Get thee behind me, Branwyn!
Greetings.
Well, I'd forgotten about it until yesterday, but I just got back from a "Driver Interview" with the Ministry of Transportation... basically, if you've racked up enough demerit points in the last two years, they call you in for an interview to explain why your license should NOT be suspended. Not the least bit ominous, no. And it's bullshit, of course - there's no way to justify the demerits on your record, because once you've been convicted of it and it hits your record, you've either admitted that you did it or were unable to prove your innocence, and all of the excuses have already been given and weighed and considered in the convictions so... you're really just there so they can make you feel bad while they decide your fate. The best you can do is look really sorry and hope they decide to take pity on you.
Anyways, I have 2 speeding tickets and the accident-in-a-company-car which yielded a "following too closely" charge, totaling 11 demerits in 2 years, 2 above their 9-demerit minimum... which means voila, driver interview. No particular good excuse for any of the above infractions (as previously explained, there never is) and so, just riding on fate. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving myself of the blame for this - I fully accept that it is my choice to drive the way that I do, to speed, to follow too closely in stop-and-go traffic. I do argue that driving "legally" is not necessarily driving "more safely" - due to the way OTHER people drive. If everyone else traveled the speed limit, if everyone signaled their intentions, if everyone followed at a safe distance and no one ever cut in too close or lane changed into the "safety zone" of several car-lengths that I've left in front of myself, if I could trust every other driver to be in control of their vehicle -- then maybe things would be different. But regardless of whether I think it's safer for me to drive a little faster than the speed limit to keep with the flow of traffic, to get away from potential accidents (I like to drive with no one around me and as such will often speed up to get away from tail-gaters and other trouble-causers, and just traffic in general) and to keep myself from falling asleep (yes, I know, this is a losing proposition but something that I DO have to consider)... I now have been forced to bend to the will of the law. Previously I could justify it as a gamble, a risk I was willing to take, for the greater good but... that time is over.
If I am found guilty of ANY "moving violation" within the next year, it will mean my license is suspended. This would be a simply unacceptable -- the number and scope of the changes it would make in my life would not be insurmountable, but they would be pretty fucking annoying, and near-crippling to the way I currently live my life. So, I have a new resolution for this year thrust upon me, and perhaps it will be a "Good Thing"... I will not speed. I will allow a LOT more space in front of me, even if it is repeatedly cut-in on and I repeatedly have to move back further. I will be even more diligent about not driving if I am tired, if I've had even one drink, and if there is going to be too much distraction when I drive. I am also going to do my best to start cutting down on the amount I drive... I need to get used to taking public transit when possible (it really is the better way in all regards except speed, especially when you're in downtown Toronto) and letting other people do the driving whenever possible.
So, yeah, those are the new rules for 2006. First task will be getting used to the additional time it takes to get anywhere when you're not speeding - it's only a difference of 5 or 10 minutes for the trips I normally take, but if I'm 10 minutes late in the next little while, try to be lenient. And I was JUST starting to get a lot better at estimating travel times in Toronto. Ah well.
B.
Well, I'd forgotten about it until yesterday, but I just got back from a "Driver Interview" with the Ministry of Transportation... basically, if you've racked up enough demerit points in the last two years, they call you in for an interview to explain why your license should NOT be suspended. Not the least bit ominous, no. And it's bullshit, of course - there's no way to justify the demerits on your record, because once you've been convicted of it and it hits your record, you've either admitted that you did it or were unable to prove your innocence, and all of the excuses have already been given and weighed and considered in the convictions so... you're really just there so they can make you feel bad while they decide your fate. The best you can do is look really sorry and hope they decide to take pity on you.
Anyways, I have 2 speeding tickets and the accident-in-a-company-car which yielded a "following too closely" charge, totaling 11 demerits in 2 years, 2 above their 9-demerit minimum... which means voila, driver interview. No particular good excuse for any of the above infractions (as previously explained, there never is) and so, just riding on fate. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving myself of the blame for this - I fully accept that it is my choice to drive the way that I do, to speed, to follow too closely in stop-and-go traffic. I do argue that driving "legally" is not necessarily driving "more safely" - due to the way OTHER people drive. If everyone else traveled the speed limit, if everyone signaled their intentions, if everyone followed at a safe distance and no one ever cut in too close or lane changed into the "safety zone" of several car-lengths that I've left in front of myself, if I could trust every other driver to be in control of their vehicle -- then maybe things would be different. But regardless of whether I think it's safer for me to drive a little faster than the speed limit to keep with the flow of traffic, to get away from potential accidents (I like to drive with no one around me and as such will often speed up to get away from tail-gaters and other trouble-causers, and just traffic in general) and to keep myself from falling asleep (yes, I know, this is a losing proposition but something that I DO have to consider)... I now have been forced to bend to the will of the law. Previously I could justify it as a gamble, a risk I was willing to take, for the greater good but... that time is over.
If I am found guilty of ANY "moving violation" within the next year, it will mean my license is suspended. This would be a simply unacceptable -- the number and scope of the changes it would make in my life would not be insurmountable, but they would be pretty fucking annoying, and near-crippling to the way I currently live my life. So, I have a new resolution for this year thrust upon me, and perhaps it will be a "Good Thing"... I will not speed. I will allow a LOT more space in front of me, even if it is repeatedly cut-in on and I repeatedly have to move back further. I will be even more diligent about not driving if I am tired, if I've had even one drink, and if there is going to be too much distraction when I drive. I am also going to do my best to start cutting down on the amount I drive... I need to get used to taking public transit when possible (it really is the better way in all regards except speed, especially when you're in downtown Toronto) and letting other people do the driving whenever possible.
So, yeah, those are the new rules for 2006. First task will be getting used to the additional time it takes to get anywhere when you're not speeding - it's only a difference of 5 or 10 minutes for the trips I normally take, but if I'm 10 minutes late in the next little while, try to be lenient. And I was JUST starting to get a lot better at estimating travel times in Toronto. Ah well.
B.