Traffic Court

Monday at 8:30 was my traffic court appointment. Glenn stayed home to get the kids to school and stuff. I should have brought a book, but I didn't really want read Liberal Fascism in public. After sitting in the court room for a while, we finally had roll call. Half the names weren't there, although many came late. The court proceedings didn't even begin until 9:15. There were about fifty people there. I was one of about five who dressed up nice. This may have impressed the judge; I'm not sure.

I wasn't called up until 9:45, so I heard a lot of cases before me. Driving without insurance was the most common offense and comes with a mandatory $415 fine in Utah. Some people were up to their third offense, which includes jail time. Lots of people, like me, had insurance and just had to prove it in court. A few people had more interesting offenses like drug-related charges and reckless driving. It's really scary how many people drive without insurance.

I had to enter in a plea and everything. I pleaded not guilty for driving without insurance. (I hadn't had my current proof of insurance with me at the time.) So I handed over my documented proof and then waited while a clerk called my insurance company. For driving without my license on me, of which I was guilty, and judge just asked me to wave my license at him, and then he dismissed all my charges. So I didn't have to pay any fines or anything. I was the first person to avoid all penalties. It's so nice to be all done.