Fine...... Well, yeah fine...

Today I learned something new. I've been driving for about 20 years now. I think I am a decent driver. Sharkey and I just arrived home from Minnesota again and we logged about 2500 miles this last time around. We drove through 5 states in one day. There are some important things you learn on the journey: don't speed in Ohio, there are tons of state trooper speed traps; allow 2x the amount of time to get through Chicago; Indiana is the cruising state where you can go 80 MPH down the highway without being stopped. So I drove 2500 miles without incident and today I drove .25 miles and received a fine for not obeying a posting highway sign. Here is the deal, on the intersection right down the road from our house is a three way stop:



The stop signs are not right at the intersection. They are 10 feet back from the intersection. So what I usually do, which I won't be doing anymore, is stop a little after the stop signs. Well I don't stop right at the sign because you cannot see the traffic that's coming from the left and right. So the correct thing to do is to stop before the stop sign completely then slowly move up to the intersection before making the turn. I did what I normally do today and before I know it, there's a police car with flashing lights in back of me. So this little mistake in motoring is costing me $100, not a very cheap lesson at all. But I did get my money's worth.

Once the officer was done writing out the ticket and he explained to me the error of my ways I decided I needed more information. So I asked the following questions: So the stop sign, when there's no line on the pavement do you have to stop right at the sign or like 3 feet before the sign? Who do I make the check out to for the fine? What portion of the fine do I return, the whole thing or just a certain piece? What's the EMS stand for on the fine? Why's the fine $25 but the EMS is $10 and the MEDC is $35 and the other fees are $40? I figured if he's going to waste my time with the stop while he punches my info into the crime computer, the least I can do is to try to recoup some of my money that I'll going to pay the local government. I also found that it's interesting how many stupid questions you can ask someone as long as you seem sincere and have a smile on your face. I must have spent a good 10 minutes just asking dumb questions.