Wrong Place Wrong Time

On my way into work this morning, I got $880 in moving violation tickets without even breaking the law.  No, this is not a joke.  This is for real.

$150 -- turning right on a red arrow (which was not a red arrow, it was a yellow arrow, and the officer admitted it was yellow before she wrote the ticket).

$150 -- Failure to pull to curb for emergency vehicle -- I was in the left lane of a two lane road, and there were no cars on the right lane (nor was there a shoulder)...and the cop was in the right lane...so, I would assume that pulling to the right would actually be the WRONG thing to do in that moment.

$30 -- Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance -- okay, yes, my insurance card is out of date, but I do in fact have the insurance, I just didn't have the card.

$50 -- Failure to Exhibit Current Registration -- this one sucks particularly bad because I actually did have the current registration, but after the fifth time of her asking me why I didn't learn such and such in my driver's school manual (as if instructions for getting pulled over are offered in driving school!), I got all flustered and couldn't find it until 5 minutes AFTER this encounter.

$500 -- here is the biggie! -- vehicle operating without proper insurance -- um, wait a minute...didn't I just get a $30 ticket above for this same violation?

As the officer approached the vehicle with tickets in hand, she said "now, here's your nightmare."  She proceeded to hand me each ticket -- one-by-one -- by the third I said, "this seems really excessive."  And she said "what?"  And I repeated, "don't you agree that this is really excessive"...apparently she did not since she threw the additional three tickets into my lap.

I mean, what a ridiculous world we live in when it is possible for me to not break the law and yet receive nearly a month's rent worth of tickets and a thrashing of verbal abuse from someone I haven't even personally offended.  Just by existing and driving a car, I got to be on the receiving end of someone else's power and control issues.  Awesome.  And because that person is given a badge, the consequences could increase my insurance, tag points onto my license and make it more difficult for me to even be able to drive my car.  Amazing.

Maybe this cop this morning was just having daymares?  I could have recommended hydrotherapy....