Citation For Impeding Traffic - California

Location: Dublin, California

Hi all,

I got pulled over and given a citation for VC 22400 - Impeding flow of traffic.

I was driving to the mall for some Black Friday shopping. When my exit approached, I started to switch lanes and tried to merge into the exit lane. Of course, the entire exit lane, from the off-ramp to the prior on-ramp was backed up (there was a persistent lane connecting the two).

There were several cars in the through-lane already trying to merge into the exit lane. I moved over the rightmost through lane as soon as I could so I could merge as well (I was two lanes over, and a few semi-trucks in the way). This landed me as the front-most car of the local clump trying to merge, although there were many cars far ahead of me in the same lane trying to merge closer to the front of the line (I was still 0.6 miles from where the exit lane actually forked).

I had trouble merging as the cars in the exit lane wouldn't give space for me, which is completely understandable, I hate when people do that to me. Though in my defense I was at least trying to merge as soon as I realized the traffic was for my exit, rather than right at the fork like a lot of cars were doing. I imagine that was the intent of the cars behind me as well.

Anyway, about a minute or so later of trying to merge (practically stopped / very slow roll to match the exit lane traffic), a cop pulls me over because I was impeding traffic. I was likely targeted because I was at the front of the local clump of cars.

VC 22400 states "No person shall drive upon a highway at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic unless the reduced speed is necessary for safe operation, because of a grade, or in compliance with law."

In this case, the majority of the pre-existing traffic in lane behind me was also trying to merge into the exit lane, so I wasn't impeding their movement. Also, my reduced speed was necessary for performing my merge into the exit lane, because the entire exit lane was moving very slowly, bumper to bumper.

I have dashcam footage of everything I described above.

I'm looking for advice on whether my defense is weak / strong and whether the citation is worth disputing. TIA!

(vent) Pretty bummed out about it especially since this was my first time being pulled over and for something that I witnessed many many cars doing before and well after I got pulled over and getting away with it (it was still another 40 minutes until we reached the actual exit!!)