Don't you just hate getting traffic tickets?

On Sunday I was driving home and as customary I entered the left hand turn lane to make a left turn to enter my driveway. The difference on Sunday was there was an orange cone about 18 inches inside the left hand turn lane. A police officer was directing traffic as a clean up crew was just finishing up sweeping.

I don't know what I was thinking (I probably wasn't thinking) but I chose to enter between the cones (bad move Cedric) and wait in the left hand turn lane for the officer to give me the OK when to turn left. But nooooooo. There was another officer sitting in his vehicle that flashed his lights and hit his siren. I really didn't have a clue what he was doing. He got out of the car and was headed my direction. I still didn't have a clue. When he got to my window and motioned for me to roll down my window something told me I must have done something wrong (go figure).

I found out right away that I did something wrong. He asked me what I was doing. I politely said I was waiting to make a left hand turn. I can't tell you the additional terminology he used but entering the cones was a traffic violation when I finally understood what he was saying. What could I say? I did enter the cones.

What would you have done? Here's what I did. I asked the officer if I could call my attorney because I wanted to make sure he didn't violate my rights. He said go ahead. I did and actually it was good for me (to get calmed down) because by this time I was a little bit frustrated with this somewhat snotty officer. As I was talking with my attorney, his attitude did begin to change quite a bit. I thank God for my Legal Shield service. It allows me access to an attorney 24 hours a day if I'm ever detained by a law enforcement officer.

Here's the deal. I got a ticket. I didn't know if I could really beat it or not so I called my attorney Monday morning and received consultation. He let me know that it would be pretty hard. The advice he gave me since I have a good driving record was to just pay the ticket and opt to go to traffic school. Even though I will pay the ticket, I again am thankful for my Prepaid Legal membership. It allows me to get legal consultation about legal matters I'm not sure about.

To be on the phone with an attorney can cost quite a bit. I didn't have to worry about the cost because my membership takes care of times when I'm detained and in need of consultation. The moral of the story is it's better not to get traffic tickets but if you do be sure to have a Prepaid Legal membership. I didn't have any intention of doing something stupid on Sunday but I did.