Chancing It
It is increasingly tempting to just go for it.
Scratch that. It is increasingly reasonable to just go for it.
Traffic stops are not what they once were. The fines have become disproportionate, abusive – hundreds of dollars for crimes-agains-no-one such as “speeding” and not having various government stickers, all of them up to date.
Many people cannot afford to pay these fines – not to mention the additional fines they face in the form of higher car insurance premiums, which they’re forced to pay as much as any court-ordered fine.
These premiums are already so high – even before they go higher, based on the pretext of convictions for crimes-against-no-one such as “speeding” – that many people reasonably elect to chance not paying at all. For the same reason that many people elect not to pay for “health insurance” that is unaffordable.
But if they catch you going without . . . notwithstanding the fact that you haven’t harmed anyone, including yourself. . . .
Now the premiums will be even higher again; not uncommonly several thousand dollars per year. Who can afford this?
Yet, who can afford not to drive?
And so, they do – regardless.
In some states, a driver can be arrested and taken to jail merely for exceeding a posted speed limit by more than 20 MPH. This might be reasonable if speed limits weren’t unreasonable. But when a speed limit is set at 35 MPH on a road where traffic casually and routinely flows at 45-50 MPH, driving 56 MPH is hardly excessive, let alone “reckless” – yet it is defined as such by statute in states like Virginia.
Where it is also “reckless” to drive faster than 80 MPH anywhere – even on an Interstate highway with a speed limit of 70 MPH.
A trip to jail can ensue if one pulls over, which is a very strong incentive not to. And even if you don’t get taken to jail, you will be taken to the cleaners. The total cost of a single speeding ticket, including the jack-up insurance premiums that will remain in force for several years at least, is typically around $500. A “reckless” driving conviction – 81 MPH on a 70 MPH Interstate – will cost the average victim several thousand dollars, all told.
For people whose livelihood depends on a “clean” driving record, the motivation to take a chance waxes. Increasingly, it is a question of what have I got to lose? Increasingly, the answer is – not much.
Unreasonable laws – and excessive punishments – tend to trigger such responses.
And there is the more serious risk that you’ll face more than just a financial wood shampoo given the Submit and Obey mentality of today’s Israeli occupation-style law enforcers. People who aren’t aware how radically things have changed over the past 10-15 years or so may not realize that an innocent action such as stepping out of the vehicle unbidden or reaching for a driver’s license can trigger the Officer Safety Reflex – and leave you on the ground, bleeding out.
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