Drive Fast! Take Risks! Tempt Fate! The Story of the Ginger's First Traffic Ticket
Alrighty folks, who's ready for story-time?
Here goes-
I recently made the beautiful 17-hour drive from an undisclosed location, over to Utah. It was a stunningly scenic route. The mountains and cabins and rich autumn colors. But it was also a little boring. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE road-tripping! But after about 14 hours of driving on the same endless, winding, one-lane road, I was struggling to remain focused.
A little bit of background info you should know first-
-My car has no cruise control. I learned very early in my driver-hood that it's really not that hard to just switch feet. It takes a little practice at the beginning as not to be a little jerky, but it's doable.
-No lectures please, but I'm not a fan of seat belts. They are scratchy and restricting, and make me feel like I can't breathe. So I don't often wear one.
-I like to read (trust me it's valid info for the story).
So there I was driving along the beautiful (although maybe a little repetitive) I-70 West. And the trip was going well, but I was getting a teensy bit bored. I was trying my best to power through like the trooper I am, but I was seriously struggling. I had called and talked to a few people on the phone but still needed something a little more engaging to keep my mind awake. I could have just pulled out my phone and mindlessly scrolled through Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, but A) that's dangerous, and B) it's the middle of no-man's land and I no longer had cell service.
I still needed to keep awake and my fabulous road-trip playlist wasn't cutting it anymore. So I did what any natural-born book nerd would do in this circumstance-I pulled out my book. "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. My all-time favorite. I've read it more times than is maybe considered necessary. But it's a classic. It never gets old. That's the definition of a classic, right? Regardless, this was a newer, abridged version, maybe a little shorter than the the original,but still a healthy 400 or so pages. And I was not quite finished.
Let me say real fast, this is not the first time I've done this. I'll read magazines or newspapers and books while I'm driving for extended lengths. So, fear not, I've had practice.
I'm not quite sure how long I had been engrossed in the novel, maybe 15 minutes or so, when a vehicle passed me. Aside from my little black beater car affectionately named "Beth", there had been no one else on the road for several hours. I was surprised to see it. Even more so when I noticed the Colorado State HWY Patrol sign across the side of the vehicle. I gave myself a brief once-over; no seat-belt, driving with my left foot, while my right leg was propped up on the passenger side dash (take my word, it's significantly more comfortable than it sounds.), and book in hand. I checked my speedometer-73 mph. The limit was 70 and the cop had just passed me so I felt like I was in the clear on that.
I've never really been scared of police officers, in fact I think they're pretty awesome. I tend to get along well with them. I chalk it up to my time at police school. And even when I have been pulled over(which has been PLENTY), I've always been able to sweet-talk my way out of a ticket. Again-a tactic I leaned at the Academy.
Therefore, I wasn't worried when I saw the patrol car. Even less so when he passed me and seemed to keep on his way. It wasn't until he slowed back down and once again pulled up behind me that I became slightly puzzled. I wasn't speeding. I mean, 3 mph over, but not enough to get stopped for it. And I have a blanket on me so he can't tell one way or another if I'm wearing the proper vehicle safety restraint device. But I saw his lights begin to flash behind me, so I dutifully pulled my vehicle to the side of the road and put my hazard lights on. I set my book on the passenger seat and pulled my leg off the dash and tucked it under my butt. I know the routine well enough that by the time he got to my window I had my license, registration, and insurance all ready for him. Although I was still a little baffled as to why he pulled me over. I mean, I WASN'T SPEEDING.
He approached the open window and paused briefly before simply asking (pointing at my book) "Were you reading that while you were driving?"
"uhhhh........"
Folks-I was not prepared for that. I am generally prepared for all of the common run-ins I might have with the police and I follow an basic script that has always managed to get me off scott-free.
But that is not a question I was prepared for.
I'm sure I looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights, and I stuttered a bit before admitting that, yes, I had indeed been engrossed in my classic literature when he had stopped me.
He took my information to his unit and returned a few minutes later with a ticket for reckless driving.
In the state I attended college, and the state in which I was currently residing, "Reckless driving" is defined as "driving that interferes with or impedes the general flow of traffic in an unsafe manner" or "driving that causes an accident or collision, whether involving one or more parties". I had done neither. But after some brief research, I determined that Colorado's reckless driving laws were a little different.
They'll let you smoke weed, but heaven forbid you try and educate yourself on the open road!
So there is the story of how I received my first ever traffic violation ticket! It's probably not a very common reason for a ticket, is my guess. Oh well, I suppose that's the price I pay for being a bibliophile.
Side note-To make matters slightly more embarrassing, when the officer informed me that the fine was $69, my response was, "69, eh? Hehehe, wooow...."
So not only do I now have the most bizarre reason for getting a ticket, I also have the most immature response at hearing the price of said ticket. Yup. Maybe not my proudest moment. But it's definitely one for the books. And i'm sure the officer had a great tale to tell his fellow officers back at the station at the end of the day.
