I'm sure all of us have been stuck in traffic somewhere just to find out people are just slowing down to look at a car crash. Indeed I've come to find people are fascinated with car crashes. I'm not sure if its the fact that they want to see some injured person lying on the ground or if they just like seeing "TV come to life."
The reason officers give tickets to the public is largely in an effort to prevent car crashes. I've currently been watching the stop sign at 23rd and Monroe boulevard. Monroe is a fairly busy street which has traffic signals through the majority of it. However, at 23rd South it is only a stop sign. Cross traffic has been getting in the habit of only slowing down instead of stopping at the sign.
I recently gave a ticket to one very upset person for running the stop sign at this location. I can understand his frustration. Getting a $100 ticket for doing something stupid makes one have a bad day. My argument is would you rather get a $100 ticket or get in an accident? The accident will cost ten times as much to fix all the repairs and sometimes a lot of physical pain and loss of life. Speeding, not signaling, running signs and lights, etc...every time there is a car crash, someone did something they should not have which caused a crash with someone else who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. An unfortunate victim to someone else's stupidity or lack of safety.
The next time you get a ticket think of these pictures and be more thankful you got a ticket instead of a crash.
The PT Cruiser below is the dum dum.
The PT Cruiser was spun 180 degrees, caught the pavement, and flipped over onto its roof. The driver was pinned in the car for several minutes until the fire department cut the passenger door off and extracted him from the car. He was transported to the hospital with several serious injuries.
Above is what the car looked like once it was flipped back over onto its wheels. Engine fluid, glass, and garbage poured out all over the pavement. If you'd like to see the car being flipped over go to the video on my facebook account.(http://vupload.new.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=43053232800)
The driver of this car thought all the drinking they had done the night before had worn off. She believed the misconception that it wears off in only an hour or two.
She had been driving north on Harrison Blvd. She either fell asleep or lost control of her vehicle. While driving north she drifted across the road into on coming traffic. Luckily she hit a parked car on the side of the road and not a head-on collision. However, the impact spun the car around 180 degrees and eventually flipped the car on its side. The fire department cut off the windshield, as shown in the pic, and extracted her through the missing window. In the drunken stupor a seat belt was forgotten. She received may injuries from being tossed around the interior of the car.
The car on the side of the road that she hit was pushed over the sidewalk and onto the front lawn of the home. It was the family's only car and mode of transportation.
Please...leave early, drive slowly, drive defensively, be aware of your surroundings, and always assume the cars around you don't see you.
What does this mean for me? Its an opportunity to work with a different police agency MUCH closer to home. With the economy crumbling I will be better able to save gas money, and get more $ an hour.
