In the meantime, Ben Roethlesbirger or however the hell you spell his name has introduced his face to the windshield of a car while riding his motorcycle helmetless...I'm guessing a lot of Pennsylvanians are rethinking their recent decision to get rid of helmet laws (except of course those who live around Philly. They were probably hoping for a decapitation...).

I was in high school when seat belt laws went into effect, and my first car (63 impala) didn't have seat belts at all...

I realized after my car was sideswiped in DC and it only took the two cops less than 10 minutes to get there that they truly do not have anything better to do.

Our nation's quarterbacks are indeed in danger of causing harm to themselves without the community's protective laws.

Georgia has the sodomy law, but should have added a condom addendum to that law in retrospect, as it did not prevent our quarterback from getting sued and getting herpes.

Apparently you forgot the ever-so catchy phrase they invented for the likes of you, scofflaw:

Click it or Ticket.

That's not just some slogan. It's a way of life. The district's way of life. So throw out that pepper spray, buckle up, put out your cigarette, wear your crash helmet, wait for the green walk-signal to activate, and then be sure to take the city-issue valium after a brick is thrown at you, you break your ankle in a pothole, and then you get shot.

We don't want you to get too frustrated. Your blood pressure could rise.

Oh, and don't forget to hang up your cell phone.

I am now irate as all hell that you get charged the same amount ($50) for something completely benign like (my frequent ticket) failure to display front tag that you do for doing potentially dangerous things (no seatbelt; speed cam).

I run no risk of hurting myself or anyone else (including my car, which I refuse to allow anyone to drill holes in). I call shennanigans on this entirely unfair and arbitrary system of fineage.

I frequently get $100 tickets for not having DC plates. I swear to god, if I ever catch that meter maid (it's always the same one) it's going to take all of my emotional strength and self control to keep from ringing her neck.

You should have done what I did two years ago when that happened. I said "Oh My God! I'm so sorry! I was just looking for parking. It has been a long morning!" I got off with a warning.

I bet she's the same woman who gives me my weekly no front tag ticket. We should start a neighborhood campaign against her.

you should totally fight that ticket. Don't let the fascists have your money without a fight. What they count on is being able to push people around. Tell them you were wearing a seatbelt, but took it off when they told you to pull over. That's what happened...RIiiiiight?

Definitely contest that shit. If I've learned one thing it's that you never take the first offer. They'll at least drop it down by half.

Oh and Phil, I'm pretty sure Vick was doing a little more herp spreading than getting.

And speaking of Georgia, Dawgs taking it to the house.

Uga has herpes, too.

Aww, come on Phil. Tech gets to go too.

lots of you blog kiddies are apparently too young to remember a time before seatbelt laws (or dui laws, for that matter) were enforced. people got injured/killed in ugly, ugly ways all the time. suck it up. i hate to agree with the cops on anything, but face it: seatbelts save lives. (and, not to digress, had the cops really had it in for you, they would have found a way to fabricate another infraction and would have thrown you in the slammer for a few hours.)

I was under the impression that other jurisdictions found potential 4th Amendment issues with police pulling people over for seatbelt violations. I thought they had to pull you over for another violation before they could issue a seat belt citation. Of course, it could be I remember something an anti-Nanny State legislator got inserted into a seat belt law he or she couldn't defeat.

Anyone who has ever driven on Benning Road or 295 knows that nobody does chicken-s#*t, predatory, revenue-generating ticketing better than DC, though. Safety? Psawh! It's all about getting paid, yo.

RCR,

I was somewhat sympathetic to your complaints about the seatbelt violation. But after reading your additional complaints over the tickets you get for not registering your car in the District, I have to say that it's taking all of my emotional strength and self control to not think that maybe you're completely at fault here.

I'm not one to preach in favor of tickets, but honestly, there are plenty of things you could do to avoid the $100 here and the $50 there. First off -- register your car. If you live in the District, it might mean a jump in your insurance costs, but ultimately, that's the cost of living in an urban environment. If you don't like it, well, move to Virginia. Something tells me that those $100 tickets are probably getting close to equaling what you would be paying in increased insurance premiums if you registered your car here. As for the seatbelt violation, well, that's just crappy luck. But just as much as you can claim that it wasn't dangerous for you to be circling without it on, I know plenty of cell-phone-talking drivers who swear that they can both talk and drive at the same time without putting anyone at risk.

Look, you're being a self-absorbed twit, and that's a generous read of things. Count me as one of the folks who are glad to hear that you got the tickets you deserve. It's just a shame that it takes those measures to get you to uphold your civic responsibilities and stop endangering those around you.

If you don't want to pull your weight in playing well with others--and you seem incapable of that--then move out of the city to someplace remote and rural where "I'm going to do whatever I want. Period." makes even a modicum of sense.

"It's your civic responsibility to do exactly what the Government instructs you to do regardless of the rationale." -Ian M

"You are completely at fault unless you comply with their rules, regardless of the presence or absence of logic and impact on your liberty." -DCist Martin

"If it was something personal, the Cops would have been right and well within their authority to fabricate charges against you to make you as miserable as possible." -ihatecops

AUA,

Wow. That's not at all what I said. I don't see how registering your car in the state in which you reside at all infringes upon your liberty. Likewise, I don't see seatbelt traps as being infringements either. There is a logic to them both. If you could identify the lack of logic in either of those two examples, all power to you. And as for liberty, the truth of living in civilized society is that liberty is often balanced against the general good. When it comes to registering your car and wearing a seatbelt, I don't think the trade-off is that bad or that serious.

I suppose I'll respond to AUA when he or she actually says something related to what I wrote instead of manufacturing and misattributing arguments for me (and placing the fictitious text in quotes, for a double-daft bonus).

But oh, what the hell...
If you're conflating civil disobedience against deep social injustices with gaming your property taxes, which is what it sounds like you're trying to get to, then don't expect much sympathy or agreement.

I know, complex and nuanced moral and political thinking can hurt that tired brain and all. But here's a radical notion: one can adopt the views of the like of Thoreau, Gandhi, and King--or go more uber libertarian with the likes of Nozick--and not get to justifying treating the law as a sushi menu for you to casually cherry-pick from as you please, particularly when the motive is to save a buck or two.

In short: you gave a disingenuous and daft defense of petty, harmful, and selfish behavior.