I'm a firm believer that there is no softer pillow than a clear conscience. And especially when it comes to legal and money issues, I really believe dishonesty is intolerable. I suppose it's kind of like being pregnant- you either are or you aren't pregnant/honest.
Shortly after Thanksgiving, I ran a red light. Oh, I was kicking myself over it. I knew I ran it. There was a red light camera at that intersection and knew I was going to be getting that ticket. I certainly wasn't trying to be unsafe and I could go through all of my reasons that led up to that mistake happening. But the reality is that I did run the light. UGH! I immediately called my husband at work and told him what happened, apologizing profusely. S was very understanding.
When the ticket showed up in the mail, it was under S's name since his name is on the registration. No points were being assessed and the fee was unfortunate, but not unreasonable. S periodically drives the "company car" for work, and having a ticket in his name would not be great when his driving record gets pulled. And plus, we both knew I was the one who drove through the red light. I was all for getting the name changed on the citation. S sent in the notarized paperwork and a week or so later he got a letter in the mail saying he was relieved of the responsibilities of the ticket.
Today, I got the certified mail with the ticket in my name. I wasn't surprised that it came in. Although there were no points being assessed, I was shocked to see the cost had increased $97!!! I called the clerk to find out why.
The details were sketchy at best, but as best as I could tell, the company that is outsourced to take care of these red light violations decided something wasn't filled out right on the form or sat on the form or something, and then sent the violation to our sheriff's office. Once the violation was kicked over to the sheriff's office, the fee assigned to the violation was the same as if an officer had pulled me over, as opposed to the fee from the red light camera program. But... if I really didn't like the new fee, I could go to court and ask for mercy from the judge.
I've gone to traffic court one other time. It isn't like you get to check your day planner and find a time that is convenient for you. You really are at the mercy of the court for when they pick your court date- and they usually run about 2 months out. Well, guess what I'm going to be doing in about 2 months? Pushing out a baby! So... all I can do is pay the fine.
This is one of those times where I'm so aggravated that doing the right thing, specifically wanting to have the ticket in my name, is literally costing me more. I suppose I could offer this one up for the souls in purgatory, and hopefully I'll get there soon, but right now, I'm kicking myself for running that stupid light in the first place. Grr...
Shortly after Thanksgiving, I ran a red light. Oh, I was kicking myself over it. I knew I ran it. There was a red light camera at that intersection and knew I was going to be getting that ticket. I certainly wasn't trying to be unsafe and I could go through all of my reasons that led up to that mistake happening. But the reality is that I did run the light. UGH! I immediately called my husband at work and told him what happened, apologizing profusely. S was very understanding.
When the ticket showed up in the mail, it was under S's name since his name is on the registration. No points were being assessed and the fee was unfortunate, but not unreasonable. S periodically drives the "company car" for work, and having a ticket in his name would not be great when his driving record gets pulled. And plus, we both knew I was the one who drove through the red light. I was all for getting the name changed on the citation. S sent in the notarized paperwork and a week or so later he got a letter in the mail saying he was relieved of the responsibilities of the ticket.
Today, I got the certified mail with the ticket in my name. I wasn't surprised that it came in. Although there were no points being assessed, I was shocked to see the cost had increased $97!!! I called the clerk to find out why.
The details were sketchy at best, but as best as I could tell, the company that is outsourced to take care of these red light violations decided something wasn't filled out right on the form or sat on the form or something, and then sent the violation to our sheriff's office. Once the violation was kicked over to the sheriff's office, the fee assigned to the violation was the same as if an officer had pulled me over, as opposed to the fee from the red light camera program. But... if I really didn't like the new fee, I could go to court and ask for mercy from the judge.
I've gone to traffic court one other time. It isn't like you get to check your day planner and find a time that is convenient for you. You really are at the mercy of the court for when they pick your court date- and they usually run about 2 months out. Well, guess what I'm going to be doing in about 2 months? Pushing out a baby! So... all I can do is pay the fine.
This is one of those times where I'm so aggravated that doing the right thing, specifically wanting to have the ticket in my name, is literally costing me more. I suppose I could offer this one up for the souls in purgatory, and hopefully I'll get there soon, but right now, I'm kicking myself for running that stupid light in the first place. Grr...