Karma bites, man...

[minkydog]

We got a notice in the mail inviting DS19 to appear in court in December.No fine listed, no charges. I assumed it was in regard to the accident he had recently(where he pulled out in front of a lady and tore up our car.) Oh no, it's not that--he got a speeding ticket. And not just any speeding ticket--driving in excess of 50mph in a 25mph school zone. In Georgia that is a 6pt offense--and automatic suspension of license if you are under 21. Yowza!

In the past 5 months DS19 has exactly the same number of moving violations(3) that i have accumulated over the last 32 years! Too bad, so sad. We tried to tell him. The Driver's Ed guy tried to tell him. His cousin David(who just got out of jail for excessive moving violations) tried to tell him. Now, not only is the State of Georgia about to have their way with him, Dad & Mom have taken away the keys. Two speeding tickets in 5 months(and both of them >25mph over) = loss of driving privileges in my house. How could DS think we wouldn't find out? Our insurance is about to go through the roof(and he is off the insurance permanently now.)

I swear this kid's getting a lump of coal for Christmas.

 

[Rhonda922]

I had something a little bit similar last night. I had been involved in a rear-end collision (I was the rear-endee). The guy that hit me was young probably in his early 20's. We went to court last night and as I was leaving afterwards, I was thinking to myself that his parents are probably reaming him because of the fines that he has to pay and I know his insurance is going to be sky high. And might I also mention that he was yacking it up on a cellphone at the time that he hit me.

 

[Marseeya]

Oh no, poor you! I hope this teaches him some responsibility.

I just got a flash of what my life's going to be like in a couple of years.

 

[minkydog]

I had something a little bit similar last night. I had been involved in a rear-end collision (I was the rear-endee). The guy that hit me was young probably in his early 20's. We went to court last night and as I was leaving afterwards, I was thinking to myself that his parents are probably reaming him because of the fines that he has to pay and I know his insurance is going to be sky high. And might I also mention that he was yacking it up on a cellphone at the time that he hit me.

Yeah, DS asked me if I wanted to yell at him. I said, no, I'll let the judge take care of that for me

 

[Jennifer S]

I think you did the right thing. He could hurt someone -esp. in a school zone. It's tough being a parent. Someday he'll thank you.

 

[lyeag]

Hang in there! Does he have a job to help cover his fines?

 

[minkydog]

Hang in there! Does he have a job to help cover his fines?

Yes, he's currently working only 6hrs a week (he also goes to college.) I have told him to either take a second job or get more hours at the currect job. He still owes us about $300 for the previous wreck and who even knows how much on this citation. Plus he needs to pay the increase of our insurance rate. Some big bucks and we're holding him to it. It's a serious violation. My great fear is that he'll hit someone's child and I'm on him all the time for driving too fast in our subdivision.

 

[Feralpeg]

Well, in a way, the ticket is a good thing. You are taking away his driving priviledges before he has a chance to hurt himself or someone else. Maybe this will teach him that driving is a responsibility that has consequences. IMHO you are handling it correctly. Good luck to you!

 

[lyeag]

Yes, he's currently working only 6hrs a week (he also goes to college.) I have told him to either take a second job or get more hours at the currect job. He still owes us about $300 for the previous wreck and who even knows how much on this citation. Plus he needs to pay the increase of our insurance rate. Some big bucks and we're holding him to it. It's a serious violation. My great fear is that he'll hit someone's child and I'm on him all the time for driving too fast in our subdivision.

Sounds like you are doing a great job. This too shall pass. In the meantime, an adult beverage wouldn't be out of order!

 

[nativetxn]

He's lucky that he's only going to get a fine and tickets. Thank goodness nothing serious has happened yet.

I'm sorry you are having to go through this but at least you aren't the "heavy" the courts will take that roll this time.

Keep us posted?

Katholyn

 

[Hercules10]

--driving in excess of 50mph in a 25mph school zone. In Georgia that is a 6pt offense--

Doing more then 50 in a school zone!? Sorry, but he deserves to lose his license. There's no reason for that!

 

[minkydog]

Doing more then 50 in a school zone!? Sorry, but he deserves to lose his license. There's no reason for that!

That's exactly what i said to him. He wanted me to call a lawyer to fight the ticket. No Way, Jose! And if the judge sees fit to let his butt set a spell in jail, too darn bad. I love my son, but he has to pay the price of his recklessness.

