In my life I’ve been pulled over a total of four times. I’ve gotten two speeding tickets and one ticket for driving on a park district road that wasn’t really a road; my first ticket, however, is one I will always remember.
I was 16 years old with a fresh driver’s license in my hot little hands. At that time I didn’t have a car so I had to borrow my mom’s car: a mid-80s Dodge Charger whose color we affectionately called “Bohemian Beige.” In reality it was a pale yellow cream color. Oh, and Dodge Chargers back then were 2-door K-car hatchbacks. Yep.
One afternoon in the early fall I wanted to pick up some lunch. I asked for my mom’s permission to drive her car and soon I was on my way. I was driving up East Avenue when I approached a standard 4-way intersection. A cop had pulled up to the opposite stop sign. I was young but not (yet) stupid: I was going the speed limit, making incredibly full stops, and being a model driver. Once I checked all directions I proceeded through the intersection and came up to the speed limit. About two blocks later I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the cop turning around. My heart jumped into my throat.
Within moments he pulled me over. I was terrified. I had only been driving for a few weeks after all, and here’s a cop? What? I kept calm while the officer got out of his car and came up to my window.
“Hello, officer,” I said politely.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?” he asked. Even at this point I knew this was one of the dumbest questions I’d ever heard. How could I possibly know?
“No, I don’t know,” I said.
“Well,” he said, “your car has tinted license plate holders. We can’t see through them clearly. Now, that’s illegal.”
I was stunned. Tinted license plate holders? Really? Someone needed to make his quota and chose a vulnerable young driver to make the city a quick profit.
After handing him my license and registration, followed by an agonizingly long wait, I had a ticket for thirty bucks. When I got home that evening I told my parents the story and, naturally, handed over the ticket to my mom.
Posted in Everyday Life
Dave Walls March 16, 2010, 8:30 pm
Been pulled over many times, but fortunately, only one ticket. Of course, the one time I get ticketed, it was because I skidded on ice through a stop sign. The cop was all too happy to make his quota, giving me a ticket for around $100. As nice as the other cop was years earlier for letting a 17 year old me go for speeding out of a parking lot (realized I was late getting home on a school night), this cop, on my birthday (of all days), was that big of an ass.
Still, to be 33, and only have one ticket..I can live with that.
Ryan March 16, 2010, 9:47 pm
Why I’ve gotten one, too!:
http://www.dailyping.com/archive/2000/12/03/