Happens to the best of us I guess

[azsnowman]

Well, it seems like not too awful long ago I was talkin' about driving for 29 years without a ticket.......YUP, you guessed it, ol snowman got pulled over for doing 67 mph in a 55 mph zone today I wasn't cited, I wasn't even given a warning BUT.......I was cited for not wearing my seatbelt I swore up and down since my accident that I would never wear one, still won't! I *think* the reason for no citation for the speeding part, he knew we were with the White Mountain Apache Police Dept! BTW.....the fine, $39.20

Dennis

[GalvestonDuck]

I'm unclear -- you had an accident and now you won't wear one?

[JCT777]

67 in a 55 zone isn't that bad. More than once, I have driven more than 12 MPH over the speed limit past police cars that were sitting on the side of road. Maybe it is just luck that I have not been pulled over for speeding in 12 years.

[StormCrazyIowan]

LOL, funny your speed was 67...my only ticket is from going 67....in a 45!!

Sorry to hear about your ticket though!

[wx247]

While I understand your point Dennis... the law is the law.

[coriolis]

Sorry to hear about that Dennis. $39.20 isn't bad at all for a ticket. Here, they tack on court costs and fees, and you can't get a ticket for less than about $100

[streetsoldier]

Here, the fine goes up $10 for every five miles over the limit, plus court costs (usually $25-40, depending on the judge)...Debi (read: "Princess Leadfoot") found this out the hard way.

For my part, I have never had a ticket since I started driving, more years ago than I care to count....Debi calls me "Grandpa Grapenuts" for my insistence on driving within the speed limits.

[Miss Mary]

Dennis - yes it happens to the best of us. When Jim and I first moved out here, opposite side of town, we both got tickets! On a twisty, hair pin turn road. 35 MPH. But it's all downhill, both ends. So he got his ticket on the way home from work. I got mine bopping along, pregnant and Nina in her carseat. I was doing 45 I think. Jim admitted he was doing a little more than that. Let me just say we both learned our lesson, since we drive this road each and every day! We know where radar is set up now - in concealing spots. And we routinely have other cars on our bumper - go faster they're saying. I just smile and want to say, hey you get the ticket. Be my guest. And usually when there's a really angry driver on my tail, we see radar just a turn or two up ahead. Then you just want to say - see, I knew best. The cop told Jim you can legally go 7 MPH over before, they'll stop you. So I never go over 42. But do I go 35? Not very often.

Both our tickets were around $100 each. At least. You seem to have gotten off easy!

Mary

[Aquawind]

Well, it seems like not too awful long ago I was talkin' about driving for 29 years without a ticket.......YUP, you guessed it, ol snowman got pulled over for doing 67 mph in a 55 mph zone today I wasn't cited, I wasn't even given a warning BUT.......I was cited for not wearing my seatbelt I swore up and down since my accident that I would never wear one, still won't! I *think* the reason for no citation for the speeding part, he knew we were with the White Mountain Apache Police Dept! BTW.....the fine, $39.20

Dennis

Funny thing..

Same thing happened to me last week ..first ticket in years..62 mph in a 45 mph zone..ooops.. He skipped the $150 fine/ 4 points and gave a me warning. He did pop me for $50 for no seatbelt..Spendy in Florida..

[j]

Hey Dennis....I refuse to where a seat belt for the simple fact that I'm told I have to. Now there are times I do, depending on road conditions or the way I'm feeling at the time, but my feeling is I'm hurting nobody but myself if I choose not to wear one. I guess that makes me a Pro Choicer! yeah right...

Now on the motorcycle I choose to wear a helmet even though SC doesn't have a helmet law. I do it for my own safety.

[Lindaloo]

I was pulled over on New Year's Eve in 96. I had a radar detector but it went off too late. The Highway Patrolman walked up to my car and said "It didn't work did it?" I said "Obviously not you are here aren't you?" He walked back to his unit to write me a ticket. When he brought me the ticket, my license was wrapped in it and he told me "Happy Holidays"

Sorry to hear about your ticket Dennis. But, thank goodness you were not in Florida. The HP will pull you over for doing 71 in a 70 and give you a ticket. In Cobb Cty. Georgia and you are from out of town and they pull you over for speeding, they take you to jail. Ask my brother in law that one. lol.

[Pburgh]

Sorry Dennis,

I agree with you and j. I think it should be my choice to wear or not to wear my seatbelt. Next thing you know they'll legislate whether or not I'm allowed to COLOR my hair!!!!!

[stormchazer]

Heres one for you...my wife got stopped in Mulberry, FL for speeding. Old cop walked up and said she was doing 50 in a 35. She got off with a $25.00 seatbelt fine. After the cop left she noticed her bra was showing. It definately pays to have those sometimes. Hope my wife doesn't read this board.