My DS is a good kid--doesn't use drugs, has good friends, is kind and compassionate toward his siblings. But speeding will kill someone, maybe someone else's wonderful child. Perhaps he will think about that when he's walking to & from his job for the next six months (I hear the fine is almost $1000~eep! )

 

[Nancy]

I always think that if the police would just sit right by the high school here they would have so much extra income coming in just from the kids that speed. I am amazed at the amount of kids that have cars and drive them to school, and they all think they are invinsible and drive like maniacs! I am so surprised that we haven't had more accidents in the area.

 

[momsgoofy]

Best thing to deter such behavior might be to make him pay the fines incurred...even if it means he is paying back Mom and Dad. The only speeding ticket (or ticket of any kind) in the past twenty some years was when I was 16 and late for school...47 in a 25...that was suppose to be a $75 fine back then, but since it was a first offense I got a $50 ticket....never told my parents...never used a bail bond card for the insurance to find out and begged a job back from my cousin who I'd worked for in the past so the parents wouldn't know. It must have worked, cause I've had a safety award every year in this state since.

And I agree with you...the kid has got to learn there are consequences for his actions...too bad it'll be a walk to work...although they might grant a privelege license to get to and from work, but something tells me the parental units will nix that and I think you'd be doing the boy a favor...tough love is hard but it makes it's point well.

 

[minkydog]

I always think that if the police would just sit right by the high school here they would have so much extra income coming in just from the kids that speed. I am amazed at the amount of kids that have cars and drive them to school, and they all think they are invinsible and drive like maniacs! I am so surprised that we haven't had more accidents in the area.

Good idea...Cobb County beat you to it. DS was nabbed right in front of the high school. The thing is, I see them setting up about 3 days a week. It's not like they're hiding--they out in plain sight! What a moron...<sigh>

 

[KeepSwimming]

Yikes....

I think you're going to easy on him. If I were you I'd take all the money that you have saved for his college education,and go to the Bahamas. Nothing will repair the kind of emotional damage that little buggar has caused like a cocktail on the beach and a really cute towel boy....

Just an idea....

 

[Nancy]

We have a stretch of road about 1/2 mile in length that has the middle school and high school on it. There is a red light at the corner by the highschool and then no stop signs or lights until you get to the middle school...needless to say it becomes a free for all in the afternoon. What amazes me is the police in my village are so anal about tickets on the street one block over...if you go 5 mph over the speed limit you get nabbed, (because it is a main road as opposed to a more local road) yet they don't go to the road where the schools are and more kids do the speeding by way more then 5 mph's.

While it's too bad your son has to learn the hard way what can happen I like how he asked you if you were going to yell. My response would be the same as yours.

 

[minkydog]

Yikes....

I think you're going to easy on him. If I were you I'd take all the money that you have saved for his college education,and go to the Bahamas. Nothing will repair the kind of emotional damage that little buggar has caused like a cocktail on the beach and a really cute towel boy....

Just an idea....

Hmmm, if I take all the money I've saved for his college I could probably go to Destin (if I stay with the inlaws )

 

[Snoopymom]

Oh man, and Cobb County is brutal. Dh got ticketed a while back for driving with his tailgate down, and the fine was determined by how many other violations you had in the past, so it could have cost him a fortune...if they still have this policy, I'm sure your ds will learn his lesson in court.

I'm already freaking out about my 5 1/2 yr old driving. He's very impulsive and it scares me to death, especially where we live, (near 78 with the crazy reversible lanes and lots of windy roads with two way stops, drastic speed limit changes, and deer running out in the roads at this time of the year.)

Oh, and I'm sure he will since he's older, but have him dress respectfully, yeesh, I was at the Gwinnett Justice Center yesterday, and there were a few teenagers with their parents waiting for juvenile court and they actually looked like your average good kids from good families, but I don't understand how these parents could let them show up dressed as sloppy as they were, especially the girls in their tight clothes.

Hugs!

 

[froglady]

Back in 1964, my older brother totaled my parents car. (No one was hurt, although the car went off an overpass and flipped several times! The police spent the night looking for his body; he had walked home and gone to bed. ) My DM stopped driving two years ago; he still hadn't driven a car belonging to my parents since the accident.