Fan frigging tastic...I got a ticket today.  I'm generally a good driver.  I'm not talking on the cellphone or even listening to the radio.  I'm scanning all the time to look for potentially dangerous situations.  I actually stop at stop signs...waiting until I feel my car rebound.  Granted, I tend to drive over the speed limit a little...generally no more than 9mph over though.  The reason for this figure is that at 9mph even if you did get a ticket...showing up in court would drop it to something that doesn't change your insurance (or the DA would toss it out).  The thing is, while I hate THAT I get speeding tickets (been a few years) I generally have no feelings of outrage.  Hey, after all...I was speeding and I knew it.

The last tickets (and one stop) were pushing towards outrage though.  The last ticket I had was because...they'd just changed the speed limit on the road the cop spotted me on.  I The speed limit sign was just at the point you merged...you know, where looking at speed limit signs is more dangerous because you're MERGING and by the time the cop turned on his light I was on a road where I was doing the speed limit.  WTF????  I was actually speachless on that one...honestly explaining to the cop (who of course didn't buy it) that I had no idea the speed limit was that low.  I eventully found out about the recent change.

The next to the last stop...was by one of the campus police.  Let me point out that of the people that work with me...I ALONE STOP AT ALL STOP SIGNS.  As I said before...I wait until I feel the car rebound before I start again.  BUT...a cop stopped me anyway.  AGAIN I was (internally) like...WTF???  Thankfully another one of the campus police came and talked to that (new) cop and they let me off with a warning...yeah, next time I'll remember to PARK my vehicle, get out and wave to any nearby cops.  A little follow up on this one...a week later the cop that stopped me that time drove thru two stop signs in the parking lot across from the college.  She didn't slow down, she didn't turn on her light or siren.  I guess she figured 15mph is a "rolling stop".  She was in a big hurry to get over to the college and park (seriously...that's what she was doing.  I only lost sight of her for a moment so I doubt she had anything pressing in those few seconds I didn't see her.

This one at least was my fault.  A while back they closed the place I used to use to turn onto my road.  Now I have to drive a quarter mile down the road...wait at a stop light for about 5 minutes (no, I'm not kidding)...make a U turn...then drive back a quarter mile.  HOWEVER, there's a new place to turn.  They "finished" it a month ago.  Finished meaning, the most they could do is add some paint and possibly a sign.  Does it NEED either of those?  Nope...I've seen virtually identical turns without that stuff.  Basically it's a "construction site" because it has cones.  Sort of like if you put cones in front of the pyramids you could say they were still "under construction".

Anyway, the bottom line is I broke the "letter of the law".  I used the turn in the way it's meant to be used.  It's NOT actually under construction.  I made the turn when there were no workers so safety wasn't a concern (1:30am)...and of course there aren't any construction workers anyway because it's not under construction. I signaled before the turn.  Also...people often have to go thru "construction areas" to get to their homes...that's perfectly legal.

I really wish I'd thought to ask the cop...because I think I'd feel a lot better.  I wouldn't be trying to get out of the ticket in asking this.  I wouldn't want to get him in trouble...I'd just like to know the HONEST answer to a simple question.  I'd like to ask him..."As a police officer that's essentially immune to these sorts of tickets WOULD YOU drive half a mile out of your way and wait at a stop light of an intersection with no cars for 5 minutes (it's 1:30am, remember) rather than passing between a couple of traffic cones 100 yards from your house?"  I think we all know the answer...but I'd really like to hear it from him.

Well, hopefully I can take the defensive driving class again.  Just my luck I threw out the paperwork from the last time JUST LAST WEEK when I cleaned out my car.  All I remember was...it was in 2003.  At least then I only have to pay for the class (not the $135 ticket and the insurance hike)