Speeding Ticket. Recently, I Received

¶ … speeding ticket. Recently, I received a speeding ticket. The cause of the ticket is clear; I broke the law by driving too fast over the posted speed limit. The affects of the ticket, however, are more far-reaching. Getting this speeding ticket will affect my driving record and many other areas of my life for years to come, and this is becoming clearer to me as I deal with the aftereffects of getting a speeding ticket.

One night this summer, I was out with some friends. On my way home, a police officer pulled me over, and said he had clocked me at 70 in a 45-mile per hour zone. I knew I had been speeding, and did not protest. I had also had a beer at the party I attended, but he did not do a breathalyzer test on me, so I feel like I may have been lucky to get off with just the ticket. However, "just" the ticket is quite an understatement, because the ticket has affected my life in many, many ways.

First, the amount of the ticket was over $300. Of course, I did not have that much money to pay it, and I had to go to my parents and ask them to pay it for me, which means they knew I got the ticket. They told me that if I get another ticket, they are taking away my car, which would be a major hardship. They can do it, too, because they paid for it, and technically, it is in their names. Therefore, I have to be really aware of my driving, and make sure I don't get another ticket, or I'll have to give up my car. My car is my freedom, but it is also the way I get to school and work, so I can't do without it. Therefore, one effect of my speeding ticket has been fear that I will get another ticket and lose my car.

Second, the ticket goes on my DMV record for seven years. I didn't think that was a big deal, but when a ticket goes on your record, it affects other things, like your car insurance rates. If I get another ticket, it will stay on my record, too, and it could affect things like getting certain types of jobs that require a driver's license. For example, I was thinking of valeting for a hotel next summer, because I have a friend that does it, and he makes really good money, and with a ticket on my DMV record, they might not hire me. That means that I might not be able to make as much money next summer as I'd like, so I don't have to work as much during the school year, and that actually means my grades could suffer.

A say that because I'm working more than I'd like to this semester, partly to pay my parents back for the ticket, and partly to pay for the increase in my auto insurance rates, (which is another effect of the ticket). I am working more hours every week than I wanted to at my job, and I'm finding it difficult to juggle work, school, homework, and some kind of recreation. I don't seem to have enough time to do everything I want to do, and I think that I'm working too many hours, and not leaving enough time for studying, but I can't cut back right now. I don't want my grades to suffer, and I'm already not doing well in one class, so I'm torn and pulled in different directions.

Then, there is the insurance issue. Because I got a speeding ticket, and I'm a young driver, my car insurance rates went way up. I pay for my own insurance, because my parents paid for my car, and now, the payments are so high, I have to work more hours, and it's really been hard on me. Like I mentioned, my grades have suffered, but more than that, I know that my insurance will not go down next year, or the year after, because I'm considered a risk. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I got another ticket, I probably wouldn't be able to afford the insurance, or I'd have to go with one of those "shady" companies that offer insurance to "anyone," but usually at outrageous rates. So, I'm worried about getting another ticket, but I'm also worried about continuing to pay my car insurance and still managing to get good grades in school.

Because of this, I may have to work more hours and cut back on classes, which means I won't graduate in four years, I may have to string it out to five. I really had a goal of graduating in four years, because I don't want to be one of those college students who never seems to get enough credits to graduate, or takes years and years to do it. I'm anxious to get started on my career, and I really don't want to prolong college any more than I have to. But with work, and working more hours, I see that something may have to give, and the place I cut back is in classes, so I can do better at the classes I do have, and still leave time for work. I'm perplexed, but I know that I'll graduate, sooner or later, at least.