plutherus

The Oregonian has an article about traffic fines in Oregon. A current lawsuit challenges suspension of drivers licenses for unpaid traffic tickets.
You may not be surprised to learn that I had a few words to say on the subject.

( Here they are )

Yesterday, I went to court for a traffic ticket.

I got pulled over a few weeks ago and discovered my license had been suspended for failure to appear in court a couple of years ago for a speeding ticket, which I plead guilty to and paid online.

So, for the driving while suspended, I went to court to see a judge and plea my case. I was still found guilty, but I was hoping that perhaps the fact that I took care of everything immediately, and was constantly insured in the meantime would count in my favor, but it did not.

The judge did, however, give me the same discount he gave the four other driving while suspended cases before me, reducing the fine from $688 down to $510. Joys. I saw the clerk after me who set me up with a payment plan, so I don't have to pay it all at once, so that'll be nice.

A couple of interesting notes, though:
1. I think it really showcases their priorities when they charge you $370 for driving too fast (which theoretically could put someone in danger), but the charge for not paying them on time is $688.

2. I got the Driving While Suspended ticket after being pulled over for not using my turn signals "far enough in advance". (A violation, I might add, that's so bogus there isn't even a category for it - the cop coded it as "Failure to signal".) He then ran my license and discovered my license was suspended.

Actually, that second part isn't true, and that's the part I find interesting. He didn't actually discover my license was suspended after he pulled me over. It was, apparently, the reason he pulled me over.

The judge made a few remarks about this during the earlier cases, and I asked him a couple of questions myself. Putting everything together, what I gather is:
1. Under Oregon law, the police cannot pull you over because they suspect you are driving on a suspended license (or without insurance for that matter).
2. The law, however, does not prohibit the police from downloading lists of people with suspended licenses from the DMV, cross-referenced by the license plates of their registered cars.
3. Driving with a suspended license is one of the highest routine fines aside from littering.
4. So the city of Beaverton, seeing a lucrative opportunity here, has been giving the lists of suspended drivers (cross-referenced to their cars) to the police, who then, when they find one of these cars, of which there are a great many, they follow it for a bit to find something to pull them over for. It is an oft-quoted aphorism that any police officer can find a reason to pull over a car within five minutes of following them. Turns out that even if they can't find a reason, they can just make something up. Since they never actually charge you with what they're pulling you over for, you can't defend against it in court. What they really want is that lucrative driving while suspended fine.

The whole thing is rather shady-seeming, and not really quite honest. But, there it is.

And, of course, it's just one more way our society is geared to get money from the poor while leaving the rich mostly alone. Because, face it, who gets their licenses suspended for the most part (aside from people like me who are just spectacularly irresponsible)? Yep, the working poor and the unemployed. And, especially since Beaverton (and probably other cities) are now using it as a reliable revenue stream, it is simply yet another tax that poor people pay that wealthier people don't have to.

Especially the guy who was before me, but I'll tell his story later...

If anyone reading this lives in or near Eugene, you may have heard a very loud screech coming from the general direction of the DMV.

That would be me.

For those of you following my neverending quest to get a driver's license (I think I might give up and go find the Holy Grail instead, it's gotta be easier than this, and you don't have to deal with so many goddamn fuckheads!), a brief summary:

( Timeline of Pat's Driver's license: )

So I spent all day again today on the phone to the DMV and various related groups.
After an excruciating process of dragging information out of people who seem to do their best not to volunteer any information, I finally have the whole story. I think.

( The whole damn DMV story. )

A few things I wanted to mention, but didn't get around to before:

First the least painful recent experience: I needed a root canal.
Yay.
( warning: medical details )

Then, there was my date.

( My proudest failed date yet )

And then, there's the DMV:
( Fear and Loathing at the Department of Motor Vehicles )