How to avoid tickets in Arizona, and in California


I have a dry sense of humor, so for years I've wanted to "get rich quick" by advertising how to avoid tickets, and then sending people a copy of their state's Driver's Handbook. But I'm afraid that it would disappoint a lot of people, and I would have to refund their money!

But I'm a big believer that knowledge is power. And when I moved to Arizona, at age 19, I figured that the last thing that I could afford would be tickets. OK, call me cheap, but I was scraping up the pennies to pay my rent and the thought of even a simple parking ticket was enough to throw me into a panic. I still feel that way. Although in a longish life I've met people who can shrug off an expensive speeding ticket as just part of the price they are willing to pay, especially in California, I guess I'd never be that way, no matter how much money I have.
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No, I won't criticize how people drive, or park. That's no way to make friends! But I do kind'a feel sorry for people who really have no idea why they're getting a ticket, or why they should be getting one. It must all seem like random stuff, just happening for no apparent reason.

I'm a conceptual learner, so the traffic laws made sense to me. I don't stop at a red light because it's the law, if you understand what I mean. Nor do I drive on the right side of the road just because I might get a ticket. It would be nice if traffic laws were Federal, not state, but that's just not the way it's done. No one asked me!


Image above: pileup of police cars in 1977 at 4th Avenue and Madison, Phoenix, Arizona. From the movie "The Gauntlet".

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