So two weeks ago I got a speeding ticket.
This is amazing in and of itself since I usually never speed, not because I'm a goody-two-shoes but simply because I usually never have to. My commute to work is ten minutes away and loaded with lights so speeding doesn't pay off. Plus, in tiny cars like mine, they lack the horsepower for rapid acceleration making a ersatz drag race most embarrassing and besides, I'm way too old for that shit. Furthermore, despite the ten airbags in my car, I think I'd be pulverized in any high speed collision. It's just physics.
But one Friday night a couple weeks ago I was late for work and the roads were clear and dry so I subconsciously went into Speed Racer mode. When the cop who pulled me over said I was doing 59 in a 45 I literally thought he must have been lying. But in hindsight, yeah, it's easy to do that on 17-92 at 11pm and you know you have seconds to make the next light while it's still green.
Being a small town cop (Longwood) and wet-behind-the-ears to boot, this guy didn't let me off with a warning like a more seasoned officer from a larger, less traffic-ticket-revenue-dependent municipality. The ticket came to $206. Yikes.
Reviewing the clearly laid-out "3 Choices" available (1=Guilty. Pay fine, suffer the points on licence and possible increase in insurance premiums. 2=No Contest with affidavit to complete training school. This gets you an adjudication withheld and points erased. No impact on insurance. Still pay the fine, though. 3=Fight the charge by appearing in court. Hope your cop doesn't show up to testify unless you can prove you're innocent. Good luck.)
I opted for #2 of course. Went to the Seminole County Court House (officially the Criminal Justice Center) in Sanford, the county seat. (The same courthouse George Zimmerman was tried in, remember?) Did the fine go down like it says on the ticket and on the web? No, it actually went up due to "processing costs." $216, thank you very much.
So I was scouting out which web-based traffic school I'd attend when, lo and behold, just that week, a sign-up sheet went up at work to take the mandatory drivers education course they were scheduling.
So yup, just by chance, my workplace decided to have all employees (who use company vehicles of course, which includes me) take this class. It was given in one of our campus buildings by an instructor from Florida Safety and we'll be getting certificates. When I present this certificate to the County Clerk of Courts, I'm good to go.
Sweet!
Saves me about $30 if I went through another course provider and I get paid overtime!
This is amazing in and of itself since I usually never speed, not because I'm a goody-two-shoes but simply because I usually never have to. My commute to work is ten minutes away and loaded with lights so speeding doesn't pay off. Plus, in tiny cars like mine, they lack the horsepower for rapid acceleration making a ersatz drag race most embarrassing and besides, I'm way too old for that shit. Furthermore, despite the ten airbags in my car, I think I'd be pulverized in any high speed collision. It's just physics.
But one Friday night a couple weeks ago I was late for work and the roads were clear and dry so I subconsciously went into Speed Racer mode. When the cop who pulled me over said I was doing 59 in a 45 I literally thought he must have been lying. But in hindsight, yeah, it's easy to do that on 17-92 at 11pm and you know you have seconds to make the next light while it's still green.
Being a small town cop (Longwood) and wet-behind-the-ears to boot, this guy didn't let me off with a warning like a more seasoned officer from a larger, less traffic-ticket-revenue-dependent municipality. The ticket came to $206. Yikes.
Reviewing the clearly laid-out "3 Choices" available (1=Guilty. Pay fine, suffer the points on licence and possible increase in insurance premiums. 2=No Contest with affidavit to complete training school. This gets you an adjudication withheld and points erased. No impact on insurance. Still pay the fine, though. 3=Fight the charge by appearing in court. Hope your cop doesn't show up to testify unless you can prove you're innocent. Good luck.)
I opted for #2 of course. Went to the Seminole County Court House (officially the Criminal Justice Center) in Sanford, the county seat. (The same courthouse George Zimmerman was tried in, remember?) Did the fine go down like it says on the ticket and on the web? No, it actually went up due to "processing costs." $216, thank you very much.
So I was scouting out which web-based traffic school I'd attend when, lo and behold, just that week, a sign-up sheet went up at work to take the mandatory drivers education course they were scheduling.
So yup, just by chance, my workplace decided to have all employees (who use company vehicles of course, which includes me) take this class. It was given in one of our campus buildings by an instructor from Florida Safety and we'll be getting certificates. When I present this certificate to the County Clerk of Courts, I'm good to go.
Sweet!
Saves me about $30 if I went through another course provider and I get paid overtime!