[prev] Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:55:10 -0400 [next] [life] - [comment]
So I got my second traffic ticket in two years today. Oddly enough, on the same stretch of road that I got my speeding ticket on. The police defend Hoosick street as though it has some kind of strategic signifigance; the Pennsylvania Avenue of the Collar City. My guess is that they're probably just too scared to go into South Troy, or north of 7, so they chill at the Stewart's and pop into the intersection every now and then to fill their quota.
The violation this time was "Unsafe Lane Change", which is funny if only because any lane change on Hoosick Street, nay, Troy, is unsafe by default. Apparently I did not signal while changing lanes, which is ass because I always, always, ALWAYS, signal before I change lanes. If I were running a road race on an oval track, I would leave my left indicator on the whole time. I think the cop was actually pissed because I may have accidentally sprayed windsheild washer fluid over his
Like most white people, I assumed the officer was flashing his lights and "bweep bweep'ing" at me because he wanted me to get out of his way. When I realized he did, in fact, want me to pull over, I pointed at a safe location in the direction I was heading. In turn, the officer shouted "PULL OVER" in a fashion that could only really be followed by "ASSHOLE!" Being a dutiful asshole, I again unsafely cut across a lane of traffic to the spot the officer indicated.
"MRSTYNEIAMPULLINGYOUOVERBECAUSEYOUDIDNOTSIGNALATTHE
INTERSECTIONBYTHEDUNKINDONUTS."
"HEREISATICKETYOUMUSTAPPEARATTHETIMEINDICATEDHERE."
Please ignore the fact that the officer's point of reference is the Dunkin' Donuts. Should I try to argue this ticket, which I may, I'm sure that will somehow come up in the conversation. I realize I'm coming off a little harsh regarding Troy's Finest, but my experiences with them have not exactly been ... satisfactory. The police in Binghamton, Vestal, and various cities on Long Island did not have any problems with my driving style. Here, I am a menace to society.
"Be on the lookout for a white boy with Amateur Radio nerd plates on his way to work. Suspect is considered unshaven and may be coming down with the flu."
Check "not guilty" on the back and check the box saying you want a supporting deposition. If the officer is too busy in the next 30 days to bother, the ticket is thrown out. If he does, then you can change your plea to guilty or fight it or do whatever you want.
Cops in general are ass. I remember I got into an accident coming home one night from work, and lost a headlight in the process. Over the next four days, something like SIX different cops pulled me over for having a headlight out (actually, most of it was "out" by Everett Road, but that's beside the point). Got to the point where I would just hand the cop a big pile of documents (license, registration, proof of insurance, APD accident report, adjuster's documents, and letters from the insurance company), mutter "I'm just waiting for the check to come," and the cop would be like "drive safely."
It was almost funny except I'd just slammed into a Ford Taurus, I kept getting pulled over by cops, and my car was falling apart. Other than that, it was a hoot.