Speeding

I get speeding tickets not warnings.

August 1999. The summer between my sophomore and junior years in high school I coached a junior league water polo team. I was on my way to practice when I was pulled over for going 53 miles per hour in a 40 zone. I was in high school. I had no money. "Daddy, um, I got, um, a speeding ticket, um, this afternoon. I don't know what to do." He came to my rescue. "You need to take this check to the city then sign up for this traffic school so it doesn't go on your record and so it doesn't make my insurance payment go up." I did just that.

July 2000. The summer between my junior and senior years in high school I was on my way to my mother's place of employment. I was pulled over for going 48 in a 35. Same drill, asked Daddy for money and went to traffic school.

September 2003. I was pulled over for going 55 in a 40. Sent the money in, signed up for traffic school but didn't attend. This is acutally a violation of a court order called a Plea in Abayance which, as I found out about two years later, results in a bench warrent for my arrest...post to come.

May 2005. I was going down to the Dunes to give a gift to my First Sergeant. I was pulled over for going 83 in a 65. Payed the ticket and went to traffic school...in Lehi.

August 2007. I was going home. In an annoyed state because of Utah drivers I reached speeds upto and including 95 miles per hour. I see the Utah Highway Partol car and slow down. To no avail the flashing red and blue lights make their way over. License, insurance and registration are handed to the nice officer and she asked me why I was pulled over. "I was speeding," came my quick reply because it's never anything else. "Yes," she said. "I'll be right back. Which one of these addresses is home, I have three here." I tell her my address and she walks away. My license was issued when I was living with my mom. My registration for some ungodly reason goes to my father's address and my insurance goes to my address. We've tried squaring the state away on the registration but they won't listen. Stairway to Heaven is playing on the radio during the duration of her background search on me. She makes her way back to my car and gives me my information back and says, "I'm going to give you a warning. Please slow it down so you're not passing cars so it looks like they are standing still."

I was elated! A warning. I've never received a warning for speeding. Probably because she didn't have a good radar on me. I was going 95 at one point and she only wrote it for 80 in a 65. Maybe I skirted the system. It's nice just to get a warning because rent needs to come out of this check.