unhandledexception.net » Driving

Does Sound Transit police also extort drivers?

spiro — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:25:39 +0000

I was driving back on the I-90 express lanes on Saturday afternoon (with a friend, so I was there legally), just before the north/south 405 fork, there was this sound transit cop in front of me, and some dude on the left lane. The cop merges left in front of the dude and I attempt the same thing too, to go north on 405. Unfortunately, that idiot would not let me in his lane, so I merged behind him and gave him the finger.

I believe the cop saw that (or maybe he just wasn’t impressed with my loud techno blasting though the sunroof), pulled over to the shoulder and got behind me for like a mile on 405, I didn’t get stopped. Should I actually be looking out for these transit police like I do for the WaSPs?

Negligent Driving Ticket Dismissed!

spiro — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:30:37 +0000

Back in March I got a ticket for second degree negligent driving. I hired an attorney, Heidi Hunt to contest it, and today they called me to give me the good news that it was thrown out. Sweet! I seriously thought this was going to stay, and insurance would be delighted to screw me of course.

So far, this is ticket #4 in the US. The first ticket I got was for doing 71 mph in a 35 mph zone just over a year ago was deferred. The second one for 79 in 60, on the highway, was dismissed, the third one was for not having proof of insurance was also dismissed (without a lawyer this time, just showed proof of insurance to the court). Total spent on lawyers: $1000. Total saved in fines: $1105. Fighting tickets does indeed pay for itself, but the feeling of beating the scammy system is priceless!

I’m really getting sick of traffic tickets

spiro — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:50:04 +0000

As I was heading to Seattle after work on friday to meet up with some friends, I got a good ticket! The charge is “second degree negligent driving” and the fine is $550.

So this is my 4th in just over a year I’ve been here, and I am really getting fed up. The first two were speeding, one was deferred, and one was thrown out. Then I got another one for failing to provide proof of insurance. “I fucking have insurance you dumbass stupid doughnut-eater, call the fucking insurance company and ask them.” Then this one.

Compare this to my 8-year long Quebec driving history. One ticket for speeding in a school zone and one for running a stop sign. Both which I can understand. None of this “speeding” on a freeway bullshit, or even higher in the bullshit scale, “negligence”.

Seriously, what the fuck happened to this supposed “free country”. I’d like to enjoy the right to move about without getting harrassed about my driving and getting “taxed” like this. I haven’t hit anyone, I don’t drink and drive, so leave me the hell alone and go fight real crime. If you hypocrites need money just increase your taxes. Put an end to this racket with insurance companies.

Surprise, surprise! Ethanol is CRAP!

spiro — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:14:12 +0000

Recently, around the Seattle area, there were a few reports of “watered-down gas”. Like, it seems that around here it’s not only liquor that the water down, but gasoline! Not only do you have to be careful not to spill gas on your car’s body as ethanol dissolves car paint (scroll down the page).

The story is, ethanol absorbs the bad stuff in gas storage tanks, and pumps it right in your car. Isn’t that just great for your engine? Unfortunately, there’s no escaping ethanol, it’s now law that every gas station has to carry it. Talk about a very powerful corn lobby! (Feeding you their crap isn’t enough I guess) And don’t tell me that 13% ethanol is going to save the planet, as you still get 87% pure (supposedly) octane in ordinary gas, as ethanol can’t replace that.

Well, there is something you can do: nice, expensive premium gas! It will get you more octane, and less “other stuff”. The wikipedia article on octane rating is quite an interesting read, if you’ve ever wondered the difference between gas grades.

Maybe when they get enough insurance complaints, the insurance lobby will kill ethanol, just like they did with speeding, even though it’s only the cause of 5% of crashes.