North Carolina is a horrible place to get pulled over. The only way I figured that out, as an out-of-state driver, was by getting pulled over.

It was some time in the wee hours of the morning when I was stopped for speeding along 220 South. I had been driving for 10 hours through the Southeast, and now an officer was telling me that the State of North Carolina would take away my right to drive for three months because I was clocked 15 miles over the speed limit.

I was not happy. At all.

It could have been much worse. If the officer had asked me to take a blood or breath test, and I refused for some reason, then my license would have been taken away for a year.

It doesn’t matter what your state residency is, the North Carolina Department of Transportation reserves the right to completely screw up your next three months to a year over a minor traffic violation.

Of course, I understand that these newer consequences that are so inconvenient and horrible to safe but lead-footed drivers like myself are the result of high rates of death and serious injury in North Carolina. I also understand that the tougher laws are decreasing those figures, especially in the case of DWI’s.

However, I also understand that some people simply cannot afford to be without a license for 90 days, and even more so in a state with such meager means of public transportation.

How will single mothers drop their kids off at school and get to work? How is a person supposed to pay for a ticket and the upped insurance premium if he/she cannot even get to his/her job?

In a city with urban sprawl as severe as Greensboro’s, a person cannot exactly walk to school and/or work in most situations.

To me, this is a very Republican, “sucks to be you” way of cutting down speed-related accidents. Think about how many times you catch yourself going 70 in a 55 while still being a safe and cautious driver. I’m not saying that speeding should go without consequence here, but in most cases, the financial burden of a ticket is more than sufficient.

There are many of the tougher policies that do make sense, though.

For example, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation web page, “In North Carolina, first-time DWI-offenders pay at least $9,640 in legal fees, court costs and fines.” The first DWI comes with an automatic year-long license revocation, and the second comes with a four-year long one. The third time, you lose your license forever.

This is all part of the State’s recent and thoroughly applauded “Booze it & Lose It” campaign.

The law also stipulates an automatic one-year license revocation for any of the following alcohol-related youthful offender situations:

– any underage person who attempts to purchase or purchases an alcoholic beverage;

– any underage person who aids or abets another who attempts to purchase or purchases an alcoholic beverage;

– any underage person who obtains or attempts to obtain alcoholic beverages by using or attempting to use a fraudulent driver license or other I.D., or another person’s driver license or I.D; or

– any person who permits his or her driver license or any other I.D. to be used by an underage person to purchase or attempt to purchase an alcoholic beverage,”(http://www.dmv.dot.state.nc.us/driverlicense/DriversHandbook/Chapter2/AlcoholYoung.html).

According to the NC Department of Transportation, “Since the start of the Governor’s Highway Safety Initiative in 1993, law officers have conducted more than 26,000 checkpoints for seat belts and impaired driving and charged more than 44,000 people with driving while impaired (DWI).”

I did end up getting out my ticket, thankfully, after a long exchange with the officer.

But if he had not relented and my driving privileges were revoked for three months, I would have no way to get home for Fall Break or Thanksgiving, nor would I have been able to keep my internship.

It is a huge price to pay for 15 miles over, but now I know. And now you know if you did not already.

You may also want to be aware that the “Booze It & Lose It” campaign will be in special and extended effect from Nov. 22-Dec. 31 of 2002 with an emphasis on weekends.

To get the official word from North Carolina’s Department of Transportation, visit their website at www.ncdot.org.