I recently heard of a man who was pulled over for speeding at nighttime. The officer walked up to the window and began "You realize this is a construction zone?" The man had no idea. It was nighttime and there were no flashing lights. no one could have guessed it was a construction zone. "Anytime there are orange cones, its a construction zone." Responded the police officer lazily. "Stay here, I'll get your ticket for DOUBLE the regular fine." The man believed the police officer and paid the fine. After all, why wouldn't you believe a police officer, right?....
Its now time to expose this Police Officer's lies:
The Law:
Utah Code 41-6a-209 does say that fines are double when you are speeding in a construction zone. BUT, what is actually a construction zone?
Much to the Police Officer's dismay, a construction zone is NOT "any time there are orange cones"!! He was dead wrong about that. (I'm sure he feels really bad about it..)
For an officer to fine you double, 3 things must happen:
- Construction WORKERS must be present.
- The construction zone must be CLEARLY marked.
- and there must be SIGNS that say "FINES DOUBLED"
If any of these three things are lacking, the police officer CANNOT fine you double.
So, next time you are pulled over in a "construction zone" don't drink the officer's koolaid. If you don't see workers, or the "fines doubled" signs, or a clearly marked construction area, YOU ARE NOT IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE.
