The odds and the law caught up with me today.

[Gliderjohn]

First off, my own fault totally and kind of scary. While riding the Norge to work this morning I blew through a school zone that I travel through most days, so not like I didn't know it was there. Got stopped  P:) and wrote up for 32 in a 20 school zone. It was an older cop and very polite but all business. He had a bit of trouble dealing with a "Guzzi" writing the ticket but otherwise an unremarkable traffic stop.
What I found scary was:
1. I was close to work and that was what my mind was on instead of riding.
2. Due to #1 I went into the school zone without noticing that was where I was at.
3. I didn't even see the cop until I was lit up.
4. Need a "slap myself" icon for being such an inattentive rider.
Well, they say confession is good for the soul, so I should now feel better, right?
GliderJohn

[Spuddy]

At least you give a damn, John.

[normzone]

At least you give a damn, John.

[SeanF]

I have a similar confession.
It was the day I returned from my around the world motorcycle ride. 18 countries, 23000 miles, 10 months, no accidents. A new stop sign had been installed near home while I was away, and I totally missed it. 3 times! On the third time, time I was pulled over by a helpful policeman, but did not get a ticket. A humbling experience. Kinda scary to think about all of the stuff we don't know that we even missed.:-[

[Adk.IBO]

Good on ya for recognizing your mistake. I used to drive school bus and one morning I stopped to pick up one of my 5 year olds. I held him from crossing because of a dump truck in the distance seemingly not slowing as he should. Just so happened I recognized the truck and the owner driving it. He saw my reds but didn't get stopped until his front bumper was adjacent to my rear. Now I can't see my 5 year old. I'm 57 and I may have had the absolute scariest moment of my entire life. He pulled ahead and my 5 year old had obeyed my signal, thank goodness and was still standing there. Mom was standing on the front porch and saw the whole thing. I let all the students know on the bus that so 'n' so (my 5 year old) had done the right thing by paying attention. I pulled away and shortly thereafter pulled over, shaking so bad I couldn't drive, composed myself and finished the run. I got back to the bus garage and told my supervisor, we called the State Troopers, an officer came, took my statement, then went and found my dump truck driver and proceeded to write him up. As he was getting his due ticket for giving me my scariest moment in my lifetime he called the bus garage and complained to my supervisor with profanity that he was getting a ticket. Had he called to show his remorse, as you did, I would have gone to him, I know him that well, and would have told him to dispute the ticket and his accuser would not have been in court, hence the ticket would have been tossed (maybe. Sure sounds good). Everyone makes mistakes and I'll say it again, good on ya for recognizing your mistake and thank goodness someone's 5 year old did not happen to be inattentive on your day also!

Stay safe, John

[lucydad]

John,

These events happen for a reason.  Thankfully you are safe and learned.

Ride on.

blessings,

[Wayne Orwig]

I have to go through three school zones on my way to work in the afternoon.
I really amazes me the number of people that go through these school zones at 20 to 25MPH over the limit. And you know where they are headed? To the next school up the road to pick up their kids!
Bizarre.

[atavar]

I had a very similar situation yesterday but for some reason karma was with me.  On the way to Last Thursday I ended up going through a school zone I am very familiar with.  I was thinking about the get together and completely spaced the school zone.  As i entered the zone some soccer mom in a Volvo wagon pulls out of the school parking lot and cuts me off.  As i am preparing to use bad words and gestures we came around a corner and there are two black and whites doing zone enforcement.  I realized I actually owed the soccer mom a big favor.

[kirkemon]

It's good to come to grips with your mistakes, but don't be too hard on yourself.
Curious what time this occurred, I'm guessing sometime in the morning since you were on your way to work, and were there any children around?
Keep a cool head! 

[Sasquatch Jim]

  You're guilty as sin of a criminal act.  Humbly take whatever retribution the judge hands down and be grateful if it's not a noose.

[AGRO!]

Don't be to hard on yourself mate! Think on the bright side they didn't have to call 911 so its a good day.. ;D
I actually work at a school and there's been times I've just left work not really thinking and all of a sudden I remember and think crap!
Lucky no cops!
Anyhow mate it sucks getting a ticket and they should just have given you a warning but its all about revenue.

[redrider]

You have experienced "Route Familiarity". It is the reason most crashes happen within 5 miles of home plate.

[blackcat]

and were there any children around?

