Florida - "Improper Start" moving violation
 

So... I was just pulled over for semi-launching my Z at a green light. It was 1am, and there was only one car along side me in a 3 lane road with no cars in front for miles.

4 seconds later, I see headlights turning behind me and flashing lights soon after... he pulls me over and says it was an "improper start" ... I didn't get a ticket, and am thankful for the leniency, but what the hell is the point of having a sports car if you can't put a few horses in the ground? I didn't even squeak the tires, lose traction, or bust the 45mph speed limit... leveled off at 40.

Soon we will all be driving hybrid cars that accelerate 0-60 in 10 seconds or more. Has anyone ever been ticketed for something like this? Would a ticket like that even hold up in court?

"316.154 Starting parked vehicle.—No person shall start a vehicle which is stopped, standing, or parked, unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety. A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation as provided in chapter 318."

Is the only law I could find regarding this aleged crime. I would argue my start was reasonably safe, I was in full control of my vehicle, and not nearly pushing my driving limits or the cars.

sounds like cops being cops...

Semi-launched? You gunned it at the light from a dead stop and you got caught this time, pretty cool he let you go.

Perhaps, but I shouldn't have been pulled over in the first place IMO. I thought Florida was car/gun friendly.

I guess it's okay for a honda civic to floor the gas pedal, but not anything beyond that though right? Traffic laws like these are just plain stupid; they're aimed at making city and state revenue, not safety. The 350z isn't even half of the fastest thing on the road either; I can't imagine driving a super-car leisurely at half throttle on public roads without getting hassled now-a-days. Complacency kills, not speed or acceleration. Stuff like this just bugs me I guess.

i got a warning one time for accelerating to fast from a stop. This was almost 10 years ago in my integra and i was the only one on the road. They had like 5 cop cars that showed up just to give me a warning.

Your entire post is so full of HERP and DERP I cannot even remotely begin to describe.

Please rethink your attitude towards law enforcement.

thread is equivalent to should i poop before or after i shower

So what's your point? So taking off and racing yourself is cool? Who cares what your driving a Lamborghini or a Civic, driving like a douche is well... Stupid and he LET YOU OFF!

i would have to go with "before":dunno:

Please explain. This is news to me (no sarcasm). Is it really illegal to do a fast start from a stop? Is there an actual threshold between "fast" and "normal" or is it a judgement call?

(I'm over-analytical - need a definition :))

It is actually. You can't get cited for drag racing without a second car is its pretty much a law to keep Vin Diesel over here from launching at every light he stops at.

In Florida you can be pulled over for an 'Unlawful display of horsepower'. Don't go fast, they'll catch yah.

Also, we know speed doesn't kill, we know speed limits are fake. Nixon lowered all the speed limits in the US in the 70s for gas reasons, not for safety. Police have been riding those tails for years, making up most of their budget on keeping the roads 'safe'. In other words, I agree with the OP that the cop was just being a dick. If he wouldn't have let him off, it would have been an easy case to win, because in Florida, you don't have to prove you didn't disobey the law, just that you did so safely. If there were no other cars around, you put no one in danger, thus the law in void.

I really hope you are not serious with this with this paragraph...

This whole thread is so full of derp and herp...

I would have to say you got lucky, especially with the accidents that have been happening in our area. Especially the GTO/Mustang street racing incident that got an old lady killed in Gulf Breeze. Not saying you were going to get someone killed or anything but the cops are going to be taking this sort of thing more serious.

Tell me about the rabbits.

The responses in here are seriously lacking and hypocritical. Like you said, the cop showed leniency and gave you a warning. He was probably just portraying a little police presence in the area and I'm guessing you will think twice before doing that again...mission accomplished.
I don't see anything wrong with giving your Z a little gas without exceeding the speed limit or breaking traction; everyone on here does it!

I've got reckless driving for this....and on another occasion: no license plate light (burnt out). Ya get what ya get.
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Most common cop question: What the fuk are you doing (stupid) ?

It's fact. I was serious. The national speed limit was lowered from 70mph - 55mph in 1973 because of the high demand of fuel. Every 5mph over 55 causes you to lose about 5% fuel efficiency. Now these have since been overturned as 'Technology allowed us to go faster safer', but its only recently gone back to 70mph. What they're telling us at this point our cars aren't any safer now than they were in the 60's/70's. Don't get me wrong, I love police officers. I have an unnatural hate for Traffic cops though.

Linkage to proof

Let me guess Z_HighSpeed, you're a cop aren't yah?

I am not going to address anything you have stated because you have made your position very clear, blatantly disregarding the facts or real studies done on this topic. You simply do not possess the experience to form an intelligent opinion.

Before you get upset, reading anything from wiki and then believing it is absolute fact is your first mistake. Second was to assume you know more, or have a greater grasp of traffic conditions as they apply to speeding and accidents than someone you do not know.

The point is why even pull him over if he's the only person on the road. They're job is to protect and serve. He didn't need service, he wasn't endangering anyone. This was just a cop that wanted to show how big of a dick he had, even though it wouldn't hold up in court.