Traffic Court

Yep. For the first (and hopefully the only) time in my life, I went to traffic court in downtown Orlando. Earlier this summer, when I worked for the county, I was driving an F550 utility truck, stopped at a stop light and, unaware I was even doing it, I released pressure on the brake just enough that the vehicle crept foward very slowly and hit the vehicle in front of me. I got a four point ticket for careless driving.

Today I went with this whole argument to make, a bunch of notes, and finally the judge called my name. What probably actually worked against me was that the guy I had hit showed up as a witness, and testified that I had, in fact, rear-ended him when we were stopped at a stop light. However, the officer who gave the ticket never showed. Even so, which I was surprised at, she did not dismiss the case right away. So then I started into my explanation of the incident, I got about three sentences in and the judge interrupted, "It's a careless driving violation." She decided to take all the points off my license, but upheld the fine of the ticket plus court costs, so I had to pay $145 today.

It was weird being happy but pissed at the same time. Honestly, the "pissed" won over in terms of my feelings. I guess I should feel happy that in the end this is cheaper because I'm saving all the money from my insurance that would have went up if the points had been assessed. But I was bummed about the $145. That's a whole day's wages and then some! So...I guess grace was served, but not as much as it could have been.

It gets me thinking about the ethics of driving. Obviously it was a complete accident that I didn't push the brake hard enough...it would have been hard enough for any other vehicle we drive today, but that truck required me to push the brakes harder. Point is, we make these mistakes, we speed, etc., and then get tickets. It's part of our government's system. I don't know when it started but I think greenbacks had something to do with it. But Paul said "He is God's servant to do you good. ...He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer....therefore it is necessary to submit." Speeding tickets are plain in this regard because the speeder is breaking the law of the posted speed limit. The person who rear-ends someone is not using better judgment to drive more carefully, maintain distance, etc. So you'd think the accident and the costs of repair is enough consequence, but the government does have a "right" to tag on their consequences as well, which they often do, even if you do sit there 3 hours waiting for them to show up and do so...(I can't help it, I at least have to be a little sarcastic!). So, I guess I should thank God for using his instrument to bring grace compared to what could have been served. (Did you know the judge can decide to increase your penalties over and above the original ticket?).

Sometimes I process by writing things out. So thanks for reading my ramblings, and watch how you drive, cause even the littlest mistake can be costly!