Memory Lane Monday - My First Speeding Ticket

While I was busy looking for his street on the left side of the road, I missed a blinking school sign on the right side of the road and got ticketed for going 45 in a 25....even though I was going 10 miles under what I thought was the speed limit. The really dumb thing is that I didn't protest (policeman always make me feel guilty, plus I figured after 20 years of driving, I probably deserved at least one speeding ticket). However, the irony was not lost on me that I had saved about 100 bucks getting my alternator changed for free by a friend, but I spend 150 bucks on a speeding ticket! GRRR!

What really made it bad was that I got two more tickets in the next year! It was just a bad year for me. One ticket was for running a red light. It turned yellow, I didn't feel I had time to safely stop, so I drove through. The police officer behind me didn't agree with my assessment! And I did share that information with her. I got home and realized she had written the wrong vehicle information on my ticket (I had the wrong registration in the car) and she didn't catch it. I went to court, shared this information in a non-snotty way, hoping that the judge would throw the ticket out. HMPH! He thanked me for correcting the error and made me pay the ticket anyway!

Then a month or so after that, I was driving a new car. I had been driving a 1988 Suburban (where when you go 45 you feel like you are flying because you feel every bump and curve). Now I was driving a 1992 Caprice and that car floated on air. So I was going almost 60 in a 45 and didn't realize it. The cop who pulled me over noted my temporary plates and might have been kinder to me if not for the previous two tickets...I took a driving saftey class online after that to get the points off my record. That was 4 years ago and knock on wood, I have been doing better since!

But I have to tell you, I was about ready to give up driving! What a year!