For the first time in a very long time, I received a citation from the police. It was a traffic citation. The part that I loved the most about this particular citation is that I wasn’t pulled over. That’s right. I didn’t even talk to a police officer. Let me backtrack just a little bit.
One Saturday morning I decided to drive from southern Wisconsin to Davenport, Iowa. I was browsing around online and there was a picture of a beautiful ballpark. After a little digging I discovered that it was a minor league baseball park that is the home to the Quad City River Bandits.
Modern Woodmen Park is beautifully situated on the banks of the Mississippi River. Over the left field wall tucked away in the corner of the park is a small amusement park. A small roller coaster roars across the rails where the sound of laughing and screaming children fills the air. Music from a carousel is heard in the distance as it spins in the shadow of a large Ferris Wheel rotating against the Davenport skyline. The Ferris Wheel is directly behind the left field wall and provides the perfect backdrop for the outfield.
In perfect contrast to the left field amusement park is what lies behind the right field wall. Bleachers are nowhere to be found in right field. Instead, they opted to keep an open view to the Mississippi River flowing underneath the Stanley Talbot Memorial Bridge. Also known as the Centennial Bridge, four large trusses make up the 4447 foot bridge as it spans the Mississippi. You know the rug that really brings the room together? The Centennial Bridge looming in the background of right field with the calming flow of the river underneath really brings the park together.
The ballpark alone was worth the three and a half hour drive to Davenport. The action on the field is enhanced by the amusement park, bridge, and river. There’s not a bad seat in the park. Plenty of food options, a well put together pro shop, and friendly fans made for a fantastic experience. No regrets at all to make the drive and take the time.
What did that story have to do with my citation? Absolutely nothing. I just thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share why I was in Iowa, of all places, in the first place. Let me be clear. I was in absolutely no rush to be anywhere before or after that game. Did I want to be home as soon as possible? Of course! It’s a long drive, and it was going to be quite late by the time I got home.
Now I have to be honest. I am a speeder. It’s true. I speed every time I drive. My speeding has nothing to do with being in a rush. I could have all the time in the world and I would still push the limits as far as speed. There are very particular times where I have a lot of patience as well. If I’m behind farm machinery, and we’re in a no passing zone with no clear view around the equipment, I’ll wait until a passing zone comes along. If there’s a lot of traffic, and we’re all moving along at a decent enough speed, I’m not the type to weave in and out of traffic in order to gain a few seconds of time. However, if I’m in the middle of nowhere Iowa, the traffic is light, and there’s absolutely nothing around me…I would love to set the cruise at 110 mph and call it good. I am the Ricky Bobby (Talladega Nights) of domestic driving. I wanna go fast!
Calm down keyboard warriors! I wasn’t doing 110 mph. The speed limit on that particular state highway in LeClaire, IA was 65 mph. I was doing 77 mph. I felt it was a safe 77 mph. My reasoning? It’s Iowa. I’ll take out a corn stalk at 77 mph, I can make peace with that. Now this is where you assume that I came around a curve or up over a hill and in the median sits Johnny Law and boom, I’m busted! Serves me right! Shouldn’t have been endangering innocent people, and corn stalks, with my irresponsible speeding! You’re wrong. There was no police, of any kind, in sight. I made it all the way home without incident.
As a matter of fact, as I drove through Illinois, I was doing 12 mph over the speed limit and there was a state patrol vehicle in the median. He didn’t even flinch. He just sat there waiting for a real speeder to come along. Actually, I didn’t find out that LeClaire, IA was concerned about me endangering their citizens and corn until a week and a half later. I opened my mail and found a letter. In the body of that letter was a picture of my truck, with a separate picture zoomed in on my license plate, and an explanation of my citation. There it all was, laid out for me so beautifully, that I couldn’t even argue it. I literally laughed out loud, though. I found it to be hilarious. I haven’t received any sort of ticket in a very long time, so this was a little bit fun. Sadly, I didn’t get to interact with Iowa’s finest. But look at this story! The letter had a separate box that informed me of the speed limit: 65 mph. Along with my speed: 77 mph. Along with the amount of the fine: $75.
When you turn to the backside of the letter you find all kinds of useful information. They tell you how you can fight the citation in person, or by mail, or a website you can go to and find even more information about your citation and your rights. They also provide you with a box stating the different fines for the different ranges of speed you were going. 11 – 20 mph over the posted speed limit is a $75 fine. Had I known I could have pushed it a few more mph I would have! 21 – 25 mph over is $100, 25 – 30 mph over is $250, and 30 mph over or more is $500. Unless you’re in a construction zone, then all of those fines double.
