this just ain't right

[Finfeatherfur]

Salty - why are you so PO'ed about the guy not getting a ticket. Does he have insurance? What good (besides making you feel better) would a citation do in this case? Was the guy at fault local?

I say this, because as an officer I do this on a regular basis. When I was first starting out, I wrote a bunch of tickets at accident scenes. But, it's up to the officer investigating the crash on citations. Their is no law that states a "citation MUST be written" anywhere in the Louisiana books.

Now, put yourself in another position.........take a deep breath........calm down, and just here me out!........................................

As a commissioned officer, do you know when I took a different take on writing citations at accident scenes? Especially the fender/bender type?............................The day my oldest kid starting driving!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, turn the table. You and your daughter pay car insurance premiums to repair damage caused in an accident. If she was the one that would have failed to stop at an intersection, and collided with another car, would a citation from an officer make a difference. Your insurance would pay for damages, and she would have a $200 ticket. With or without a ticket, she is at fault and her insurance has to pay. It's an "ACCIDENT", and those happen.

Now, when I get a knucklehead driving aggressively or in a impaired state, things change. But after you calm down, think about it - does a driver having a bad day that just caused an accident and will likely get an increase in premiums really need a ticket? The damage is done and the accident report is what shows fault, not the citation. Just think about it!