A Speeding Ticket is an Effective Form of Discipline

475 Words1 Page

Many years ago, a popular movie, "Top Gun" coined the phrase "I feel the need, the

need for speed." Many drivers today would agree with that phrase. Speeding is

one of the most common ways that people break the law. When people break the law

there are unpleasant consequences. A speeding ticket is an effective form of

discipline: paying for a ticket, traffic school, and higher insurance rates.

Paying for a speeding ticket is an unpleasant experience. A ticket can be

outrageously expensive depending on how fast you were speeding. Some states

charge ten to twenty dollars per mile an hour over the speed limit. The officer

assigns you a day to appear in court, if you choose to fight the ticket rather

than pay the fine. Waiting in the courtroom to see the judge can be very close

to a death sentence. The wait is long, and the company can be frightening. Once

you plead your case, you generally end up paying the fine. This only leads to

another line, and another wait. This has to be the most unpleasant part of a

speeding ticket.

In addition, paying for traffic school is also a disagreeable experience. If you

waited to see the judge, you may be on your way after paying the fine. If the

judge is kind, and offers a traffic school option, the unpleasantness continues.

Usually the traffic school is no where near to the courthouse, which causes you

to search to find the it. The great experience of paying is close at hand after

locating the school. You must endure the nine hour course after paying for the

privilege of attending. This is a class most people would have never taken if

given the chance. The unpleasantness associated with a speeding ticket is almost

finished when you have completed the course.

A reoccurring reminder of a previous mistake is evident in higher insurance

rates. Most insurance companies feel that speeding tickets make someone a higher

risk. So, to offset the risk they raise the premium. Which means it is more

expensive to obtain insurance. If the insurance company decides to raise your

rates by only ten dollars it can have a lasting effect. When the ticket falls

off your driving the record, usually in three to five years, you have spent more

Open Document