NJ Driver Fighting Traffic Ticket She Got From Donald Duck On Halloween

[enzo1]

To cut down on cars running down pedestrians, apparently a big problem in Fort Lee, New Jersey, police have created an "elaborate sting operation" in which an officer dressed as Donald Duck would try to cross the street, netting fines for drivers who didn't stop.

Motorist Karen Haigh was one such driver this Halloween, and she's fighting her $230 ticket because she reckon's this safety awareness campaign is baloney. "It was scary! It was a huge... duck. If it was a normal person... I would have stopped," she told WABC7. After watching 7's footage of the bait-duck in action, I think I can see where she's coming from. That duck is all over the place and looks shady as hell.






Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul says two years ago, 62 people were stuck by cars. Now he's "happy to report" the annual car-vs-pedestrian incident count is down to 40. Still doesn't sound terrific, and frankly I think he might have better luck posting a duck who uses the crosswalk normally as opposed to staggering around the pavement like a maniac.

The duck-strut sting (which would be a great official codename for this operation) is apparently something Fort Lee PD enacts "randomly throughout the year." I can only imagine drivers are even more sketched out by some guy in a full-body mascot suit on the 364 days of the year that are not Halloween.

[GH85Carrera]

I hope she does not get it thrown out and has to pay her legal fees as well as the ticket.

It does not matter if it is a person in a duck outfit or dressed as a businessman. It is very obviously a human in the suit. Just because they are in costume does not revoke the right to cross in a crosswalk.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

As funny as this is, for the $100k+ a year it costs for a police officer I'd hope they could use their time a bit better.

Lady broke the law and should pay up. She's just mad she got bested by someone in a Donald Duck suit.

[JD159]

Um, why not pay some guy min. wage, have him stand by the cross walk and act / look like a normal person?

If car stops, no ticket. If car doesn't stop, ticket. Why try and throw people off with a duck costume? What if it was some guy who didn't take his meds and was waiting for the right car to stop and go harass them at the window?

[island911]

So she thinks she can duck this ticket?

Seriously, why don't the cops dress like clowns?

OR... They could wear a hockey mask and carry chain into the intersection.

iow, +1 to what JD wrote.

[GH85Carrera]

It was on Halloween. Lots of people get dressed up in costume and walk across a crosswalk.

[john70t]

Pedestrian laws exist, and should be enforced.
Someone in a costume or a wheelchair or a child are particularly vulnerable.
Her precious time and/or feelings are irrelevant.

No sympathy here.

[Rick Lee]

It's probably the law everywhere that vehicles have to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, but it's pretty severely enforced in NJ. In my hometown we had a lot of pedestrian traffic and the cops had very bright yellow and red signs in the middle of the street before crosswalks, reminding motorists that it's state law to stop for pedestrians. Anyone from NJ knows this, so I have no sympathy for the lady.

[futuresoptions]

Hmmm... you're gonna pay me how much to walk out in front of moving cars that have been failing to stop for pedestrians? Don't know who's more stupid, the lady or the duck. For what it's worth, the duck, if it is a cop, I bet he gets ragged on every time he gets back to the PD after his shift.

[JD159]

Originally Posted by john70t

Pedestrian laws exist, and should be enforced.
Someone in a costume or a wheelchair or a child are particularly vulnerable.
Her precious time and/or feelings are irrelevant.

No sympathy here.

Duck man was not waiting to cross the road. He was playing some game that looked like frogger. Debating on crossing, walking strangely in the middle of the road.

It wasn't even like the duck was behaving as a normal person, just from the video they looked crazy. If this is the best the force can come up with, and claim to be their "elaborate sting operation", it's pretty pathetic...

Nothing elaborate at all, just as foolish as the drivers who don't stop at the cross walk. Why isn't it elaborate? Because I just used common sense in my previous post and came up with a more sensible / practical concept in 30 seconds.

I have sympathy for the driver.

[JD159]

Originally Posted by futuresoptions

Hmmm... you're gonna pay me how much to walk out in front of moving cars that have been failing to stop for pedestrians? Don't know who's more stupid, the lady or the duck. For what it's worth, the duck, if it is a cop, I bet he gets ragged on every time he gets back to the PD after his shift.

10 bucks an hour. The problem is the cop was walking out in front of moving cars, and not using the cross-walk safely. I would pay you to casually, walk across the cross-walk. Fine, if it's to much of a liability, I'll take the costume off the cop and tell him to act normal, not like he's on quack.

[scottmandue]

FWIW a local police force does a sting very similar to this... but uses people who are dressed normally (don't remember if they are plain cloths police or volunteer citizens). Normal looking person uses crosswalk on busy street while a motorcycle LEO waits out of sight, No stop=ticket

Okay, watched he video... he is not playing frogger he is playing "not getting killed by the law breaking motorist". He is clearly standing in the crosswalk... and on coming traffic is clearly not slowing down to stop for him... I don't care if you are dressed like bugs bunny in drag, if you are standing three or four feet into a cross walk traffic is legally required to stop.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by JD159

Duck man was not waiting to cross the road. He was playing some game that looked like frogger. Debating on crossing, walking strangely in the middle of the road.

Even if he laid down in the middle of the street she should have stopped.
Then proceeded cautiously and/or called the cops.
I didn't watch the video, but it looks like she buzzed right by.

Who knows, maybe he was having a diabetic seizure or was developmentally disabled...?

I remember bck when I was in my 20's driving in the right hand lane. 35mph street.
A van was stopped in the left lane at an intersection.
Light turns green. He remains stopped.
"What's he doing? Who cares. F him" I thought.
A 6-8yo kid with a bike runs out and freezes right in the middle of my lane.
I slam on the brakes.
And skid and skid and skid. Looking right into his wide open eyes.
I stopped short about 5 feet.
A lady consoled him crying on the sidewalk in my rearview mirror. I didn't stop.

[Nostril Cheese]

Cops do this exact kinda thing in Lake Oswego.

[Tobra]

That was pretty silly.

The guy was not trying to cross the street, he was stepping off the sidewalk, walking out a few feet then going back, acting very erratically. I would not have stopped and I would have called the cops about the hazard. If they pulled me over and tried to give me a ticket, definitely would dispute it. I would have done the same thing, duck suit or no, just would have been quicker to call the cops with the costume.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by JD159

If car stops, no ticket. If car doesn't stop, ticket. Why try and throw people off with a duck costume? What if it was some guy who didn't take his meds and was waiting for the right car to stop and go harass them at the window?

+1
I would stop for a normal person, but someone dressed in a duck suit? I would be worried about my own safety. The cops have a good program, but they screwed up by making their decoy so weird.
When I see a crosswalk marked like a ladder I know it means stop for pedestrians. Those parallel lines would confuse me. Yeah, it's where people cross the street, but around here they don't mean traffic has to stop for them.

[flyenby]

Maybe she can say the cop was a quack...

[GWN7]

Duck in a sailor suit? I'm thinking a cease and desist letter from Disney would be happening.

[petrolhead611]

What is the matter with some of you guys?. You absolutely have to stop if someone is on the crosswalk, regardless of their dress sense. Frightened of being attacked by a pedestrian-lock your car doors. Simples.

[LakeCleElum]

Why is it national news when someone is unhappy about getting caught breaking a traffic regulation? Happens thousands of times per hour in the country?