ticket question

[kariya_the_dog]

Before I go any further, no I'm not looking to get out of a ticket. I'm posting for a co-worker of mine. She has already been to court and she lost so yea, not trying to get out of anything here.

I am however curious and so is she, so I'm asking.

A couple months ago, her son was issued a ticket for his go-cart.
He was not issued a ticket for riding it on the street. All the logical things, a ticket was not issued for.
He was issued a ticket for not having a drivers license for it. When he issued the ticket, she really couldn't believe it because well, it's not street legal and how can you have a drivers license for something you can't even have a license for? And then he got huffy and puffy with her so to speak and said he could issue more tickets for it if she'd like..one of which was not having a seatbelt.

Anyways, so she just took the no DL ticket.
She asked the officers we work with, and some of them even called others in their dept and asked, and all of them agreed that that wouldn't hold up in court.

But she went to court on Friday and lost. I have no idea what the fine was but she lost.

So my question is, why did she lose?
Is there some kind of hidden law that none of the officers asked knew about?
Or is there something else...or what?
I'm just as lost as the next person about this so any insight would be helpful.
Thanks.

[mcsap]

Whether or not the "vehicle" is or can be street legal is COMPLATELY immaterial. The lad was driving a motor vehicle on a roadway/highway/trafficway without a license.

In an exact scenario in which a 15 yr old is riding around in a go cart in a development for example I can cite them for...

1. No drivers license
2. No state inspection
3. No license plates
4. No insurance
5. No headlights ( even during the day)
6. No tail lights
7. No turn signals
8. No seatbelt
9. No bumper
The list goes on.

When a person takes a motor vehicle out on the street, the vehicle INSTANTLY must comply with ALL of our registration and inspection requirements regardless of whether or not it could even possibly do so.

There have been people arrested for DUI on a lawn tractor ( on the road).

[codered]

I agree with everything mc just said, and furthermore ......in areas such as Texas where multiple complaints about golf carts have been received, the Law Enforcement personnel in that area tend to review these infractions with a restrictive view.

If "he got huffy and puffy with her" ....she obviously didn't help herself out on the situation.

[JD45]

Whether or not the "vehicle" is or can be street legal is COMPLATELY immaterial. The lad was driving a motor vehicle on a roadway/highway/trafficway without a license.

In an exact scenario in which a 15 yr old is riding around in a go cart in a development for example I can cite them for...

1. No drivers license
2. No state inspection
3. No license plates
4. No insurance
5. No headlights ( even during the day)
6. No tail lights
7. No turn signals
8. No seatbelt
9. No bumper
The list goes on.

When a person takes a motor vehicle out on the street, the vehicle INSTANTLY must comply with ALL of our registration and inspection requirements regardless of whether or not it could even possibly do so.

There have been people arrested for DUI on a lawn tractor ( on the road).

Couldn't agree more.

[scott715us]

You may want to mention the state this occurred in to get a better answer. But there may not be a better answer available than what has already been stated. Anything that is operated and driven by a "motor" upon a public road or highway in probably every state has to follow the same guidelines as every other vehicle on the road. This is probably why it held up in court.

We cannot tell you the exact answer on why your friend lost in court, only the judge. Tell them to keep the go-cart off of the public streets. ;)

[kariya_the_dog]

Well it happened in Texas, as someone pointed out already.

And well, I said huffy and puffy because I know an officer that knows the one that wrote the ticket and he said he would have talked to the guy about it, but he knew how he was and he could be a bit of a hardass sometimes. (his words, not mine.)

But thanks for clearing it up a bit.
I guess it all just confused us cause every one she or I asked, said it would be dismissed and it wasn't.
Oh well.

It's over with. lol.

[kariya_the_dog]

And since I, for the life of me, cannot find the edit button for my post, I now wonder why I never see the tractors pulled over when I see them going down the street. lol.

But whatever. Just a random thought. lol.

[samseed101]

To show you why he was cited for that, lets take a look at something a bit more extreme. Lets say that you take a NASCAR vehicle for a ride down the highway. It is definately not street legal, but do you think you don't need a license just because it's not allowed to be on the street?

[tpd_six]

And since I, for the life of me, cannot find the edit button for my post, I now wonder why I never see the tractors pulled over when I see them going down the street. lol.

But whatever. Just a random thought. lol.

Because most states include exemptions for agricultural vehicles. Here tractors just can't be operated on interstates.

[kariya_the_dog]

To show you why he was cited for that, lets take a look at something a bit more extreme. Lets say that you take a NASCAR vehicle for a ride down the highway. It is definately not street legal, but do you think you don't need a license just because it's not allowed to be on the street?

But I classify that as a car... I as well as others don't classify a go cart as a car.

From others responses, I can see why he was cited...which is why I said it just confused us cause everyone we knew said it would be dismissed.

And I've seen a tractor or two (or more) in my lifetime on a freeway and interstates and I've seen police cars pass them up.
I think it's impossible to live in Texas and not see that every once and a while. lol.

[mcsap]

Farm vehicles in PA have a MULTITUDE of exemptions when used in agricultural production within a limited radius of their farm.

They to a degree, don't need plates, inspection, can drive a commercial tractor trailer without a CDL , get a discount on the plates they do need etc.