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During the weekend's revelry, LAist saw familiar sights as he floated down the Pacific Coast Highway - lots and lots of motorists getting whacked with tickets. (We saw six or seven folks get written up on a 1 hour run to and from LAX alone.)We'll be the first to admit it: it's important to police PCH tightly. The road has been plagued with drunk drivers for years, and the problem gets worse during holidays. But we've heard a number of anecdotal reports that Angelenos are getting nailed for ticky-tack violations like crossing solid white lines in safe situations, or for going 5-7 miles over the speed limit on fast highways. We believe that going 51 in a 45 is not a crime.
This issue is important. Overly stringent applications of traffic laws contribute to a sense of "driver paranoia" that can prompt more accidents. For many, driving in L.A. is already a difficult task. The spreading disease of stoplight ticketing cameras and by-the-book enforcement is only making the situation worse. Furthermore, we can't help but hate anything that feeds the state's annoying and lucrative traffic school racket.
If the city and state governments are opting to crack down on ultra-minor moving violations in order to raise money for busted budgets, we're looking at a prime example of bad government. Navigating our freeways is tough enough - especially for newcomers! The politicians in Sacramento and L.A. shouldn't seek to make up for previous years of poor work by harassing our drivers. Mr. Mayor? Looking for a chance to stand up for your constitutents? This could be a great place to start.
Have you recieved any B.S. tickets lately?
