First traffic ticket on MRT
After more than three and a half years of road tripping, I received my first ticket. Come to think of it, I’ve not had a traffic citation in more than a decade. Yeah, I’m a good driver. 
This ticket however, was absolutely bogus and I do plan on fighting it if circumstances will permit.
Here’s the story…I was visiting Hoover Dam the other day and was parked at an observation area. From there, I walked to the middle of the Pat Tillman bridge to get a vantage point of the dam from high above. As I left the parking lot, I stopped at a stop sign and rolled down the passenger window. As I waited a moment for traffic to clear before proceeding, a bee flew into my truck. There was a car behind me, so I pulled out and turned into a dirt area to open my door and let the bee escape. Just as I stepped out of my truck a police officer pulled in behind me and said, “what’s going on here?” Not sure what the officer was implying, I simple said, “I’m not sure what you mean?” “What are you doing,” he said in an accusatory tone. As I began to explain he interrupted and said, “This is a no parking area!” I again tried to explain what I was doing when he once again interrupted and said, “I’m sure you can come up with a million excuses, the fact is, this is a no parking area.” License and registration,” he said. I didn’t bother to say anything further.
As he looked at my info he said, “Is there anything you want to tell me about before I call it in? Arrests, warrants, etc.?” To me this seems like such a stupid question…what’s the point? I mean, as soon as the officer calls it in, he’ll know if I’m wanted for anything, so what is there to gain or not be gained by this question. Perhaps it’s a tactic to gain feedback as to whether to be further suspicious of the person in question.
The long and short of it is, this officer felt the need to write me a citation for illegally parking. Mind you, I was at the side of my vehicle with the door open and the vehicle running, so does that really constituent “parking?” I could see if I had left the vehicle unattended and had gone to the restroom or something, but that was not the case. This guy was just a hard ass. Furthermore, as I sat there waiting for the officer to finish writing the citation, I scanned the area for “no parking” signs…not a one was visible…not from my vantage point that is. After further review, I did notice a few no parking signs, but again, none of them were visible from where I exited/entered.
Any guess what the fee is for illegally parking? You might say $40-$50…try $125! In my mind, these traffic fines have nothing at all to do with punishing offenders, but more to do with taxation. Is $275 for going 8 miles over the speed limit, or $125 for stopping along side a road to let a bee out…just? I think not, but would love to hear your thoughts.
Mike Shubic
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21 Comments
wow what a jerk!!! I would fight it to no end!!! sounds like he was having a very bad day or he really is an asshole! or both!
Hey Nina…I know, right!
Obviously, the officer was someone who should not be involved in law enforcement. Some people can not handle the position. His attitude was not one of being helpful. Unfortunately, I am starting to see this in National Parks where many of the personnel hired are now law enforcement people not the campfire talk rangers of old. Once in 3.5 years is not a bad record for all the wonderful places you have visited> Happy Travels!
Hey Rob! Your feelings are in line with mine. Oh, your observation of the park rangers is not a good one, but I fear you are right. I have to agree with you…first one in 3.5 years is not bad, but then again, I try and keep my nose clean. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing. I love to hear comments/feedback from my readers. Happy trails to you as well. Cheers!
He def was a jerk and having a nasty day…..if you can fight it, do so but sometimes its not worth it due the location of the courts. This is why sometimes tickets are given that are almost bogus in all senses, they know you are not going to bother (or cant physically) Hubby on the other hand got lucky this summer, he got pulled over on his roadtrip cross country on his motorcycle and when the cop saw where he was from and asked where he was headed, he was so impressed that he let him go and also gave him tips on great places to eat while in Wisconsin……….so not all are such morons 🙂
Hey Maria! Thanks for stopping by and sharing… nice story. Cheers, Mike
I have been enjoying your blog and your FB updates! gives us ideas for our trips, thank YOU 🙂
If you are able to then you should fight it. If you didn’t take pictures of the area to prove the fact that there were not any No Parking signs visible, then you should if possible. Your case shouldn’t bee about all his rudeness with you, but the fact that you were a danger to yourself and other people if you hadn’t pulled over at once to let the innocent creature escape. Bee safe in your travels!
Hey Donna, thanks so much for stopping by. I agree, your thoughts on how to fight this are exactly the same as mine. lol…like the “bee safe.” Thanks! 🙂
Ugh, that is terrible. Some of these guys can, unfortunately, be really nasty. And $125…I’ve heard some really insane fine stories of late. Sorry you’re having to deal with it—good luck fighting it!
Hey Jen! Indeed. Thanks for topping by. Cheers, Mike
The fact that you admit to being parked in a zone that was marked with signs tells me alot… Sometimes it indeed is a tough pill to swallow when we are wrong. I’m not taking sides here but there are always two sides to every story. Just wondering… Have you ever thought that maybe that area you were in has been a problem area for the Police? Maybe the Officer you dealt with had orders from his superiors to give all offenders citations for violations in that area?
Hey Jack…not sure if you read the entire post or not, but zero no-parking signs were visible from my vantage point. I took six photos of various angles to prove this if I were to get the opportunity to go to court. Additionally, I don’t know how a running vehicle and its driver next to it with the door open constitutes “being parked.” The area I was in, was a large open area, not sure what kind of problem the police could have there. Regardless of all that, safety almost always trumps law. Finally, the notion that this infraction should cost $125 proves to me that the tickets of today are merely a form of taxation.
NRS 484A.155 “Park” and “parking” defined. “Park” or “parking” means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading of merchandise or passengers.
And just for the record… I’m not trying to argue with you, I’m really not. I’m just playing devils advocate. I completely understand your point and actually agree with you. I however always attempt to see both sides. If I put myself in the cops shoes I would likely see his point too. A car that is parked illegally and a guy with a story about a bee. Again, I’m really not trying to argue with you or create a whole “thing” here but I can only assume every cop in the world has heard a story or two in his/her life. Unfortunately you may have received a ticket for illegally parking and actually have had a TRUE story. Good luck in your travels Mike, stay safe!
Hi Mike – I read your blog about the Hoover Dam ticket incident after doing a quick search – we just got a stupid ticket last week there too for a similar incident – $180! For what? For pulling into the road that leads to the visitor center parking garage but stopping there to let my dad in because he had just needed to use the restroom. The cop saw us and said we’re holding up traffic and need to pull into the garage. Mind you it was a week day and not busy. So my husband turned around to turn right and stopped briefly to let dad in and then turned right. Soon after we pulled away, the cop followed us and pulled us over. Cited us for parking in some fire lane, which my husband did not see at all. I think he was just pissed we didn’t follow his directions to a T and wanted to throw his weight around. Totally unacceptable and the cop displayed a smugness while giving the citation, as if he knew he had the upper hand over a car full of Asian tourists. Were you able to contest this federal citation? Can you lodge a complaint against a government employee like this? If so do you have any tips? Thanks! Billie
Hey Billie, Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m so sorry to hear about this, that takes a big bite out of a vacation and is very frustrating. I really wanted to fight my ticket and think I would have won for sure. I even took pictures to illustrate there were no visible signs that said “no parking,” but in the end I couldn’t justify the time or expense to drive back to Vegas to fight it. Ugh, I feel your frustration.
This is quite a story. Really enjoyed it, but it really sucks that you got a ticket for this. Safe travels.
Hey Webster, thanks for stopping by and posting a comment. Yes, it really did suck! Cheers, Mike
Wow, this is quite a story. You were robbed, that sucks. Keep on truckin’
What a jerk that cop was. Good story though. 😉