For over a year now, I’ve been suggesting that the Stamford and Greenwich Police consider other alternatives to handing out pricey Stamford Speeding tickets and Stamford Cell Phone tickets. Alternatives such as more warning tickets. Or more flashing and illuminated signs around town. Or cheaper fines so Stamford drivers don’t pay an arm and leg for an honest mistake on the road.
But the New Canaan Police have figured it out.
This weekend, the New Canaan Connecticut Police Department may have just come up with the answer in launching their outside-the-box “Operation Do the Right Thing.” Instead of ticketing and punishing bad drivers, they are rewarding and motivating good drivers.
Who would’ve thunk?
A flurry of news articles covered this week’s launch of New Canaan’s “Operation Do the Right Thing.” The program is simple—the police are pulling over the good drivers who don’t speed, obey crosswalks, and comply with school speed zones and rewarding them with gift cards to Starbucks, Chicken Joe’s and Dunkin Donuts. What better way to foster safe driving than with a Chicken Joe’s High School Special…with cones! They are hoping that by rewarding good behavior, New Canaan drivers will be more likely to comply with speed limits, New Canaan cell phone distracted driving laws, stop signs, No Turn On Red signs, and red lights. It’s a win-win (except for your waistline).
As the top Stamford Speeding ticket lawyers would agree, safety on the roads has become a high priority for New Canaan, Darien and Stamford police and prosecutors. There have been a number of serious speeding and distracted driving car accidents this past year, and the statistics are compelling—with more enforcement of 14-218 and 14-219 Stamford speeding tickets and 14-296aa cell phone tickets, the safer the roads will eventually become for Stamford and Greenwich drivers. But as we all know, what comes along with enforcement of Stamford speeding ticket laws comes consequences for the average citizen: steep fines, suspension of driver’s licenses, stiff increases to auto insurance premiums, and court appearances in Stamford traffic court that can pull you out of work for most of the morning.
So how can police find a balance between educating drivers, enforcing traffic laws, and curb and deter a citywide epidemic of unsafe driving? It’s a rhetorical question which Stamford traffic police, prosecutors and the best Stamford speeding ticket lawyers struggle with daily. You see, the long term consequences of these fines and tickets are costly to an average Stamford or Greenwich resident trying to earn a living and keep their driver’s license so they can commute to and from work. That’s why the best Stamford speeding ticket lawyers will always advise you to consult a top Stamford speeding or cell phone ticket attorney prior to pleading guilty by mail and sending your ticket in.
Fair question. If you know these two towns, they are very different in traffic dynamics. If you juxtapose the traffic issues on the New Canaan roads against those on the Stamford roads, it would be like comparing apples to oranges. Yet the common denominator in these two towns (as well as any other traffic court in Norwalk, Bridgeport and Danbury) are twofold and come back to the same problems: (1) Speeding tickets under CGS 14-219 and (2) Distracted Driving / Cell Phone Tickets under CGS 14-296aa. Top Greenwich Speeding ticket lawyers would likely agree that these two categories of motor vehicle charges are the two most frequently charged infractions out there, whether you get a Speeding ticket in Stamford, New Canaan, Darien or Greenwich. Thus, if you are charged in New Canaan or Stamford with CGS 14-219 Speeding or CGS 14-296aa Cell Phone Violations, be sure to consult a top Stamford criminal lawyer attorney to see if you have any chance of getting your Stamford Speeding ticket dismissed quickly and cheaply.
So if you are pulled over in New Canaan and you are given a Operating Do the Right Thing gift card for complying with the rules of the road, then congratulations…you don’t need a lawyer and should thank the New Canaan Police Department for your fancy coffee drink or Chicken Joe’s high school special. But if you get pulled over in Stamford or Greenwich, don’t hold your breath waiting for your gift card if you happen to be following the law. As we discussed in this blog, depending on the approach taken by your local lawmakers and police, deterrence comes in many shapes and sizes when it comes to trying to curb Stamford Speeding or Stamford Distracted Driving and Cell Phone Usage on the roads. So if you are thinking of fighting your Stamford Speeding Ticket, give a Speeding Ticket attorney at Mark Sherman Law today. Our goal is to get that ticket ripped up and to save you money so you can afford that Starbucks coffee…even if you have to pay for it yourself. Call us today at (203) 358-4700.