[OtherHD]

Hey Dennis....I refuse to where a seat belt for the simple fact that I'm told I have to. Now there are times I do, depending on road conditions or the way I'm feeling at the time, but my feeling is I'm hurting nobody but myself if I choose not to wear one. I guess that makes me a Pro Choicer! yeah right...

Now on the motorcycle I choose to wear a helmet even though SC doesn't have a helmet law. I do it for my own safety.

:? :? :?

[StormCrazyIowan]

LMAO Burgh!

I also think we should have the right to choose whether or not to wear one!! I do, for the simple fact that I was in an accident that had I not been wearing it, I wouldn't be here today, the force was that bad! Still was hospitalized, but here to talk about it!

[Miss Mary]

Let me share a tragic story, in regards to wearing seatbelts or not. Our 16 year old nephew often fought his parents on wearing a seatbelt. Even with his family, they constantly had to remind him to wear it. He grudgingly put it on. Sept. 28, 2002 he was heading to a school volunteer function with 3 other teen friends, in his friend's dad's SUV. Luke's friend was driving, with Luke in the back seat. Then the teens decided to hill hop on the way to school - this was a bright, sunny Saturday morning. No alchohol or drugs involved or inclement wx to blame. The driver came out of turn going too fast, lost control, the SUV flipped several times. Because Luke was not wearing his seatbelt, he was ejected. Flew up into the air and landing face down on the pavement. He died on route to the ER in an aircare helicopter. His 3 friends all had their seatbelts on and 2 were unhurt. The 3rd boy had a sprained wrist.

Just food for thought. I always wore my seatbelt after having children - I just felt it was the responsible thing to do and pass on to my children. Now we all make sure ours is on, even backing out of the driveway. Luke's tragic death at such a young age made us all painfully aware of how important seat belt usage is.

Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

It's just second nature for me to wear a seatbelt. I've done so since I was old enough to put it on myself -- primarily because my mom always told me to do it, but soon after, it became a habit that never died. Then I worked in the ER and saw what happens to people who were ejected. Head injuries, broken bones, and road rash are obvious. But impalements? I can't tell you how many times I saw patients come in with either a fence post or mile marker post piercing through their bodies.

And don't give me the argument about how you'd rather be able to get out fast if you needed to rather than losing time by fighting with a seat belt. If you're wearing your seat belt, you are less likely to be knocked unconscious by the impact and therefore, able to get out if you need to. If you don't have a belt on and lose consciousness after impact, it's not going to matter how fast your car goes under water. You're not going to get out.

[TexasStooge]

$39 isn't all that bad, it could've been WORSE!

[opera ghost]

I'm up to my fifth ticket in the 5 years since I got my license *groans*

Failure to yield right of way (so that's what they call it when you hit a parked car! Oops. It was the 4th day I had my very first car.)

Failure to yield right of way (Multi use! this time I missed a minivan going 45 in a 20 zone. We both got tickets)

75 in a 55. (Night driving- booking out in the middle of nowhere between Houston and San Antonio.)

58 in a 35. (Um. Well. No good excuse. I was running late to work...)

55 in a 35. (I was just so dang happy to get off work early....)

I drive the speed limit now. All the time. I'm freakish about it- but I've NEVER gotten away with less than 150$ in ticket fines.

I always wear my seat belt because it was the way I was brought up- by the same token I'd especially wear it after my sister in law had an incident with a mini-van and a brick house. Knocked herself out on the steering wheel AFTER the airbag was deployed. The airbag deployed when she hit the tree branch- it couldn't very well REdeploy when she hit the house. No serious injuries- but she was only going 35 when her steering wheel locked and the tree slowed her down quite a bit (I'm still nto sure why she didn't hit the barkes- the officer who investigated said it looked like she hit the gas instead by accident)

(Side note, in a stroke of luck- the house was scheduled for demolition and the minivan was drivable after the run in. I have a LOT of faith in the Oddesy these days!)

[azsnowman]

Well GD.....here's MY story as to why I "REFUSE" to wear a seatbelt! The accident I was refering to happened 23 years ago....I was working the late shift at the sawmill, got off at 0500, driving home, I fell asleep at the wheel, I felt the pickup shaking, I woke up to find myself driving in the bar ditch, instead of putting on the brakes, I over corrected, hit the lip of pavement, flip and rolled 4x. The roof caved in on the drivers side pushing the dashboard and steering wheel THRU the floorboard, HAD I had my seatbelt on, I wouldn't be here "PERIOD!" So please, DON'T JUDGE someone who makes the choice of NOT wearing a seatbelt UNTIL you hear the WHOLE story!

J........right on Brother, I REFUSE to wear one also cuz like you said, they tell me I HAVE to! Funny......for a newly commisioned reserve officer to talk like this "LOL!" Reckon it's the "Good Ole Boy" syndrome "LOL!"

Dennis