May Contain Peanuts

I got Courted

A week or so ago, I opted to go into my local courthouse to contest a ticket I had received a few weeks prior. The ticket was for making a right-hand turn onto a one-way street at a time prohibited by a sign hanging above the intersection. It is my understanding that this sign exists to keep commuters from using these smaller streets as cut-throughs to get to the highway and to prevent any gridlock from forming at the intersections. Well, I had parked on that very street and was not cutting through, just traveling the most efficient way possible for me. So, I approached the intersection, saw that the way was clear and made the turn. The sign reads no right turn from 3 pm -6 pm, M-F. It was 330 pm on a Wednesday.

Sure enough, as I turned that corner, 2 police officers on motorcycles were on the side of the road just waiting for any sign ignorers. As soon as I straightened the car out, the officer walked into the street and waved me over. It was a typical trap, the officer barely had to move 5 feet. I pulled over, undoubtedly pissed off at the setup. The officer was polite as he wrote my ticket and listened to my explanation. He said it didn't matter if I had parked on that street, the law is the law. He said if I really wanted to use this street to get to the highway, I should go a block in the other direction and make two more rights to get on the street a ways up, where there is no sign. Basically what I heard was this sign is only here to make money for the city, not to really do much of anything to control traffic. I took my ticket and was astounded to see a $91 price tag associated with my offense. I was given the option to pre-pay or contest it in court. You better believe I would go to court. $91 dollars for a right turn? Really? Well, I would soon find out why the price was that high.

Back to me and my court appearance. I arrive at 930 in the morning to a court room full of traffic offenders (and a few more serious ones). The judge is a very agreeable, if not enthusiastic woman who is listening to every case and being very lenient. Most every offender there pleads guilty -with an explanation. The judge listens to each one and offers reduced fines or the opportunity to take traffic school to avoid points. My case was one of the last ones heard, so I had time to think about what I was to say. I got up and laid out my argument (guilty with an explanation was also my plea). The judge understood and since I had such a decent driving record, I opted not to do driving school and just pay the fine. She was okay with that and reduced the fine to $15. I immediately thought I did the right thing by showing up that morning. I was told 'just see the clerk to pay the fine and court costs'. Sure, no problem.

I walk out of the courtroom and over to the clerk's office. There is a line and I am noticing a trend of disgruntled faces as they walk away. This seems odd, because most everyone got a decent deal. Finally, it was my turn to pay. I approach and give my name. "That will be $76". What? The judge said $15. "That is correct, but you also must pay the $61 court fee for being in court today". Absolute garbage. I have to pay 2/3 of my original ticket just for stepping foot in the courtroom. That, and the $15 reduced fine. I have no alternative, so I reluctantly hand over my credit card. I can't help but think what a huge rip off the whole system is. Then, I realize why the judge was so happy to dole out the reduced fines: they were going to get almost as much money from us suckers anyway. I mean, at least I didn't have to pay the whole $91 and the court cost, but come on, this is just robbery. Furthermore, I realize the ticket costs themselves are originally so high because you are starting at a $61 base price for all these offenses.

The point I am trying to make is that it is no wonder that people have such an abhorrence for our legal system. First, you can get fined for doing things that a small piece of metal tells you not to, then you are given false hope that you can right this wrong only to be shaken down once more and made to realize you are powerless to do anything about it. In the end, the money isn't that much of a fine, it's just the associated hassle and headgames that result from these incidents. What really gets me is that the police officers know to just sit there and rake in the fines. I can understand enforcing that spot if the turn is causing gridlock or serious disruptions, but to fine people for the sole reason of 'that's what the sign says' is to me beyond ridiculous. It's like when your parents made you do something 'because I said so'. Those reasons can make kids hate their parents, and again, is why a lot of us hate the legal system: it is authorities abusing their power. Only in this case, if you fight back, you don't get grounded, you go to jail; and I will happily pay a fine to avoid that result. And they know that.