Frequency of ticketing frustrates student drivers

At the end of last November, senior Ethan Gelfand was pulled over for a rolling stop. The week of Oct. 28, senior Clark Rothenberg was pulled over for speeding. Was the timing of these infractions a coincidence? We think not.

Unmistakable is the sound of deputies’ sirens, the flash of red and blue lights and the sinking of the heart. It is even more frustrating when drivers get pulled over for seemingly pointless reasons. Sheriff’s deputies who patrol Saratoga streets may not officially have a quota system, but tickets are so frequent at the end of the month that many students end up thinking they do.

Whether they confirm or deny having an actual quota, it is obvious there is increased police activity near the end of the month. It is unfair for the local sheriffs to go hunting for infractions at the end of the month. Quota or no quota, the sheriff’s department needs to make their system for ticketing consistent.

The most popular spot to catch high school drivers is on Herriman Avenue at the front of the school. The official speed limit here is 25 m.p.h. but most students drive upwards of 30 m.p.h.

Many admittedly forget the lawful speed limit is always 25 m.p.h., leaving themselves vulnerable to getting ticketed. At the end of every month it seems more and more students are pulled over for speeding. Oftentimes the tickets are warranted. But most of the time, the speeding tickets are for going 2 miles per hour over the speed limit, according to numerous juniors and seniors.

While tickets are completely warranted if students are blatantly speeding or running through stop signs, officers should not target young drivers with such zeal. Slight speeding and partial stops do not necessarily deserve tickets, but would be better dealt with through warnings.

California is known as a “fast state” where driving the speed limit is often disregarded. So why do cops suddenly start freely issuing tickets for trivial offenses on the last days of a month?

They shouldn’t, but they can. As much as students hate to be wrong, deputies can give tickets for even going one mile per hour above the speed limit.

Although the law says ”no person may drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than 65 miles per hour,” cops generally give a courtesy five m.p.h buffer above the speed limit. Though the ideal buffer is not stated in the law or taught in police training, officers are usually reasonable and lenient during the first three weeks of the month.

If deputies want to set a precedent and allow zero driving error, so be it, but it is simply unfair for them to let driving mistakes slide for three weeks of the month and then be extremely stringent for the last week. It is obvious to all students that there is increased police activity on Herriman and near the high school as the end of the month approaches.

Even though many law enforcement agencies deny having a quota, the increased presence outside the school during the last week of every month is too much to be coincidental. The deputies sit out by Herriman and easily catch student drivers rushing back from lunch.

Deputies should keep their standards the same so drivers know what to expect. The sudden alternating between ticket mode and passive mode is as much infuriating as it is unfair.