First Ticket in 5 Years
I was meeting up with Chan for lunch yesterday, and it turns out that there was major roadwork on the streets around her office. Traffic was jammed, and I tried going a roundabout way to get to her office.
Almost all the entrances were blocked by construction, so I was forced to turn left onto a major street that was jammed. But I didn’t want to waste time sitting in traffic, so I made a U-turn—right in front of a no U-turn sign. Little did I know, a cop was hiding across the street. He saw me, and pulled me over.
I thought about playing the sympathy card, but I don’t think it would’ve helped. I made the U-turn right in front of the sign! He had no choice but to pull me over. Still, I was extremely annoyed. I blame the construction. Finish already.
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I just got a ticket the other day. I was going 80 on the 210…like everybody else.
I swear cops can smell me coming.
Hmm…that does seem odd. Cops usually don’t care if you’re going with the flow of traffic, right? I guess this only deepens your hatred for cops.
Don’t be too annoyed. Look at it this way: Think of all the other times when you broke traffic laws and were not caught. Rejoice that you were only caught once. I think we deserve every ticket we get, even if we don’t think we deserve it for this offense. It a small payment for all the other times.
You’re absolutely right. I think was I annoyed because 1) there was traffic, 2) I was running late, and 3) I was lost. Getting a ticket was the final blow.
Don’t agree. Freeways are not designed for people to go 65. They’re designed for people to go 80-85. The speed limit is set at 65 so most people wont go much faster than 75 or 80. It would make more sense if we set the limit at 85 and gave people tickets for going 87. Instead, if we want to operate a vehicle, we have to enter into a nebulously defined social contract. loosely, we are expected to pay taxes (e.g. on the gas we buy) to build the road system and to use it safely so as not to endanger others, and in return we get convenient transportation. But the laws as stated are often at odds with the terms of the contract. for instance, driving at 65 on the freeway instead of 80 does little to increase safety, but decreases the convenience of everyone on the road by holding up traffic, and in some cases increases risk (increased road rage). Of course, some traffic violations pose a significant threat to people’s safely (e.g. running a red light) and it makes sense to punish them, but ticketing people for acting within the set of behaviors expected of them is done in violation of the social contract…but its a source of revenue for the CHP.
Don’t agree. The contract has been clearly defined by the DMV, acknowledged by all licensed drivers when you take the test to get your license. We know the rules, but choose to disobey it when it is convenient for us to redefine what “safety” means. Don’t blame road rage on the rules. It is a person choice how he/she reacts when circumstances do not fit his/her expectations and schedules.
Back in the dark ages when I first got my license, cars don’t go as fast as they do now, yet the term road rage did not exist. Drivers were courteous, yielding the right of way (as they say in the DMV book). People did’t drive like they are always in a hurry.
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