Why I love cell phone tickets

In our sunny state of California, we now have a law that restricts drivers from using their cell phone without a hands-free ear piece. I have been abiding by this law since it was instituted (I believe July 1st this year) and have a shitty ear piece just like everyone else.

Saturday morning I woke up and had to run an errand around the corner from my house. I ran said errand with no trouble and headed home, about a mile away.

I live in a pretty residential area of West Los Angeles, but a residential area with a lot of traffic running on the side streets in between major streets like Centinela, Venice, and Sepulveda. Because of this, there are several stop signs at the residential intersections.

Still hella sleepy from being out the night before, I was zoned out as I was driving home. When I got three blocks away from my apartment, I noticed a cop that was tailing the car behind me with his lights flashing. The car behind me pulled over and the cop continued on, so I assumed that he was trying to get somewhere and I pulled over to the side of the road to let him pass.

Only he pulled over right behind me.

Fuck. This is always a shitty feeling and one that I've felt probably about ten times.

The cop comes up to my car and the following conversation occurs:

Cop: "Do you know why I'm pulling you over?"
Me: "No."
Cop: "Did you see that stop sign back there?"
Me: "What stop sign? I guess not..."
Cop: "Yeah, if you had stopped at the stop sign, you would have seen me parked at the intersection."
Me: "Wow...I guess I must have missed the stop sign, I don't remember stopping at it or seeing you at all back there."
Cop: "Yeah, usually people try to stop in the middle of the intersection when they see me. At least you just kept on going."
Me: "Wow, I really don't remember. I guess I missed it."
Cop: "I tell you what. I'm going to give you a cell phone ticket instead of a moving violation."
Me: "Really?"
Cop: "Yeah. You have a cell phone right?"
Me: "Yeah"
Cop: "Were you on it?"
Me: "No."
Cop: "Well, I'll give you a cell phone ticket. It's only twenty-five bucks and it doesn't go on your record. But next time you get a cell phone ticket it'll go up."
Me: "Sounds good to me."

So I sat baffled in my car, wondering why this cop was hooking me up with a cell phone ticket instead of a moving violation for running a stop sign. As I sat there, I realized exactly what stop sign I ran, a useless stop sign on a three-way intersection next to a "ducks crossing" sign.

I've come to the conclusion that either:

a. The cop that gave me a ticket, hates the fact that he was stationed at this boring intersection to give people tickets for running a useless stop sign and felt shitty for doing so or

b. That now all LAPD have cell phone ticket quotas that they have to meet and he was falling short, so he decided to get a cell phone ticket out of the way.

or...

c. Just good karma from my halloween costume


Either way, the cell phone ticket saved me from a court date, about $200-300, and higher insurance rates.

Thank you cell phone law.