Lesson Learned in Traffic Court

Two weeks to the day, $884 dollars later I was finally freed from the chains of not being able to drive. For someone who has always had to depend on myself to get where I was going those two weeks seemed like a year. It also gave me new appreciation for my car, even with all its little quirks.

It all started back in October, when I didn't renew my car registration. Blame it on lack of money, blame it on laziness, either way it steam rolled me into January. Closing my store on Wednesday January 14, 2009, I heated the car up and headed for home in the snowy night. As I pulled out of my parking lot, I swerved my tail end in an ice patch. Less than 3 minutes later as I pulled into another shopping center, a police officer pulled in behind me. He hit the lights, and that was the beginning of my hell.

I was informed that my vehicle was not only expired, but illegally registered, and that my drivers license had been suspended since 2007. Having a perfect driving record I was proud of, that one threw me for a loop. I was given my ticket and told to be in traffic court on Friday by 8 am.

That night I spent hours trying to figure out how to get to work, it was my day to open the store. If the weather was warm, I would have just walked. But with temperatures below 20 degrees and blinding snow, there was no way I was making that ten mile hike. I finally reached a taxi service and scheduled a pick up for the next morning. That ride to work cost me $35 for a 15 minute ride.

I spent that day getting insurance , not too many places would insure a suspended driver. I also bought my $125 money order to get a reinstated drivers license, and I was told to mail it south. I had to walk about 1 mile back and forth to the money gram store so I could pay for the insurance I finally got as well.

Friday I spent another $35 to get myself to traffic court. It was scary as could be in there, most of the people who went in with me were tossed into jail for a few days. When my turn came, I ended up with the same judge from 8 years before who had been my judge in the first domestic violence case against my ex husband. (Irony number one). He told me that I had been suspended because when registering my car back in 2007 I had been selected for the random proof of insurance program. When I never mailed anything in, they suspended me, and it didn't matter that I had moved twice and I never received anything. He then asked the sheriffs officer what her recommendation would be, and she had nothing. I have no priors, no other tickets, no anything. He tossed me into a diversion program for suspended drivers, and said I would have to get an SR-22 bond for the next year.

As I sat in the lobby, I waited for something to hit me on how to get home. I couldn't afford yet another taxi, the buses weren't running due to the weather, and it was a good 7 mile walk home from court. Temperature was -14 with windchill, and I was gearing myself for the walk home. At that time the judge came out, along with the probation officer. First thing the judge asked me was if I would like some coffee. You see, with the cold as bad as it was, I had spent the entire time in there shivering my body. I could not get warm. They then informed me that I could have driven about an hour away, paid my $125 reinstatement, and been legal instantly. That mailing it could take weeks. Nice job BMV for not telling me that part!

The judge and I also discussed the first time I had been in his court, a bittersweet moment. He asked me if I regretted not pressing full abuse charges back then. I told him in a way no, because if I hadn't suffered the next 8 years, I wouldn't be who I am. We then discussed how I was getting home, and he asked me if I would like a ride. I happily accepted, and a probation officer and his assistant shortly came out to give me a ride home in the nasty blizzard. I have to say, that was the nicest thing anyone could have done for me.

Over the next two weeks I bought my $55 SR22, paid another $70 in taxi fees, and waited for the state to process the reinstatement fee I had mailed in. Finally on Tuesday January 27, I couldn't wait any longer. I got my paycheck, called my cousin and we drove the hour to pay the reinstatement fee in person. I was told it will take 6-8 weeks to get my original money back. Then we went to the local BMV where I paid another $89 dollars to get my registration and sticker for my car. I was finally legal to drive again, and it felt good.

The next morning I got up to drive myself back into work. Only it didn't quite work out that way. We had gotten hit with the storm of the century here, and they closed both bridges out of town. With only one other road left out, I headed for it, determined to make it into work. I couldn't even get over the railroad tracks, the snow was that high. I put the car in park right then and there and cried. It was my luck that my first day of driving freedom and I couldn't even make it out of town. (Irony number two).

I am finally back at work, I'm legal again, and I will never take for granted my freedom to drive. The only thing I have to do now is pay the $350 diversion program fee when I go back to court in May. I will be buying my registration the full 90 days in advance from now on, I don't think I could handle it otherwise.

Moral is: Don't get illegal, no matter what!