Legal Question in Traffic Law in Tennessee

I am in Memphis, TN. I was driving at 11:00 AM and drove right by a truck that was pulled over by a police car. As I reached an intersection roughly 500 yards away, I was turning right and that same police car was behind me. His lights were not on. He was behind me. I made a right turn and as I was getting ready to make an immediate left for my destination, he turned on his lights to pull me over. I came to a stop and two police exited the car and came to me. I asked him what the problem was and he started asking me all kinds of questions and after I forcefully asked him again why did he stop me, he told me that I was not wearing my seat belt. I provided all of my paperwork and disagreed with him and told him, I was wearing my seat belt and I have to take off my seat belt so I can get my wallet out of my back pocket. It is a small car. He did not care. I was not speeding, my tags were current, I was insured so there was no cause for this. I wear my seatbelt without fail everyday. I had on a light brown coat which the black seat belt can easily be seen over my shoulder. But the cop was behind me. How could he have seen my seatbelt from behind me? I have a court appearance in March. What are my options to prove that I am innocent?


Asked on 1/31/13, 12:41 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robyn Overstreet Overstreet Law

These situations happen all the time unfortunately, and I understand your frustration. Maybe the police officer won't show up to your court hearing, but you can never count on that. Your best option to prove your innocence is to find an attorney who will argue your case for you. However, I doubt you would want to spend money on an attorney for a small seat belt ticket. It's basically going to be your word against the police officer's word. Just tell your story like you did above, and hopefully it will be dismissed. If not, it's only a seat belt ticket.

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Answered on 1/31/13, 1:06 pm


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