Ticket Rant

Who would have guessed that you can get a ticket for something that is not even illegal?  I wouldn't have, but I managed it on Friday night.

Talking on your cell phone while driving is NOT illegal in Michigan.  Granted, it can be a distraction, but no more so than having a conversation with someone sitting in the car with you.  I do not agree with the degree of distraction that people claim cell phones to be.  Cell phones have become a scapegoat/excuse for poor driving skills and the craziness is getting out of hand.  I reiterate: talking on the phone while driving is NOT illegal in Michigan.

Yet somehow I managed to get pulled over AND TICKETED for driving while talking on my cell phone.  How is this possible?  Easy.  Find another excuse for the traffic stop and the officer's ass is covered as far as a bogus stop is concerned.  And my stop was certainly bogus.

I was driving South on US 127 and near the Alma/M-46 interchange.  I slowed down for those exit/entrance ramps due to some traffic there - I'd rather be going a little slower when people are getting off/on the highway and I can't get over into another lane to give them extra room.  When the traffic behind me cleared, I moved into the left-hand lane so that the lane closest to the exit and entrance ramps would be available to those who needed it - and there were people doing both.  After getting past the ramps and when it was clear, I moved back into the right-hand lane.  I did not use my blinker to signal these lane changes, admittedly because I was talking to Laura on my phone and did not have a free hand for the blinker lever.  I did, however, look in my mirrors and over my shoulder to make certain that my path was clear - I did not cut anyone off nor did I cause a traffic hazard.  As I am returning to full highway speed, Jon notices a State Police car next to us.  This SP car was going faster than I was and pulled almost past me, and Jon saw him looking over at me (I was still on the phone).  Suddenly, the SP car slammed on his brakes and flipped his red light on to pull me over.  I told Laura, "I'm getting pulled over - here, talk to Jon," and handed the phone off to him.  Then I said, "I don't know what's going on, it's not like I'm speeding.  I'm not even quite back up to the speed limit yet."

When the officer came up to the car and asked if I knew why he pulled me over, I honestly was able to say that no, I didn't know.  He proceeded to say that it was because I failed to signal my lane changes.  SAY WHAT?!?!?!  Suffice it to say, I was stunned.  He got my license, proof of insurance, and registration, and asked for Jon's license, and went back to his car.  He was there for a while, and when he came back he gave me a ticket for failing to signal a lane change!  He claimed he cut me a break by only writing for one violation, since I had twice changed lanes without signaling.  I was stunned.  STUNNED.  I have a clean driving record.  I have not even been pulled over for so much as a headlight out in over a year, and have had no tickets in almost nine years.  And I get ticketed for not using my BLINKER?  SERIOUSLY?  And this only after he had pulled up next to me and saw me talking on the phone?  I smell a rat.  A dirty, stinky, wanting-to-send-a-message State Police rat.

Don't get me wrong.  I have nothing but respect for police officers at all levels.  With the number of people in my family who are members of the police force, I would be crazy to have anything BUT respect for the police.  But let's get this straight - you blatantly lie to me, I lose all respect for you.  So by claiming that he pulled me over simply because of the blinker, that particular officer lost all respect I may have had for him.  To me, he became nothing but a jerk throwing his power around, and that is disgusting.

If it were really all about the blinker, he never would have pulled up next to me to know that I was on my phone while driving.  If it were really all about the blinker, I would have seen that flashing red light in my rear-view mirror first, not just to my left in my peripheral vision (since he was still next to me when he turned it on).  And, let's face it, if it were really all about the blinker, chances are good I would have gotten a simple warning rather than a ticket that will cost me about $150.

I have a week to decide whether or not to fight the ticket.....

Fixing the Car

I took my car out to my uncle's house to get it fixed today. He says he'll be done either Friday or Saturday. I'm very much looking forward to having my car back!!

On the trip out there, several things made me very nervous. One was that I could not wear my seat belt! It was stuck and would not come out more than a few inches. I held it across my body so I wouldn't get pulled over and ticketed for it, and after about 20 minutes it suddenly released, much to my relief!! I was able to fasten it and relax. Another worry was the lack of a driver's side-view mirror.I'm not sure about whether a side-view mirror is legally required on a vehicle, so I was very nervous the one time I passed a police car (especially since I had not yet been able to fasten my seat belt)! Luckily, my lack of a mirror was not very interesting to that particular officer.

The only other excitement in the trip was upon starting the car. The battery did not like sitting for 6.5 weeks and did not want to start the car (it was disconnected while sitting, but drained anyway). Jon hooked up the jumper cables to his car to get mine going, and at first nothing was happening. After a few minutes and still nothing, he double-checked all of the connections. One of the clips on his car was not connected well, and once he moved it, my car started right up!

Car Accident

Saturday I was in a car accident. I was at fault, because I didn't see the other driver until the split-second before he hit me. I was turning left into a southbound lane and was hit by a northbound car. It was pouring down rain and the other driver did not have his lights on - though I got a rather close-up view of the headlight in that tiny moment before the collision. Neither of those things stopped me from getting a ticket for "failure to yield exiting a private drive" - where I'll come up with the money for that I don't know.
The accident could have been so much worse - thank God for a thick heavy door on my car!! As you can see, the side-view mirror is gone, as well as some trim on the rear quarter panel. The door has the worst of the damage - the front & rear quarter panels are dented but relatively intact. The window is gone in the door - it shattered and was all over me and spread out throughout the car - including along the back dash and in the pocket on the passenger side door.
I went directly to the ER via ambulance and was told that I have low back strain plus bumps & bruises and a few cuts. I see my PCP for a follow up on Wednesday. I'm hoping to start seeing a chiropractor later this week.

Ironically enough, this is the second time I've been in a serious accident less than a week before we're supposed to go visit Bree & Geoff, and during the month of August. The last time was four years ago right before Ren Fest - this time we're supposed to go to the Dream Cruise.

Automotive Issues

These cars are driving me up the wall. I so wish that Jon would get hired somewhere so that we can get a new car - maybe even two!

The starter went out on his car about two weeks ago. It just won't start. At this point, it's more of an inconvenience than anything else, because he's not working so it's not as if he has to go anywhere. If he really needs a car, all he has to do is take me to work and he can use mine.

Then mine decided to act up. First, it suddenly got extremely loud, as if the exhaust system is falling apart (it's not impossible). Then, the latch mechanism on the driver's side decided to break. At this exact moment, the door will not open AT ALL. I bought a new latch mechanism today, but I won't be able to get it into the car if we can't get the door open.
Additionally, the passenger's side door handle has been broken since late August. For a short time, both door handles were broken (it's a lousy design, but was all the rage in the late 80s and early 90s because it looks "cool" - yeah, it's real cool to have broken door handles every year or so). We fixed the driver's side door handle not long after I got out of the hospital, because once I started driving again, I had to be able to easily get in and out of my car.
We had to shimmy the passenger door open with a coat hanger to get into the car this morning. It was not fun, and caused a lot of what I call "quiet yelling" at each other. We were snippy and probably would have been yelling, but our landlord was here trimming the bushes out front, so we didn't want her to overhear us arguing. It was not fun, and I did too much straining trying to help Jon get the door open. I've been sore ever since, and I haven't been this sore in a couple of weeks. I actually took a Vicodin earlier.

This evening, I'm going to my uncle's house to have him help me with my car. He likes working on cars and has tricks for things now and then. Hopefully, he'll have a trick for this door latch thing.