All I really wanted for Christmas was a safe, quick trip home for the holidays in Hanford, CA. I discovered that relying on my driving experience from my home state is not the best way to handle the infamous I-5. The result was not what I expected, but not as bad as it could have been with the heavy traffic and distracted drivers everywhere along the way home. It wasn’t exactly, “over the river and through the woods” to grandmother’s house in Hanford.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Though I would have preferred a flight into Fresno Yosemite International Airport on my trip to see family for Christmas in California, I was routed through LA. When I got to the airport, I checked a few apps that showed the accidents along the route I would be driving. I wanted to ensure a safe, quick trip. In my home area, it is rare to see more than one wreck every couple of weeks. To my surprise, there were more than a dozen police warnings that I might encounter along my route.
After I grabbed my baggage and hopped a shuttle to my rental car, I noticed something. In LAX, drivers are extremely aggressive, far more so than last time I was here. Law enforcement at the airport was obviously dedicated to more important matters than sane driving. And, after leaving the airport, it was quickly evident that everywhere in LA is bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Renting a Car for a Safe, Quick Trip to Hanford
The car I rented was fantastic. I'm glad it had a late model GPS because I hadn’t negotiated California highways for a long time and these certainly weren’t what I remembered, and with family five hours away in Hanford, it was not going to be safe, quick trip… well, safe would be good even if not quick.
For any road trip, I am always prepared. I had water, snacks, my cell, and a couple forms of ID. I also made sure that every light on the car was working on the rental, no dark tinting that would obstruct my view, the rental contracts in the glove box, and the brakes were firm. All systems check! I've heard that any of these things could result in the CHP pulling a driver over for a check. That's not something I wanted to deal with on this trip. I also heard there are more speeding tickets issued between LAX and San Francisco in a rental car than in any other type of vehicle. I should have heeded that warning even though I wasn’t traveling to San Fran.
Speeding Ticket on I-5 Outside LA
All the cars around me were driving like they had not a care in the world. The speed limit signs read 70 mph, but everyone was going well over that. So, I thought I should just keep pace and speeded up to match everyone else's pace. Before long, I was humming along with the song on the radio and enjoying the trip. Well, until I saw the flashing red lights in the mirror!
To make a stressful story short, my safe, quick trip home for the holidays took a detour on I-5 when the officer gave me a speeding ticket and told me because it was my first one. He saw that I was from out of state, and explained that the overall fine would probably be around $250. Later, my uncle told me he was just trying to scare me because they don’t arrest people in CA for infractions anymore. But, if I didn’t pay it, there would be a civil assessment added to my ticket, which would make it very close to $1000 total.
My uncle gave me the number for Bigger & Harman.
Hire a Local Los Angeles County Traffic Ticket Attorney
Mark Bigger and Paul Harman make up the legal team of Bigger & Harman, APC, they are ticket defenders and represent clients in Central Valley traffic courts in Fresno, Mono, Inyo, Tulare, Kings, and Kern, plus some counties in Southern California, such as Los Angeles, Riverside, SLO, and San Bernardino counties in SoCal courts. These traffic ticket lawyers spend nearly every Monday through Friday in traffic courts in Los Angeles, Hanford, Bakersfield, Barstow, Santa Clarita, and many other major cities in Central and Southern California.
Call Bigger & Harman, 661-349-9300, or email: attorney@markbigger.com when you need legal advice or counsel or would like a traffic ticket attorney to represent you in court. For a completely confidential and convenient appointment, you can use the website contact form.
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