I broke a record today and I am not happy about it. I had a 13 or 14 year record for no traffic violations…and this does not include warnings. I have to restart the clock because I got pulled over for speeding not 1 mile from home.
I was distracted and lost in thought and truly did not pay attention until I saw the cop sitting on the side of the road with his radar gun aimed right at me. Oh Snap. He pulled out and followed me a ways and I thought maybe he would let me go but then he turned his lights on and I pulled over.
I have learned it is best to be honest and own up to my mistakes. I started pulling out my license and my registration and had it ready for him by the time he got to my window. Somehow, I got the feeling that he was not impressed by my preparation nor by my confession that I realized I had been going too fast in the 30mph zone.
He went back to his car and the tears just started flowing. I am already having an emotional week. I can not explain why. I just have a lot of things hitting me all at once and my emotions feel like they are hovering just below the surface, ready to break at the slightest disturbance. I looked up to wipe away the tears and saw another police car pull behind me with its lights on and I started to panic. I had visions of being arrested but I could not for the life of me figure out what it would be for. But the officer just seemed to be chatting with the one in the car right behind me.
When the officer returned to my window, he told me that he had too concerns: 1) my speed which was 15 mph over the posted and 2) expired tabs. I told him that I did not know my tabs were expired and that I had only recently bought the car. He explained that I could call the number on the back and get a court date and possibly get the tab citation dismissed if I could prove that it was a dealer error.
I drove away, sobbing and stressing about the money this was going cost, money I do not have. I looked up the citation numbers on the website but can not make heads or tails of the fee matrix and when I called the number on the back, the computer voice told me I have to wait 10 days for my citation to be in the system before I can find out what my ticket is going to cost me. So, I called the DMV and found out that my tabs will cost $110 and I missed the mailing because of when I bought my car and when the mailing goes out for June tabs. I called the car dealer and was told that I should have been offered to have my tabs added to my purchase at the signing. I told her that I was not offered this and would have said yes and that I had now been issued a citation.
She told me to fax a copy of my ticket and the cost to her and she will discuss it with her boss and see about paying for the cost of that part of my ticket because that part was an error on their end. Whew!
I still have to wait 10 days. I still have to pay $110 to get new tabs. And I broke my record. I am not happy. Not happy at all.
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