Things aren't always what they seem...

Why does the "point system" for traffic violations unfairly put a greater burden on those of us who drive more?

Let me explain a bit. Recently, a friend told me that I must be a more reckless driver because I seem to get speeding tickets nearly every other year, and he only gets them every three years or so.

Sounds reasonable, right? Well, not so fast.

He, like many people, only drives 10,000 - 12,000 miles a year. So, if he gets a ticket every three years, that's one ticket for every 30,000 to 36,000 miles driven.

I tend to drive a bit more. I actually drive between 40,000 and 45,000 miles each year. So, getting a ticket every other year is about 80,000 - 90,000 miles driven between tickets.

So, my "safe" friend gets ticketed at nearly three times the rate that I do. In fact, if he wanted to match my true ratio of tickets to miles driven, he would only be allowed to get one ticket every eight or nine years!!! But I get to pay the price...

My insurance is higher because I carry more points on my license, and have "more frequent" violations than he does. Also, my fees to waive these violations are much higher, even though my ticket to miles driven ratio is nearly a third of his. Yes, that's right - the fines Change depending upon WHEN your last ticket was, not how much you've driven since.

So, here I am, being unfairly punished by our system on the basis that I drive more. And it sucks.

But, I suppose I should count my blessings. If our current leaders have their way, I'll be paying an "emissions fee" over and above all my other costs, merely because my job forces me to drive more.

I guess that's what I get for having a job and working my ass off trying to keep people working.

Rotten bastards.