tickets & the po-po .

A few days ago I was stopped by the police on my 3 minute ride home from work (which is probably all of about 2 miles long). There was a long line at the light, and I knew I was turning left, so I just went by the other cars to go make my left turn, even though it was partially going over a yellow hashed area before the turn lane. I didn't think it was a big deal, as I've seen tons of people do it, when I passed by 2 cop cars on the way through the turn lane. I saw them immediately pull out behind me as I was turning, and knew it was just a matter of time before I'd be "that guy" on the side of the road.


Now if you're like me, you can't STAND the police. Especially in my town. They seem to do virtually nothing, and when they do pull you over, why can't they just be pleasant? I was "greeted" by a stocky guy in fancy sunglasses with what looked like the biggest wad of dip I have ever seen in a person's mouth, and all he kept saying was "you can't do this, you can't do this blah blah blah."

Now okay, maybe there was some yellow lines there. But to be perfectly honest, not only does everybody do it, but it helps along the flow of traffic in general. That's just sort of New Jersey. The speed limit on the Parkway is 55mph for almost the entire thing. Everyone goes 70+, and you will always have the people that just simply don't give a fuck and go 90. New Jersey drivers are aggressive, yet talented. I've never seen people slide into smaller spaces on the highway, or slip around to make turns or whatever. Regardless, as long as you're moving and moving fast, you'll be okay on the road in Jersey.

The worst part about getting pulled is not talking to the cops, getting your ticket, or going to court. And really, the fine is usually not bad (this case it was under 100 bucks). The thing that absolutely pummels you up the ass is the points on your license. I got a bad speeding ticket a few years ago, and that rapes your insurance cost and I was finally rid of them, when this stupid thing happened. In fact, on my way back to work to pick up my brother, I saw someone do literally the same thing that I had done. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time; it could have happened to anyone.

Sometimes I wonder about things that may or may not be legal, like swerving across the road so that I can stop and back into the driveway. Technically, that's crossing the double yellow, but then again, I'm just pulling into my driveway, and everyone does that. Unfortunately, I'm just really not one to argue with the police, and I'm sure there are people that are absolute douchebags who argue with them with even the most minor of violations, so I try to just accept it and let them do their job. Lesson learned, I suppose.

You never forget the tickets you receive. I know the spot of each one, the spot on the road where I was pulled over, what I was doing, who was in the car, and what the penalty was. It's weird how things like that stick with you. And so while my bank account takes a hit, I start at square one again, 3 days since the last incident.