Here goes-
I recently made the beautiful 17-hour drive from an undisclosed location, over to Utah. It was a stunningly scenic route. The mountains and cabins and rich autumn colors. But it was also a little boring. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE road-tripping! But after about 14 hours of driving on the same endless, winding, one-lane road, I was struggling to remain focused.
A little bit of background info you should know first-
-My car has no cruise control. I learned very early in my driver-hood that it's really not that hard to just switch feet. It takes a little practice at the beginning as not to be a little jerky, but it's doable.
-No lectures please, but I'm not a fan of seat belts. They are scratchy and restricting, and make me feel like I can't breathe. So I don't often wear one.
-I like to read (trust me it's valid info for the story).
So there I was driving along the beautiful (although maybe a little repetitive) I-70 West. And the trip was going well, but I was getting a teensy bit bored. I was trying my best to power through like the trooper I am, but I was seriously struggling. I had called and talked to a few people on the phone but still needed something a little more engaging to keep my mind awake. I could have just pulled out my phone and mindlessly scrolled through Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, but A) that's dangerous, and B) it's the middle of no-man's land and I no longer had cell service.
I still needed to keep awake and my fabulous road-trip playlist wasn't cutting it anymore. So I did what any natural-born book nerd would do in this circumstance-I pulled out my book. "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. My all-time favorite. I've read it more times than is maybe considered necessary. But it's a classic. It never gets old. That's the definition of a classic, right? Regardless, this was a newer, abridged version, maybe a little shorter than the the original,but still a healthy 400 or so pages. And I was not quite finished.
Let me say real fast, this is not the first time I've done this. I'll read magazines or newspapers and books while I'm driving for extended lengths. So, fear not, I've had practice.
I'm not quite sure how long I had been engrossed in the novel, maybe 15 minutes or so, when a vehicle passed me. Aside from my little black beater car affectionately named "Beth", there had been no one else on the road for several hours. I was surprised to see it. Even more so when I noticed the Colorado State HWY Patrol sign across the side of the vehicle. I gave myself a brief once-over; no seat-belt, driving with my left foot, while my right leg was propped up on the passenger side dash (take my word, it's significantly more comfortable than it sounds.), and book in hand. I checked my speedometer-73 mph. The limit was 70 and the cop had just passed me so I felt like I was in the clear on that.
I've never really been scared of police officers, in fact I think they're pretty awesome. I tend to get along well with them. I chalk it up to my time at police school. And even when I have been pulled over(which has been PLENTY), I've always been able to sweet-talk my way out of a ticket. Again-a tactic I leaned at the Academy.
Therefore, I wasn't worried when I saw the patrol car. Even less so when he passed me and seemed to keep on his way. It wasn't until he slowed back down and once again pulled up behind me that I became slightly puzzled. I wasn't speeding. I mean, 3 mph over, but not enough to get stopped for it. And I have a blanket on me so he can't tell one way or another if I'm wearing the proper vehicle safety restraint device. But I saw his lights begin to flash behind me, so I dutifully pulled my vehicle to the side of the road and put my hazard lights on. I set my book on the passenger seat and pulled my leg off the dash and tucked it under my butt. I know the routine well enough that by the time he got to my window I had my license, registration, and insurance all ready for him. Although I was still a little baffled as to why he pulled me over. I mean, I WASN'T SPEEDING.
He approached the open window and paused briefly before simply asking (pointing at my book) "Were you reading that while you were driving?"
"uhhhh........"
Folks-I was not prepared for that. I am generally prepared for all of the common run-ins I might have with the police and I follow an basic script that has always managed to get me off scott-free.
But that is not a question I was prepared for.
I'm sure I looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights, and I stuttered a bit before admitting that, yes, I had indeed been engrossed in my classic literature when he had stopped me.
He took my information to his unit and returned a few minutes later with a ticket for reckless driving.
In the state I attended college, and the state in which I was currently residing, "Reckless driving" is defined as "driving that interferes with or impedes the general flow of traffic in an unsafe manner" or "driving that causes an accident or collision, whether involving one or more parties". I had done neither. But after some brief research, I determined that Colorado's reckless driving laws were a little different.
They'll let you smoke weed, but heaven forbid you try and educate yourself on the open road!
So there is the story of how I received my first ever traffic violation ticket! It's probably not a very common reason for a ticket, is my guess. Oh well, I suppose that's the price I pay for being a bibliophile.
Side note-To make matters slightly more embarrassing, when the officer informed me that the fine was $69, my response was, "69, eh? Hehehe, wooow...."
So not only do I now have the most bizarre reason for getting a ticket, I also have the most immature response at hearing the price of said ticket. Yup. Maybe not my proudest moment. But it's definitely one for the books. And i'm sure the officer had a great tale to tell his fellow officers back at the station at the end of the day.
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