Posted by
cam33
19 yrs ago
The wife, kids and I were driving in Causeway Bay this afternoon looking for some Krispy Kreme donuts. We were at lights on Hennessy Rd, ready to turn left into Percival Street. Both the wife and I carefully checked for any "No left turn" signs. On green we gingerly proceeded around the corner, where a cop immediately stopped us and told us the turn was illegal. I was expecting a ticket/fine but understood through his broken English that he was charging me for "careless driving" and said that I would receive a summons for court appearance. Having never been to court in my life, this freaked us out a little bit.
Do I need a lawyer for this? Do I argue the "no signs"? What is the likely outcome?
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cam33
19 yrs ago
Will do. Have figured that we were probably looking up and around instead of down ie. am now thinking that there was probably an arrow on the road (underneath our car) at the lights. Nevertheless, assuming guilty, why not just a ticket/fine? ...or is this just the normal process in HK?
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oj
19 yrs ago
Take a camera and take pictures. Check to see if there is a sign but hidden (this is now illegal).
By the way, my hubby got a ticket for doing a right turn, there was a sign but slightly hidden, and he just had to pay the fine, so i don't know why you are so special (meant in a nice way).
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Ed
19 yrs ago
Empathize with you, I did the same thing about 5 years ago - didnt realize you couldnt turn left on a red in HK (in Canada can) and there are no signs saying you cant... I didnt get hauled into court but did get a hefty ticket - soon after I decided to sell my car and take cabs...
It is a bit much that HK allows you to plunk down a foreign drivers license and sets you free on the road without learning the different rules and in the case of canucks, forcing us to drive on the wrong side of the road.
Anway good luck with this
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cam33
19 yrs ago
Thanks for the replies. I'll let you know how it goes (...hopefully not from jail!). We've often remarked that certain penalties here seem quite extreme relative to our home (in Oz) and whilst I'm thankful that this keeps HK a safe and ordered place, I'm hoping that my left-turn doesn't result in anything beyond a fine.
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cam33
19 yrs ago
Agree. It does seem a bit odd though. We all drive on left side here. We were in left lane of three lanes of traffic and turned left into a street which we had just seen a taxi go down (albeit from the opposite side of the road). Even if wrong, "careless driving" seems a bit extreme. Found this under Sect 38 of traffic ordinance, "...The offence of careless driving carries a maximum penalty of an imprisonment for 6 months...."!
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Hi cam33. Sorry to hear about your trouble, I know it's not easy but you should try and calm down. I know the junction you are talking about. Earlier this year 2 cars were racing near my home, the 2nd car hit us (me and the missus) head on. Both cars written off and I still have serious injuries. Luckily nobody was killed. The guy admitted he was in race doing about 70-80kmh in a 50kmh. They already had the trial and the other guy got 5 points and a $1500 fine.
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Don't panic too much. I understand your worry but I am sure part of the problem is that the cop could not explain himself better. Four years ago I bumped the car in front of me while letting go of my brakes to hand my toddler a tissue. We were all on stop as there was a red stop sign due to road repairs so I wasn't even stepping on the gas but my fault was that i was tail gating, so the car I bumped sustained bumper damage (you know how cars crumple like tin on the slightest impact). The cop who was called to the scene said I would get a summons for reckless driving which I did about 3 weeks later. I had to go to traffic court in Pokfulam and though it is very intimidating and scary to be presented in front of a wigged judge lording it over from a huge desk, the fine is not that hefty, (600 if I recall). What bothered me more was the points lodged on my license. I hardly think you will be hauled off to jail. Just be more careful next time, especially in Causeway Bay where streets are very convoluted and there is a big presence of cops.
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"and in the case of canucks, forcing us to drive on the wrong side of the road." Ed
Could be a tad complicated to make exceptions for the confused.
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cam33
19 yrs ago
OK. I'm officially calmed down.
Bananarama and Talllatte's post has reassured me.
Talllatte...so sorry to hear your accident. Puts everything into perspective!
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cam33
19 yrs ago
Good advice beancurd. I think I will just politely accept and pay.
thanks
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Cam33, what was the outcome, did you get a summons or fine?
Sounds like that corner needs a no left turn sign that doesn't get lost in the myriad of one way signs in Causeway Bay.
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cam33
18 yrs ago
Got the summons filled it in, ticked a box to plead guilty and therefore not required to attend in person. The form clearly indicated that any judgement made against me in my absence could not include a fine of more than $2,000 or any jail term. Got the fine a week after this for about $450 and paid it same day by electronic banking.
Interestingly, I was walking around Causeway Bay near Times Square just on Sunday and happened to notice two policeman obviously hiding behind some steps. I wondered what they were doing and then recognised that it was the exact same corner that I had made the left turn into many months ago. I couldn't believe it ! It's obviously a revenue raising winner for them. Perhaps the resources could be better spent by simply erecting a clear "no left turn" sign. (I went back and had a look and noted that there was a "straight ahead arrow" on the road but it was about 20 metre back from the intersection.)
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Totty
18 yrs ago
I thought there was a law that came into affect a few motnhs ago stating that ALL road signs must be clearly visible and free from any construction work or obstruction.
By the way i got nicked crossing over a double white, the 'kind' policeman let the chinese driver of the blue car in front of me go, but not me. Strange!
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Thanks Cam33, yes we saw those policemen on Sunday too ;-)
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cam33
18 yrs ago
Wow...I didn't even know Caine Rd had "allowed hours" !
...as for the double lines....someone should throw the double-line paint away! I always found myself trapped between them the lines spiralling into one of the cross-harbour tunnels.
After the incident above, I actually sold the car. We find we don't spend nearly as much on taxis as we did on parking, petrol, registration etc.....and best of all....no stress....just a grumpy chauffer some time!
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