Two weeks ago, I got a ticket for not having my seat belt on. I was coming back from my lunch break--in my dad's pick up truck--and a state trooper on a motorcycle pulled me over as I was pulling into the auction barn's parking lot. Now I had saw this trooper on his bike while heading west on Main St. The trooper was heading east and we passed each other at the intersection of Main and Franklin.
But anyway...there in the rain, the state trooper issued me a twenty five dollar ticket. It took him three times to scan my license and truck's registration into his portable computer doohickey.
I wasn't to upset about getting the ticket. I was more embarrassed because it was happening in front of the auction barn so all the loafers, other spectators and co-workers saw what was going on.
Even though I wasn't upset over getting the ticket I was a little frustrated. I know one should always wear their seat belt and the fact that I wasn't wearing it--and got busted for it--means that I have to pay the fine. I sometimes have a bad habit of not wearing it in town--especially in my dad's truck and I know better and I know I should wear it. So be it. What frustrated me--as I later learned--is that on this particular day Greensburg was being targeted by a group of state troopers who only task was to enforce the seat belt law. One gets the impression (from a variety of sources) that we don't have enough cops on the state (and local level) but maybe we do have enough if several state troopers can spend a whole day (and really days and weeks when they move on to other towns) pulling people over for not having their seat belt on.
Is there not something better they could be doing with their time? I don't know. I don't want to come across as the typical-dude-that-runs-his-mouth-when-he-gets-caught-doing-something- illegal but on some minuscule level I was a little bit frustrated.
But anyway...I went to pay the ticket today. And in that two week time the Decatur County's clerk's office had not received the citations yet from the officer that issued my ticket. Consequently I didn't have to pay the ticket.
So in essence...I learned my lesson...and I didn't have pay the citation. So maybe I shouldn't be complaining at all.
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2 comments:
Hey, maybe they've got the meth lab problem in Decatur County whipped! ...but doubtful.
I understand your frustration. There are tons of better things state troopers could be doing with their time.
It's a campaign they do periodically throughout the country to raise awareness of the seat belt laws... (Here's the government website)
I think it's more an obligation for the state troopers rather than something they actually want to spend their time on. And if more people wear the seat belts, hopefully that's less time police officers have to spend attending to accident victims, and a lower fatality rate, and fewer campaigns to get people to do what they should be doing anyway...
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