass processed at Kings Dominion.

However, while Cedar Fair does seem to have gotten their act together with regards to pass processing, I would still call them first.

You can probably pay your ticket by a payment plan, so that it doesn't hit you all at once. I got ticketed for an improper turn once, trying to get into a parking lot to rest for a minute because I was sick. It was a pain in the butt to pay, but I paid it and life went on.

Season pass processing for me was at Carowinds even though Michigan Adventures and Cedar Point are my home parks. The processing system there was 45 minutes because there were a lot of peole lined up. Even though it took a long time, they were efficient.

If you choose to fight it, ask the court about the particulars of the discovery process, and you might be able to get the dashcam video or other things prior to the trial. I'm assuming you'll be doing this pro se, because obtaining counsel and winning would likely cost more than just paying the ticket.

At the trial, if the officer doesn't show up, make an oral motion for dismissal for want of prosecution. That would end the case right there. This happened to me once, and it was the greatest feeling in the world.

If the cop does show up, ask to speak to the prosecutor, and see if you can plea it down to a no-points violation. That probably won't save you any money on the day of the trial (it may raise the cost a little), but a moving violation won't be reported to your insurance company, and your rates won't go up. It should go without saying, but this is best achieved by being as friendly and non-antagonistic to court personnel as possible.

Good luck.

Hey Timber-Rider. ;) You should be able to redeem your CP Platinum Pass at MA. I did this at KI before, and my experience was similar to RCMAC's.

Break Trims beat me to the punch. My parents' mentality always seemed to be that when you got a ticket, you had no choice but to take the points and pay the fine. A friend opened my eyes and stated that if you feel wronged, you should always show up in court and fight the ticket. He also stated that even if you know you were doing something wrong, kindly and respectfully tell the judge that you have a great driving record (if you do), give them a brief explanation of what happened, and ask to get the violation reduced to no points (so that your insurance rate won't go up), etc. I took my friend's advice, and here were the outcomes of my last 2 tickets:

1. I received a ticket in Warren, MI for failing to stop behind the stop bar. I'm from Ohio, and it was one of those confusing intersections where the roads are joined at weird angles, and the traffic light was far away from where the stop bar should be. I explained this all to the officer, but he was cold. He gave me the ticket, and I was very annoyed and not even sure what I had done wrong.

I parked my car and went back to the intersection to find that the white stop bar was 98% faded away. You could only make out the tiniest bit of faded white directly at the curb, and I felt that was where I had stopped anyway. I snapped a bunch of pictures of this stop bar, and they all appeared uniformly grey. I was actually excited to go to court for this one, as anyone that didn't rule in my favor would be insane.

Outcome: The officer didn't show up, and the ticket was automatically dismissed.

2. Everywhere I've been in Ohio, the "No Turn on Red" signs are attached to the traffic light, and sometimes there is a bright red LED sign or symbol. You get used to that, it's logical, and it's hard to see "No Turn on Red" signs any other way. Wow, Westland, MI. I feel like their signs were designed to collect money. The "No Turn on Red" sign is on the right hand side of the road, before the intersection, and impossible to see from a stop. I got a ticket because of this and back to court I went.

Outcome: This was a seedy little setup, and it makes me laugh thinking back. I walked into the court room at the correct time, and no one was there. Confused, I went to the cashier office and told the girl I was there for a ticket, and she stated she'd call someone in. A man came rushing into the room, he picked up a cheap cape, and draped it over himself like a judge Halloween costume. He went behind a cheap-looking podium and told me to proceed.

I explained to "the judge" everything I had just said, and he agreed with me. But he said even though I couldn't see the sign from a stop, I needed to pay attention to all signs along the road, because there was a posted sign before the intersection. He reduced it to a no-points noise violation, but I still had to pay the fine. It still bugs me though..."No Turn on Red" signs should be universally attached to traffic signals where they can't be missed.

Lastly, to enfynet's post, police certainly do profile cars, and it can get really annoying. Having driven a Mustang GT for years, all 3 of my tickets were in that car, and I was pulled over for other insignificant reasons (a bulb burnt out on license plate, no front license plate, etc.), one resulting in a drug dog search. I would also be followed regularly for no reason, which was nerve-racking. When driving a commuter vehicle, I have never received any attention from police. So at least keep this in mind when buying a vehicle.

So strange….anyone who ever gets a ticket isn’t doing anything wrong.

Thanks for your replies everyone. I will start with my ticket problem. I'm guessing I should go to the court, and see what can be done to remove the points from my record, and try to get on a payment plan on the ticket, because my mom will have to pay it, as I have no income. Otherwise it says, it could plead a misdermeaner. But, don't want to do that. But, I certainly would like for a judge to see that view from the officers patrol car. The things he is charging me with just don't make sense.

As for Michigan's Adventure, I called them today, and they said that I could get my pass processed there. But, they said they would also need the person who purchased the pass for me, present so they can get his driverse liscence, and various information from him, in order to process everything. But, said, they could also call him on the phone if he could not be there in person.

I explained this to my friend, and he is not very happy about it. He said, nowhere in the signup internet app, does it say that anyone had to be present in order to complete the process. According to him it says all that is necessary is the ticket number and the comfirmation code. Which I plan to pick up from him when I get the chance to go to Muskegon. Which will hopefully be in the next couple weeks, because I want to be able to take advantage of that pass.

I am very glad that I did not drive all the way down to Ohio. It would have been a huge wasted trip. Also, I don't get the whole home park thing. So, just because I process my pass at one park, they would not send me offers from other parks that I can use the pass at? Would also like to go to Kings Island or Dorney. But looks like just Cedar Point and MA for now.

Unless I win the lotto.

Just out of curiosity, as it seems a lot of people on here have been getting tickets in Michigan, but what is the penalty for driving under the influence of brownies?

Hanging n' Banging said:

So strange….anyone who ever gets a ticket isn’t doing anything wrong.

Father, I cannot tell a lie, HE DID IT!!!

In 2011 after return home from my Texas Coaster and Waterpark Trip, I was pulled over and given a warning because there was a major bust going on and I didn't pass them at least one lane's distance. Guess what? It's a good thing I got pulled over. You see, a Rocket Launch that was originally scheduled to go up two days before I returned had been delayed two days, and as I was traveling tword Titusville crossing the St. John's River I saw the sky light up, I stopped my car and watch the rocket make its way into space. If I had not been pulled over, I would had turned north as soon as I reached 1-95 and my back would have turned to the launch pad, and I would have missed the launch. Thanks, I needed that!

Just a strange story. I was under the impression that there was no law enforcement or civilization of any kind within 200 miles of Michigan's Adventure to save everyone from the ne'er-do-wells who will be frequenting the open bar.

Oh we got trouble.

Right here in ol' Muskegon.