You only receive a fine. No points. Which I found interesting. Typically, when you get any sort of traffic citation there’s points involved. It’s what drives so many people to traffic court, no pun intended. People will often plea bargain for their points. Paying the fine is often preferred over losing precious points on your driver’s license. Iowa doesn’t care about your points. Just show them the money!
It’s true that when I opened the letter and I realized what it was, I laughed out loud. After a while, and after I wrote the check and dropped it in the mail, I started to think about it a little more in depth. What was there to think about? I was speeding, I get caught, I broke the law, pay the fine, right? I can get on board with that. I agree that if you break the law there are consequences and I am not here to complain about that. The thing that got me thinking so hard was the principle behind speed limits in the first place.
A speed limit is in place, no matter where you are, because the municipality, state, or Federal government says that the posted speed limit is safe for the road you’re traveling. Safe for you in ideal driving conditions. Safe for other drivers on the road so everyone can comfortably drive the same road and have reasonable time to react in standard driving situations. When people are speeding, they’re stretching the limits of that safety. Speeders are giving other drivers, pedestrians, or bicyclists less reaction time. Speeders are giving themselves less reaction time. Speeders who choose to weave in and out of traffic and bounce from lane to lane create so many unsafe conditions. What do we do with people like that? How to we prevent them from being a nuisance on the roads?
We pull them over. We stop them from speeding immediately. Police officers are out there to patrol the roads in order to keep law abiding citizens safe from evil speeders and keep citizens safe from way too many other individuals to list. I’ve already admitted I was speeding. But I wasn’t pulled over. I drove the remaining 3 hours home without incident. Was I a reckless driver making myself and those around me unsafe? If so, then answer this question for me.
What did the camera taking a picture of my truck, and the city of LeClaire sending me a ticket a week and a half later, do to keep me and everyone else safe? An argument could be made that I won’t do it next time. It’s to teach me a lesson for the future because I never know where the next camera will catch me. That’s not how it’s supposed to work, though. You’re supposed to stop the person from endangering themselves and others as they’re in the act of the endangerment. A week and a half later doesn’t seem effective at all. I’ve done so much endangering in the mean time!
There isn’t a way to convince me this is about safety. Primarily because if you go back and read what was on the back of the letter, and read the speeding fines, you’ll notice the fines start at 11 mph over the speed limit. What about the 10 mph before that? I thought speeding was dangerous. This means that the city of LeClaire has taken upon themselves to decide what type of speeding is acceptable and what isn’t. Of course, it comes down to the officer’s discretion in a lot of cases. If I lived in or near LeClaire, and knew they allowed 10 mph over the speed limit before they start to care about how fast you’re going, I would use that to my advantage as much as I could.
I’m not sure there’s any legal standing to this, but with the right lawyer anything is possible. Let’s say you’re doing 65 mph in a 55 mph zone. Someone is pulling out from an intersection and doesn’t see you due to your high rate of speed. You hit that person and wreck both of your cars. The police and insurance company are going to look at that as the fault of the person who is speeding. Excessive speed caused the accident, the insurance companies sort it out, the speeder is fined, and everyone goes home. Can the speeder sue the city? The city documented how they will be accepting of 10 mph over the speed limit. Knowing I’m not likely to get pulled over for doing 10 mph over the speed limit in LeClaire, then I would expect them to have to step up and pay for some of my damages. Had I thought they would pull me over for doing 3- 5 mph over the speed limit I may have slowed down and not been in an accident at all. Ever hear of Rosendale, WI? Their affinity for pulling over people for minor speeding violations is legendary! Look it up!
I understand that there are a thousand different ways to argue for or against the point that I just made, but it does add a layer of doubt. Make no mistake, I’m not trying to say I didn’t deserve the ticket. I was speeding. The ticket was deserved. My concern is that these camera tickets, that are fines only, has nothing to do with keeping us safer on the roads. This is primarily a way for the city to make extra money. Especially considering this a major “pass through” area of Iowa. A lot of out of state people who are just passing through the area to get to wherever they’re going. Like me, when the ticket is mailed to the offender, the fine amount makes it not worth the time to even try to contest it. Just pay the fine and move on. It’s a win-win for the city.
I haven’t done the research to see if there’s a way to find out what cities or municipalities operate this way. Which ones use this type of technology to enhance their checking account. Just beware, speeders (like me), that there are places out there with this technology and they are willing to use it to the fullest extent of their abilities. One final point, they take a picture of your vehicle and zoom in on your license plate and give you the clearest color picture taken from a highway camera you’ve ever seen. Why are they focusing such a clear camera on the highways? Why not use those in higher crime areas so we’re not getting grainy, pixelated pictures of people who have committed serious crimes?
A World of Difference 