Drive like an idiot, get forced to wear a sign that proclaims you're an idiot...

[AmbulanceDriver]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DRIVER_IDIOT_SIGN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-06-06-45-55

Short story - woman was caught on video driving on a sidewalk (more than once!!!) to go around a stopped school bus (with red lights flashing).  

Judge sentences her to stand on a street corner wearing a sign that says "Only an idiot would drive on a sidewalk to avoid a school bus"...  Plus license suspended for 30 days.



You know what?  I'm ok with this.   Granted, there was the potential for people to get hurt, but nobody did.   So I have no problem making her suffer a little humiliation instead of sitting in jail for x days.

ETA: fixed link

[RoadKingLarry]

I don't think that is an appropriate punishment.


Not nearly harsh enough. Not by a long shot.

[HankB]

When I hear of "creative" sentencing like this, I wonder . . . what does the law actually define as statutory punishment? I mean, is it a negotiation (Judge says "Do this and I won't send you to jail like the law allows") or does the law actually say "Judge can make up whatever punishment he wants?"

[Tallpine]

It might be unusual but it's not particularly cruel 

Things have gone downhill since they did away with the pillory 

[kgbsquirrel]

Does this count as community service then, carrying a public service message sign as punishment? I'm cool with this. If it directly stated "I'm a moron that drives on sidewalks to get around a school bus" someone might have a leg to stand on regarding public humiliation (which I'd still be cool with, getting embarrassed does not rise to the level of cruel and unusual punishment, in my opinion, that's a definition I typically reserve for torture).

[lupinus]

I see absolutely no issue with this.

[BlueStarLizzard]

I *heart* creative punishment that fits the crime.

[brimic]

Seriously, I'm to the point where I'm starting to think that people who don't have some modicum of courtesy or at least the meager ability to hide their sociopathic tendancies while driving should be dragged out of their cars, shot, ad left on the side of the road as an example to others.

Her driving is nothing more than her extension of the 'entitlement lane* useage'


*When you have a 4 lane surface street or boulevard, there often is a lane on the outsides marked for parking. Driving through the ghetto everyday, I see cars backed up for 2 blocks between stoplights- there will always be one or two *entitlement clowns* who will get in the parking lane and race ahead of everyone else and then cut the front guy off at the green light or cut someone else off to get back on the road when they com upon a parked car. You don't dare slide over 1/2 lane to stop their progress, because they are always driving a beat to hell full sized sedan.

[Bigjake]

Lost privileges for a WHOLE month?   The horror.

This is local to me,  so I'm really no surprised.

[Perd Hapley]

Lost privileges for a WHOLE month?   The horror.

No kidding. How long/often does she have to do the sign thing?

[RocketMan]

No kidding. How long/often does she have to do the sign thing?

Two days.

[MechAg94]

Two days.

not near enough then. 

[Bigjake]

They should've jailed her ass,  even briefly,  and then finally put some of the asset forfeiture laws they love so much to good use.

It's just luck that a youtube video caught her,  instead of a flattened kid on the sidewalk.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

more than luck she did it repeatedly. so often at same spot where thecsidewalk was the entrance to a day care that bus driver was able to set up to film her as well as cops set up to catch her. way too light a punishment. and she plead not guilty

[RoadKingLarry]

We've got way too much of an entitlement attitude about driving in this country.You scare some one accidently with a gun and you've got a good chance of getting locked up. You "accidently" kill a family of four with your car and you might get fined and not even lose your DL.

[MillCreek]

We've got way too much of an entitlement attitude about driving in this country.You scare some one accidently with a gun and you've got a good chance of getting locked up. You "accidently" kill a family of four with your car and you might get fined and not even lose your DL.

And I think about this every time I read about a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorcyclist killed by a car driver who was not paying attention.

[MechAg94]

We've got way too much of an entitlement attitude about driving in this country.You scare some one accidently with a gun and you've got a good chance of getting locked up. You "accidently" kill a family of four with your car and you might get fined and not even lose your DL.

"You" are open to liability.  You are also open to manslaughter charges if you cause a death unintentionally. Depends on circumstances and lawyers I guess.

How far do you want to go allowing the Govt to prosecute people for accidents? 

[RoadKingLarry]

How far do you want to go allowing the Govt to prosecute people for accidents? 

Unfortunately there would have to be common sense used in the decision making process.

I know of several cases where there should have been much more severe penalties than what was imposed.
In one case a couple I was acquainted with were kill when the motorcycle they were riding on was struck by a large tractor that came off a trailer in a curve. The driver pulling the trailer was cited for an unsecured load. No charges related to the deaths. He was a "poor farmer" just trying to make a living, didn't have anything worth taking in a law suit.

Another was a dump truck driver that was talking on his phone when he ran down the biker that had slowed to turn into his driveway, the bikers kids got to see daddy shredded by the truck. Failure to yield, no loss of license.

Pretty much unless there is alcohol involved there won't be any serious penalties in Oklahoma

[Jamisjockey]

Unfortunately there would have to be common sense used in the decision making process.

I know of several cases where there should have been much more severe penalties than what was imposed.
In one case a couple I was acquainted with were kill when the motorcycle they were riding on was struck by a large tractor that came off a trailer in a curve. The driver pulling the trailer was cited for an unsecured load. No charges related to the deaths. He was a "poor farmer" just trying to make a living, didn't have anything worth taking in a law suit.

Another was a dump truck driver that was talking on his phone when he ran down the biker that had slowed to turn into his driveway, the bikers kids got to see daddy shredded by the truck. Failure to yield, no loss of license.

Pretty much unless there is alcohol involved there won't be any serious penalties in Oklahoma

You wanna bet that if either of those had been accidental or reckless discharge of a firearm the penalty would have been much higher?

[Hawkmoon]

You wanna bet that if either of those had been accidental or reckless discharge of a firearm the penalty would have been much higher?

No bet ...

[lupinus]

You wanna bet that if either of those had been accidental or reckless discharge of a firearm the penalty would have been much higher?

I don't care what sort of odds you're giving, hell no.

We see it every day. Self entitled morons doing stupid things...just to get stuck next to me at the same light. Then speeding off when it turns green, after they've inched at least half way in to the intersection, rinse and repeat until they finally just blow through a yellow/red. And just generally not paying attention or driving like an idiot.

Had a couple of people here killed recently. Traveling south bound on a two lane road in a small pick up and decided to pass a semi. No passing zone for a reason, they didn't see the north bound much larger and taller pickup. The little pickup basically went under the taller one.

All to save a couple minutes stuck behind a semi and got himself and his passenger killed, and put to more in critical condition.

[RoadKingLarry]

All to save a couple minutes stuck behind a semi and got himself and his passenger killed, and put to more in critical condition

But,,, it was an accident...

[HankB]

But,,, it was an accident...

Whatever happened to negligent homicide? You hardly ever hear of that being charged any more . . .

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Whatever happened to negligent homicide? You hardly ever hear of that being charged any more . . .

come to va you might see it charged. then plead down to lessor charge

[kgbsquirrel]

We see it every day. Self entitled morons doing stupid things...just to get stuck next to me at the same light. Then speeding off when it turns green, after they've inched at least half way in to the intersection, rinse and repeat until they finally just blow through a yellow/red. And just generally not paying attention or driving like an idiot.

And I'm putting serious though into installing front and rear dash cams because of that. There's just too much stupid speeding around on the Denver roadways.