A Day in Traffic Court

Last night I was facing the possibility of paying over a thousand dollars in traffic fines, because I was stupid enough to drive without proper legal documentation.  Last night I was rehearsing my sob story about how I was out of work and I drove my vehicle illegally, because I didn’t want to let my son down on his graduation.  I had no logical defense for my actions, and I knew that if I faced the wrong judge in traffic court, he was going to throw the book at me.  Fortunately for me, the judge showed mercy and threw out some of the bigger traffic fines.  He downgraded some of the charges, and I walked out of court with a light slap on the wrist.

My day in traffic court was not the nightmare I imagined, but I did walk out with the message received.  If you are thinking about driving without insurance or legal documentation, you will get caught and you will pay.  The judge told me I was facing over $1400 in traffic fines and 6 months with a suspended license, if he had decided to follow the letter of the law.  Since I was a first time offender and he could see I was living in poverty, he fined me just enough to hurt my pockets, but not enough to ruin my life.  I was able to walk out of traffic court with a big sigh of relief, but for now on I will not be driving a vehicle without being perfectly legal ever again. 

A day in traffic court is extremely stressful.  I do not wish it on anyone, but if you do find yourself in this situation, own up to your crime and pray the judge will show mercy.  Trying to defend an illegal action in the court is a great way to upset a judge, and when he passes judgement upon you, you will be wishing you had kept your mouth shut.  Learn your lesson from me, and avoid getting a traffic citation for driving illegally.  Don’t give yourself a reason to lose sleep at night, because you put yourself in a losing situation.