Yep, that’s right! While running an errand during a break from work, I was stopped by one of Austin’s finest. In the end, I ended up getting a ticket. And, I’ll freely admit that I was guilty of what the officer described! The only problem is: What I was ticketed for is NOT against the law!

I work in Austin, TX near Metric and Braker. During one of my breaks from work, I made a quick trip to purchase an air compressor from a Craigslist seller. He lived near Lamar and North Loop. On my way back, I was going north on N. Lamar approaching Hwy 183. At the stop light at Morrow street, I was in the left lane. Intending to turn north on 183, I realized that I needed to be in the right lane (the green arrow on the map). So, when the light turned green, I pulled through the intersection, used my turn signal, and smoothly moved over two lanes. There was only one vehicle, several car lengths to the right-rear of me; and, I was never close enough to him to be in any way reckless.

Anyway, in my move to get to the right lane, I drove over the solid white line that delineates the regular lanes from the “exit” lane (where the little red arrow points). I continued on, through the next couple of lights, turning onto the northbound access road. Then, flashing red & blue lights caught my attention. I was being pulled over by an Austin cop. But, for what?! I thought maybe I had clipped through a yellow light at one of the signals or something.

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CAUTION: Road Work Ahead

In a typical year, the state of Texas has more than 1,000 highway projects under contract. As a result, drivers are likely to encounter a variety of work zone conditions, including uneven pavement, narrow lanes, concrete barriers, slow moving equipment, and loose gravel.

About 100 people, most of them motorists, are killed in work zones across Texas each year.

If you’re traveling in Texas, here’s the law regarding driving in work zones:

Texas law requires you to obey all signs in work zones. Fines for moving violations can be as much as $400 in construction or maintenance work zones marked with signs indicating that fines double when workers are present. You should always see a “Begin . . .” sign at the start of such zones. Enforcement of rules while in the ‘zone’ ends when you see the “End . . .” sign. (Note: I have noticed that the wording on ‘zone’ signs sometimes varies. For instance, the ‘end’ sign may say, “End Road Work”, or “End Work Zone”. Regardless, you should look for and pay particular attention to where a construction or work zone begins and ends.)

TRAVEL TIPS:

• Plan ahead by checking the web at www.dot.state.tx.us for state construction sites where travel may be delayed.
• Allow extra travel time, and be patient. Reducing your speed from 60 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour in a two-mile work zone delays your journey by only ONE minute!
• Observe all work zone warning signs; and, pay attention to flaggers in orange vests directing traffic.
• Merge at the first notice of a lane closure or change.
• Keep a safe distance between your vehicle, other vehicles, traffic barriers, construction workers, and equipment. Extra caution is required when driving in an active work zone at night!
• Avoid distractions! Don’t use your cell phone or send text messages. Don’t fiddle with the radio controls or your MP3 player.

When and where in San Antonio are you most likely to get a speeding ticket? After analyzing thousands of speeding tickets given out in a six-month period, KSAT 12 found that Interstate 10 is a hot spot for getting speeding tickets.

“Every traffic shift has anywhere from 20 to 30 officers on it,” said Sgt. Gabe Trevino, with the San Antonio Police Department. There are three shifts each day.

According to the study, the No. 1 spot to get a ticket was on Interstate 10 and West Avenue. The third most likely spot to be ticketed is also on Interstate 10 at Fresno Street. The second most likely spot to receive a ticket is on Interstate 35 and Malone Avenue.

Most tickets are issued between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

According to Trevino, Officer Jason Aicher is the king of ticket-writers. “First of all, he’s a motorcycle officer,” said Trevino. Aicher wrote more than 1,300 tickets in six months. (That’s about 10 per work day!) He often watches school zones, and gave out 13 percents of the tickets he issued in those areas.

More tickets are issued at the end of each month, leading some drivers like John Rodriguez to believe there may be a quota. “It was toward the end of the month, meet the quota,” Rodriguez said.

Despite the study showing the greatest number of tickets being written during the last week of the month, police said there is no quota. “We don’t tell them, ‘You need to go write a certain amount of tickets every single day,’ [or] ‘At the end of the month we want to see a certain number of tickets,’” Trevino said. “That’s not the case.” Police say ticket quotas are illegal.

Still, police generate a significant amount of revenue from fines — including speeding tickets. In the year ending Sept. 30, the San Antonio Municipal Courts reported receiving more than $26 million from fines. Police, however, say money is not the motive. There have been more than 100 traffic deaths this year, and police said catching speeders saves lives.

Source: KSAT.com

Landon Wilburn, 11, has a future as a cop – a traffic cop.

The youngster, who used to shout at speeders to slow down as they drove through the Stone Lakes subdivision in Louisville, now has taken matters into his own hands.

Dressed in a reflective vest, wearing a bicycle helmet and armed with an orange Hot Wheels brand radar gun, he points and records the actual speed of passing traffic.

Landon also carries a flashlight with a built-in siren.

“When I saw it happening, I got the biggest kick out of it,” said resident George Ayers, 61. “People were locking up their brakes when they saw him.”

Many in the subdivision are frustrated that motorists tear through the neighborhood at 55 mph despite signs posting a 25 mph limit.

Officials said the city will install speed humps in the neighborhood if 70 percent of residents agree and are willing to put up half the money.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

Yea… Well, it had to come to a decision sooner or later. And that decision was that I was “Guilty” of violating Texas Transportation Code 544.006 .

You know, when I first got this ticket, I thought, “It’ll never fly!” How could they be issuing a ticket under that statute for holding a homemade cardboard sign. That part of the law is really meant to keep people from erecting their own signs that are meant to appear as a real traffic sign. For instance, the farmer who made and installed fake speed limit signs on the road by his farm. And, this sign — another example of what the law was intended to prevent.

But, when I’m being a little defiant (okay, a lot), and the cop is being… well, a COP… You can expect that things are going to get a little hairy. Ask me a question, then interrupt me mid-sentence to demand identification… Well, That’s just rude. Be rude, and expect others to treat you accordingly.

Anyway, there’s not much to say about the outcome, except that there ARE some plain and simple facts that I would like to make known about the whole thing:

The court found me guilty of violating a Texas statute;

The judge will let the prosecutor play a video and make comments and pose questions throughout; but, he won’t let the defense replay portions of the same video during cross examination;

The slower Officer DeBrow draws a sketch, the more overtime everyone gets paid;

Witnesses can outright LIE so long as the jury doesn’t know otherwise (and it’s hard to disprove some things when the judge won’t allow you to replay part of a video);

The bailiff can take catnaps while the jury deliberates;

I need more practice at being my own lawyer;

AND,

The “Thin Blue Line” DOES exist!

So, all in all, everything’s cool now. The jury cut my fine by 65%! (Because I requested the jury determine the fine amount, not the judge.) There WERE additional costs associated with the jury trial. Overall, I paid more than if I’d just rolled over and taken it. But it was worth it. I got to participate in the system — something far too few people take advantage of. And, I learned alot along the way. The main thing being: I need to redesign my sign. I’ve got some good ideas already. Obviously, it’s gotta be something that doesn’t even come close to resembling a traffic sign. Easy enough — How about the profile of a police car, with “Speed Trap Ahead.org” all in one line down the side of the car?

I’ve always found that “You almost never get PAID for learning something; You seldom learn something for FREE; and, There is usually a cost, of some sort, associated with learning.” I don’t mind paying for my education. In fact, I consider the price I paid for the multitude of things I learned to be quite a deal!

I wonder what new things I’ll learn from my next encounter?

Be careful out there! Drive safely; and, Pay attention to your surroundings.