Written by Gregory Monte.
“You know that old expression “caught with your hand in the cookie jar?” That originally referred to children who get caught doing something wrong. But motorists on the highway are not babies who lack the capacity to apply reasoning and common sense to situations that confront them. Adults have the ability to use their brains to make a choice based on the factors which they experience.”
Gregory Monte, Author of Traffic Ticket Defense Blog
I am re-posting part of an old blog post with an added update. I decided to do this after reviewing some recent feedback I got on Facebook in response to my suggestion that citizens should contest their unfair traffic tickets.
NOTE: I wanted to title today’s post Asshole Cops are Like Those Asshole Teachers You Had Back in Grade School, but feared that Facebook would have censored it.
Negative Feedback
Here is a good selection of the commentary I received over the past couple of weeks:
“Walter Schwartz If you get a ticket you probably deserve it pay it and don’t drive like an idiot.”
“Terry Utter a stop sign means you stop. Doesn’t matter if no one’s around. It’s not a yield. Full stop, every time. Just because you don’t see someone else doesn’t mean they’re not there.”
“David Smith Best defense ever? Come to a full stop 🛑 bonehead!!🙄 Tired of dodging your stupid antics!🤦🏼♂️”
“Tom Shaner a stop sign is a stop sign no matter where you are at just like a yield sign should be obeyed.”
“Bill Wereb Why don’t you just stop? Diptard”
“Bill Wereb I have done that. I got a ticket. I paid it. I have gone 16 years ticket free. Pay the fine. Learn a lesson and get over it.”
“Dale Gilbert Stop Sign Ticket Defense I think your all confused between yield and stop.”
“Dale Gilbert and to think if you just pressed on that pad just for a second you wouldn’t have to try to beat a traffic ticket and the world would be a safer place.😂”
The Good Citizen (Sheep) vs. The Adult
Before I get into the details of my post for today, I want to clarify a term that I use to describe citizens who meekly pay their traffic tickets as if it is their civic duty.
I call them sheep.
You know that old expression “caught with your hand in the cookie jar?” That originally referred to children who get caught doing something wrong. But motorists on the highway are not babies who lack the capacity to apply reasoning and common sense to situations that confront them. Adults have the ability to use their brains to make a choice based on the factors which they experience.
From what I can tell, most of the citizen sheep don’t think reasoning or common sense plays any part in driving. When a ticket is issued to an individual who rolls through a stop sign, they cheer and think in their heads – “Serves them right, those lawbreakers!”
Do they think to ask the obvious?
“Was anyone harmed when they rolled through that stop sign?”
“Was there any other traffic even close to that intersection when they performed their dastardly deed?”
No matter, the aberrant motorist is guilty, period. After all, they broke the law, right?
My Point of View – Drivers Are Not Imbeciles
My viewpoint is straightforward and I can easily illustrate it by referring to my daily commute:
I just completed my daily 100-mile drive back from work, and I took note of how many stop signs were on that route – there were eight. I stopped completely at three and noticed that the cars in front of me did the same. These were in New Jersey, where the neighborhood was suburban and the stops were necessary to be safe. Traffic was moderate to heavy, and the sight distance was only clear for up to maybe 50-100 feet.
The other five stop signs were located in Pennsylvania and were all located in very rural areas. At each of these intersections, traffic was light to none and you could see cars coming in all directions for anywhere from 100 – 150 yards. In addition, the roads were flat and straight. I didn’t stop completely at these intersections and neither did any of the cars in front of me.
Do you already guess my point before I say it?
Drivers have brains and they care about their own safety and the condition of their vehicles. They use their reasoning and judgement based on the situation that they are faced with.
It’s called common sense.
The Asshole Teacher Analogy
Do you know any teachers who are assholes when it comes to discipline?
I am talking about those teachers who regularly write-up students for minor infractions like chewing gum, talking too much in class, horsing around in the hall-ways, etc.
I am the opposite of that kind of teacher. After working 12+ years in my current district, I can count on two hands the total number of detentions and write-ups I have issued.
If you sense that I am being critical of the asshole teacher, you are correct.
Which leads me to the inspiration for this blog post.
Last year, my son got a ticket for allegedly failing obey a stop sign – his first ticket ever.
Never mind that there was no one coming in any direction, the police officer who issued the ticket claimed that he didn’t come to a 100% complete stop before making a right onto a roadway.
Here is my point.
I think that teachers who overuse (abuse?) the school disciplinary system with excessive detentions/write-ups are in some ways similar to police officers who regularly issue tickets rather than warnings for minor traffic infractions.
They don’t have to assert their authority, but they chose to do so anyway.
I call them Asshole Teachers and Asshole Cops.
When a student is chewing gum in school, is he breaking the rules?
Yes.
Is it really a big deal?
Not really.
Likewise, when a driver rolls through a stop sign on a road with no traffic, has he violated a statute?
Certainly.
But was anyone harmed by this action?
Certainly not.
So, in situations like this, why don’t police officers and teachers just issue a warning – especially if it is a first offense?
Traffic Ticket Defense Blog 
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