You can not expect to be able to stop along the side of a freeway to take pictures. Sorry but your actions are not defensible. I am totally not trying to be mean. I just want to make you feel better in the sense that the trooper is totally in the right to cite a person for whatever reason - who stops along the side of any freeway for a non-emergency.
These troopers know how dangerous those places can be. Their colleagues are killed on them far too often.
I used to conduct accident investigations for commercial trucking lines. Stopping on an interstate to take pictures is not what the emergency shoulder is meant for. You can be cited just about anywhere for doing that. Just because you have not been cited in the past does not mean that there are no laws on the books.
People speed everyday and get away with it too; it doesn't mean that there are no laws against it or that we are not subject to being cited if we roll the dice and speed. The same is true of emergency shoulders, the fact that the area you are in is rural does not make the law less applicable, in fact, you are more likely to be struck by a vehicle in a rural area since people tend to drive at higher speeds than you would in a busy city.
Most of the commercial trucking accidents that I have investigated involved some interaction in the emergency shoulder, (especially in 2 lane interstates) either that is where the impact occurred, where the vehicle(s) ended up after collision, or the path a drive took to avoid a collision. By stopping to take pictures in the shoulder you put yourself and others at risk of being injured in a collision.
If it’s something where you really can’t get the shot anywhere else, contact the highway patrol or state troopers office and make the necessary arrangements, but boycotting the state for enforcing its laws is irrational. Wyoming is a beautiful state with lots to photograph.
They're now enforcing a law saying that you must slow down and switch lanes to give stopped emergency vehicles a safe, wide berth. When the law came into effect the cops travelled in pairs, one to give the speeding ticket, the other to chase down those who weren't slowing down.
Also, when I took drivers ed with the ultra-defensive Young Drivers Canada it was suggested that if you have to pull off on the shoulder you should take the additional step of exiting the vehicle and moving away from the road, in case it is struck by a passing motorist.
"...it was suggested that if you have to pull off on the shoulder you should take the additional step of exiting the vehicle and moving away from the road, in case it is struck by a passing motorist."
This is excellent advice! I had a friend who was seriously injured when his disabled vehicle was hit from behind. He was parked in the emergency lane on the west-bound SF Bay Bridge. If he had stepped out of the vehicle, he would have been fine.
Emergency vehicles at a scene always have the right of way. Ideally, the responders would close the adjacent lane to give themselves a good safety zone. As a fire fighter/EMT, I worked lots of accidents over the years, and I can say that it's a scary business!
--P
--P
Preston-Columbia CA
"If you want nice fresh oats, you have to pay a fair price. If you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse; that comes a little cheaper."
I had just this situation a few weeks ago on I78 E near NYC. I had just cleared a construction zone when I hit a piece of debris and blew a tire.Originally Posted by Coyote
After pulling to the shoulder I waited about 200 yards ahead and off the road while watching for the tow truck. During my 45-minute wait I lost count of the number of speeders rounding the curve too close and nearly hitting my car.
So my advice: don't park on the shoulder except in emergencies. And when you do get out of the car and well out of the danger zone in case someone rear-ends it. Bob G.
All natural images are analog. But the retina converts them to digital on their way to the brain.
i only pull off where i can get onto the GRASS far away from the shoulder....even is this means driving on a rim (obviously a car that has lost power makes this difficult and in if i was in that situation i would be on the safe side of the guard rail....i am a mechanic/body man so i very rarely break down from engine failure)
i think the NY state cops are crazy to stand at the drivers window giving a ticket and the like...they should be on the passenger side at the very least.
being stopped on a motor way is scary business and should be treated with EXTRA care.
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Oregon also has such a law...and perhaps Washington. Though the signs say it is slow down or switch lanes.
Just got done doing a lot of driving in the above two states (with CA tags -- might as well be a bullseye). No more than 4 mph over the limit -- and at the limit in small towns. If the locals don't like being behind a "slow" moving CA driver, then too bad! I have no intention helping fund the state and local police!
Vaughn
It's amazing how friendly folks in Oregon and Washington can be when they learn you're from Indiana, not California!Just got done doing a lot of driving in the above two states (with CA tags -- might as well be a bullseye). No more than 4 mph over the limit -- and at the limit in small towns. If the locals don't like being behind a "slow" moving CA driver, then too bad! I have no intention helping fund the state and local police!
Vaughn
Mike
Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.
And many of those Oregonians were originally from California!It's amazing how friendly folks in Oregon and Washington can be when they learn you're from Indiana, not California!Mike
Vaughn
I got out of a speeding ticket on the Northway around Glen's Falls several years ago simply because I pulled waaay over on the shoulder. The cop appreciated that I was concerned about his (our) safety).
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