This morning when I got to work I went into my console and pulled out my parking change for the day. I realized that I haven’t had a parking ticket in a long, long time time. There have been a couple of close calls here and there, but fortunately, in some cases, co-workers have spotted the “meter reader” coming up the block early and plugged my meter for me. Thank you!

Thinking about it, I haven’t had any kind of ticket for quite a while. The last speeding ticket I had was well over 20 years ago.

One thing I’ve never been ticketed for is not using a seat belt. I use mine 99% of the time I get behind the wheel. The only time I might not put it on is when I head over to the grocery store, which is only two blocks away from home. I guess something could happen in that short distance, but by the time I get my seatbelt on I’m already there.

I’ve tried to spot drivers who aren’t buckled up and I’ve come to one conclusion…you need really good eyesight to spot a driver not wearing a seat belt. How do the cops do it? Is 20/20 vision a prerequisite to be a cop? Do they actually train by driving past vehicles going the other direction and try to spot the thin belt going across the shoulder? It’s not easy to see.

A friend of mine got ticketed for no seat belt years ago. The cop was coming towards him in traffic and noticed he wasn’t strapped in. By the time the cop had flipped around and was on his tail, my friend had his seat belt done up. It didn’t help. He argued with the cop a little, but still drove away with a ticket.

I’ll use this blog as a kind of experiment. Previously, when I’ve boasted about going ticket free, I’ve ended up getting one within days of writing about not getting one. It’s funny how that works.

Fingers are crossed. Wish me luck.