Traffic court and lack of fencing practice

[collwen]

Last night I went to traffic court in Wappingers for the ticket I got back on 10/6 for failing to stop for a stopped school bus.
First they went through the people who missed the first summons.
Then they went through the people for whom this was their first summons.
Then they started the people who had sent in the ticket because they couldn't make the inital summons.

I was in this last group. Out of the final 4, I was called last (but there was a kid before me that apparently had a few things to go over, so his lawyer and parents asked to be postponed long enough for the judge to get through the rest of us quickly).

The conversation went like this-
Judge: Do you know that you're supposed to stop for a stopped school bus?
Me: Yes sir.
Judge: Do you know that it is a $250 fine *minimumn* for failing to stop for a school bus?
Me: Yes sir.
[Judge pauses for about two minutes, looking at papers and making notes.]
Judge: Will you stop for stopped school buses in the future?
Me: Yes sir.
Judge: Then I'll dismiss this.
Me: Thank you sir.


I got a message that the room we use for fencing practice is booked, so I'm to hit the gym instead. Probably after going with Marnen to the mall to get cell phones (yes, it looks like we're finally doing it).

Comments

[bailey21975.livejournal.com]

Good for you!

See, there's advantages to not being a sheep and just sending in your fine.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

*nod*

[vulcmoto.livejournal.com]

You were very fortunate in court.

I hope you don't pass another school bus. I had a friend in school who was killed by a driver who decided he couldn't wait and went around our bus.

It was her 13th birthday that day.

Please keep your promise.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

Good gods, it wasn't my intent to pass the school bus. It is not something that I would do deliberately.

What happened was that I was headed south-bound behind a delivery truck. This is on a busy 4 lane road with a divider between the two sets of lanes and the truck and I were in the right hand (outermost for our direction) lane, which was south-bound. The bus was headed north-bound and on that outermost lane. Since I was behind the truck I didn't see the stopping bus at first and started to stop the moment I did. I was also trying to stop slow enough that I didn't cause an accident by someone plowing into the back of my car because I slammed on my breaks too quickly. Before I could fully stop the cop had his lights on and I pulled over to the shoulder/breakdown lane.

I don't know how your local laws are (I notice you're from Texas), but in NY even if the school bus is in the other direction of traffic, you have to stop (which makes sense to me, having grown up in a rural area where they have bus stops across the street from where the child/ren live/s).

And even if its a multiple lane road, with a concrete divider between the two directions of traffic, and the school bus stop is in the other direction of traffic, you have to stop. This makes less sense to be, but it's the law and I wasn't trying to break the law.