Well, the day started out gloomy and puctuated with lightning and thunder. Cutting to the chase (!) as I was approaching Selma, Alabama, I passed the 55 MPH sign and tapped the brakes to reduce speed on the way in to town. Radar detector bleeps for 1 second and at the same time I saw the State Trooper approaching from the opposite direction. Lights go on. I pull over BEFORE he can make the U-turn in the divider. 75 to 0 in ~ 200 feet. He might have been impressed, but didn't say anything about it when he finally backed up to me. Ignition OFF Flashers ON. Billfold on the dash and hands on the steering wheel as he walked up.

It was at this time that I realized the song I was listening to at the time of infraction was:

Stevie Ray Vaughan-Crossfire. (Caught in the Crossfire)?

THIS is the definition of "Irony".

Being polite and admitting my mistake did no good. First ticket in 2 decades.

75 MPH in a 55 MPH Zone.

My bad, but no slack.

 

that sucks Max, D@mn cops...LOL...

 

Great song, Good story.

Now go to court, tell the prosecutor you will plea guilty to (public nuisance) that will not make the driving record.
Good luck!

 

Do you know anyone in Dallas County Alabama?

 

From what I've been told by a number of offenders is if you decide to "waste the time" of the court, it only adds to your financial burden. If you appear to contest or even plead just adds court costs. A true kangaroo court from what I've been told.

And it's 100 miles away...

 

just pay this one, I wouldn't have a clue in that state, but I am sure this yankee cop wouldn't do well in your case....LOL...do they still have confederate flags on their uniforms....

 

Pay the fine, and play elevator music in the Crossfire from now on

 

Yep-that's the plan.

And I should have mentioned that I was clocked just past a 65 MPH zone. That's where I saw the 55 MPH sign. I just didn't take it off cruise control early enough.

I learned long ago to just shut up and take my lumps.

I repeat: My bad.

 

I’ve heard on several occasions that cops are being told to write more tickets because revenues are down. So it doesn’t surprise me that he wouldn’t give you a break.

Is taking defensive driving not an option?

 

Wow Max I am really sorry to hear that my friend. Although I do wish I could say it has been two decades for me; I guess that means "I'm Bad" not "My Bad".

One other thing; I try to ovoid Stevie Ray while in the Crossfire and I'm not sure that I can agree with you that this was "Irony". Getting caught playing "Free Bird" might be Irony. Getting the ticket after one of my famous speeches to my son about his driving again might be irony .

Me playing Stevie Ray's "Caught In The Crossfire" and getting stopped would be akin to me blaring Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55" and getting a ticket for speeding and eluding, it wouldn't be ironic; more like apropos. At least that's what the cop said ...

And before I get posts; this young officer that stopped me was obviously related to my ex-wife; he was having a bad day and so was anyone else that he was going to come into contact with that day. I had to pay a fine for nine over the speed limit and the eluding charges were thrown out. Still had to go to court and let's not talk about the "Ironic" comments from Junior!!!

Hang in there Brother, at least you don't "have" to go to court and you did get the time off to go to the Dragon.

Stay Safe...


Respectfully,


Paul (MisterTaz)

 

Thank you my friend. I could actually feel the pat on the back! There is an "Enforcement Campaign" in effect across this state. Did you ever see "American Graffiti"? While I couldn't bring myself to file this under "C.S." (it was a major lapse in safety observation), many of the citations being issued can be. Speeding +6 and over seems to be a favorite. Local LEO's (town and county) are setting up overpass-chase traps on the Interstates. While I understand that generating revenue is a priority for state governments, preying, yes preying on out-of-state travellers is the lowest means I can think of.
Burglaries and armed robberies have tripled across the state. But I suppose "being seen" and acting as a deterrent doesn't bring in the bucks.

I wonder how tourism will fare in the states that have upped presence on the interstates and not in neighborhoods. I know that Virginia and Tennessee have lost spending $'s because of these campaigns.

Oh, well. Live and learn.

BTW, Alabama doesn't have Defensive Driving options. Christ, they can hardly keep the K-12 schools in the 20th century, let alone the 21st!

 

Good choice of tunes, Max!!

Bad luck with the cops!

He got you for 6 over?! Geez, the cops around here don't blink an eye unless you're over 10+!

AND, you guys are absolutely correct! In this state, all local citations & the fines they collect go directly into the city, county or state coffers - general fund, I believe.

 

That sucks, Max.

Too bad you weren't in Austin, they'd have let you off for playing Stevie Ray.

Local gov here in Asheville is also trying to squeeze extra money out of the cracks. Last week fire inspections were done all along US-25 at $75 a pop.
They never came back the next week to do the reinspection since there was no money in it.

 

Kurts, get your glasses on! 20 over (first post). The cops are issuing for 6 and over around here.

Avoid Alabama! (As if one needed another reason!).

And when I left our fair state of God's Country, local agencies were not allowed to patrol Interstates. The State Patrol patrolled interstates and surface roads. Has that changed?

 

While cute I still maintain that irony is more properly defined as:

 

What the blazes is a "Fire Inspection"?

 

The Fire Marshall inspects the building to verify it conforms to the Fire Code.

If they find something non-compliant, they write it up. They will typically give the owner a specific timeframe to correct the infraction. They are supposed to do a reinspection to verify the issue has been corrected to code.

 

The fire marshall spends about two minutes poking around, and hands a piece of paper.
Then the city sends a bill for $75.

 

And when was the last time you saw this joker? How often are they supposed to "come around"?

 

Definitely go to court. Got a ticket for 75 in a 55 about 45 days ago. Went to court last Thursday without an attorney and pleaded no contest. Said that my last points were over ten years ago. Got probation before judgment for six months ( if I don't have another point offense in six months then it will never be on my record) and $160 in fine.