Traffic Court

Between classes, work and an internship my schedule is very hectic. So when looking for a court experience, my options were very limited. I was actually talking to a friend about my difficulties finding a time when I could get my court experience when the mentioned traffic court. It may not be the most glamorous experience but it is definitely a common experience among many people.

I have known people who have gone to traffic court as well as almost going to court myself, but the need to drive an hour for the court session made fighting the ticket less important.

Getting into Tampa Traffic Court was slightly difficult so I used my connections back home with police officers to get into the Brooksville Traffic Court. The appearance of our courthouse is less than awe-inspiring. It’s an old brick building that has all the appearances of an old-time courthouse with the white columns and statues. An annex of the courthouse that is the newest building in downtown Brooksville is where the Traffic Court was held. It is a moderate size 3-floor building that was built about 18 years ago. However, the inside has all the modern updates of 2010.

Like I said before, traffic court is not glamorous. You sit and wait for your name to be called. If your last name is towards the end of the alphabet you are going to be sitting there for awhile. Many times, cases get dropped because the officer who wrote the ticket does not show.

The area that encompasses Brooksville, Ridge Manor, Hill N Dale and Spring Lake is notorious for traffic stops. I went two months in Tampa without a headlight and never got pulled over. I was in Brooksville for 10 minutes and got pulled over. Luckily my car is a 1993, and water was in the headlight so bulbs blew out when turned on, so I only got a warning.

Traffic tickets can be issued for violations of traffic laws and other non-traffic offenses. Some people were at court not because they were speeding, head-lights weren’t turned on or broken etc, but were there for infractions they made on bicycles.

When I heard the case about the bicycle, I wanted to laugh. Apparently the bicyclist failed to follow protocol when crossing the street. This led to an officer pulling them over and giving them a $100 ticket. I couldn’t believe that they got a ticket and that it was $100!! I felt like the officer was just trying to get their quota. Ironically, the officer was not in attendance once the person’s name was called and the ticket was dropped.

There were more interesting cases for speeding where people chose to bring a lawyer. Speeding in excess of 120 mph is obviously frowned upon, but this motorcyclist thought he was king of the road. I should mention that this was on a 50 mph back road. His lawyer put up a fair fight about the motorcyclist needing to be somewhere important, but the judge wasn’t buying it. The motorcyclist had to pay his $700 ticket along with taking safety courses.

I was shocked to see so many people in attendance at traffic court, but growing up in the area I knew why. Some officers in the area make a name for themselves by pulling over so many people. A few people at court that day had indeed been pulled over by those officers. Unfortunately, for the offenders those officers are strict about their tickets. They were in attendance and the tickets did not get dropped.

Traffic Court may not be as glamorous as a murder case, but the hilarity of some people made it worth it. I am glad that I was able to do it in my hometown too because it made it all the more amusing.