Traffic Court: The Shakedown
Thu, 07/09/2009 - 19:53 — johnny
In my second [recent] experience with the legal system, I had to go to traffic court for a red light ticket. Overall, it was a pretty easy procedure, but it's still a hassle to have to take time out of my day to drive downtown, find parking, and then talk to the judge and traffic cop. In my last trip to court, I observed numerous people talking with the cops to arrange a fine payment without points. With every case, there was a deal made for a point-free offense as long as the person was willing to pay a fine. It was no different in my case.
My parents seemed to think I could have fought the ticket, but that really isn't worth my time and it just annoys all parties involved. Why do I want a pissed off judge and cop? It would probably mean a higher fine if I lose or a cop that's out to get me later with another ticket. My whole experience does lead me to think that the whole ticketing thing is a fundraising scheme though. There are a helluva lot fees (EMS fee, fire department fee, administrative padding fee, cost recovery fee, civic salary fund fee, alien invasion fee, etc.) tacked on to the basic fine; when everything is said and done, the original fee for the traffic violation has increased five fold. The ticket seems to be less about public safety than the Benjamins.
My parents seemed to think I could have fought the ticket, but that really isn't worth my time and it just annoys all parties involved. Why do I want a pissed off judge and cop? It would probably mean a higher fine if I lose or a cop that's out to get me later with another ticket. My whole experience does lead me to think that the whole ticketing thing is a fundraising scheme though. There are a helluva lot fees (EMS fee, fire department fee, administrative padding fee, cost recovery fee, civic salary fund fee, alien invasion fee, etc.) tacked on to the basic fine; when everything is said and done, the original fee for the traffic violation has increased five fold. The ticket seems to be less about public safety than the Benjamins.