Montreal driver beats ticket for flashing lights to warn of speed trap

**StlouisX50** · 03-12-2009, 09:09 AM

Montreal driver beats ticket for flashing lights to warn of speed trap

Last Updated: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 | 4:47 PM ET

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A judge has cleared a Montreal driver of obstruction charges after the man was caught flashing his headlights to warn other motorists of a police speed trap.
Sandro Ianni had recently parked his vehicle on Marien Boulevard in east-end Montreal near a speed trap set up by local police.
When officers noticed that cars were slowing down ahead of them, an officer went to check out why.
The officer found Ianni flashing his vehicle's headlights, a well-known signal to warn other motorists of police in the area.
The officer gave Ianni a ticket for obstructing a police operation. Ianni contested the ticket.
In Quebec municipal court in Montreal, Ianni admitted to flashing the warning to encourage motorists to slow down.
Judge Denis Laberge found Ianni not guilty, comparing what he did to a radio announcer who gives listeners a head's up that a police operation is underway on a specified street.

**primehifi** · 03-12-2009, 10:51 AM

This is great news. A precedent has been set, though the fact it is in Quebec may not help the rest of us as their law is different from the rest of us heh.

**Xen0n flash** · 03-12-2009, 10:52 AM

Never would have happened in the states...

EDIT: Getting out of the ticket, that is.

**primehifi** · 03-12-2009, 11:30 AM

The thing I love about this (them trying to give tickets for it) is just the hypocrisy of it.

The whole point in giving tickets is to get people to slow down, or so they say. We all know different; that it fills the coffers with cash.

So, they lead us to believe they do traps to make us slow down, yet, this guy flashing his lights ALSO makes us slow down. In reality, people who flash their lights are just helping the LEOs out by keeping speeds down.

Hell, why don't the police just put an unmarked car at the beginning of every highway/onramp whatever just flashing their lights! No speeders! YAY

**FoolishOne** · 03-12-2009, 02:44 PM

*Flame-suit on*

Yeah, but at some point, the LEO's not going to have ANY tickets, and the Chief is going to think he's eating donuts all day. Now, if someone does this to him the next day, he again doesn't have any tickets. It could create a problem for him in the long run.

The LEO should have just moved to another street. There are always people speeding.