I almost never see kids anymore in those zones anymore and if I do it is from the school building to mom's enormous SUV,etc. 

[Vasco DG]

The observation that people most often speeding through school zones are parents of kids, quite often kids at the same school, seems quite valid.

Bungendore Primary is slap-bang in the middle of town, right on the main highway. I have to drive past it several times a day and at least once while the limit is dropped to 40kph, (Between 8.00AM and 9.30AM and 2.30PM and 4.00PM.) and the most profligate abusers of the speed limit are women picking up or dropping off their kids!

I have to say that despite my dreadful record of being a speeding scofflaw I have never got a ticket in a built up area. Not because I'm some sort of wonderful human but simply because going fast in built up areas sucks and doesn't get you where you're going any faster in any real terms. If you get pinged it's also expensive and you may have to talk to the Wallopers which is boring and tedious and mind-numbingly dull.

We all make mistakes, shit! I make loads! Really though doing the right thing in school zones isn't that hard. Good on ya for rolling in your shoulders and accepting you goofed. That to me is far more important than the initial screw up. I've done much worse, especially when younger! (shudder!)

Pete

[Gliderjohn]

Well...it was not like I didn't have it coming. I tend to speed too much but generally out in open country. The school zone speed comes on at 7::15 and I was stopped at 7:20. The normal speed is 35 and I was doing 32 so I would have been fine it not for the school zone. No kids out yet to speak of and also kind of embarrassing as I work for the schools and this was about three blocks from my office. It just mostly disturbed me that I was that "zoned out" when riding.
GliderJohn

[Dilliw]

I go through a school zone on my way to work and I've made it a priority to drive 25 through there.  You should see the cars backed up behind me when I get to the end and yes most of them are parents.  And 25 is hard on the EV because it's between 1st and 2nd!

I got a warning ticket (thankfully) yesterday myself.  At the front of my neighborhood there is a 4 way stop sign that I rolled.  One of my neighbors had complained about people not stopping and the city sent a car out to monitor it.   Like said above it's the familiar stuff that you take for granted and that can lead to mistakes.  Even though you can see the intersection clearly, and even though my turn in the  4 way is to the right, I will make it good practice to put my foot down.  It won't save me there but it might save me at some other intersection.

[Jim Rich]

Confession

Good for the soul,

Bad for the reputation.

[jcctx]

It doesn't help that they turn on the lights 30 minutes early and don't turn them off until long after the kids are all gone. Many times to enhance the ability to write tickets!!

[Kev m]

When we were in PA they had school zone lights, but here in NJ the law simply states the limit is to be observed when children are present. So if you see kids (on the playground or arriving/leaving school) then you slow down.

[LowRyter]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

[AGRO!]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

LOL!

[biking sailor]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

I've done that riding the hills of Arkansas.  Get on a road and just start riding, transitioning from right to left, over and over again, focusing on lines and such.  Then suddenly realize I have no idea where I am and if I missed a turnoff point on my planned route or not.   :bike

I ride to work at 5 in the morning everyday, and there are many times when in the truck I roll into the parking lot realizing I don't remember the trip.  On the bike I am usually focusing on roadkill, potential roadkill, and other hazards, that I stay alert to riding.  The speed limits not so much, but I memorized my shift points and RPM levels ( like dropping a gear at certain locations) so I don't get in trouble to much on the commute.

[Spuddy]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

My wife's mantra (maybe it should be mine too:)  "Where am I going, What am I doing, Why am I here?"

[redrider90]

It doesn't help that they turn on the lights 30 minutes early and don't turn them off until long after the kids are all gone. Many times to enhance the ability to write tickets!!

North Carolina the school lights do not matter. The speed limit sign gives you the times.
Sometimes the closest place to home is where you make your mistake. 
I bought my first new car ever in 2002 and my wife drove it into town where the speed limit drops from 45 to 25. She's in the new car with the radio turned up and forgets it all  In fact the copper, a city guy nails my wife outside the town limits which he is allowed to do. So you come up a hill from a steep creek bottom and right the top of hill the speed limit changes but the city limit sign is another 200 feet down the road. But the copper has hit radar set to get you when you crest the hill. We go by that spot a 20 times a week and know the LEO sits there all the time. Just space out once for a second.
Beats the heck out of running a light and T boning someone. Points in a school zone is not good.

[Adk.IBO]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

Whoa! Someone else had this happen to them!?!?. My Dr. Looked at me funny, then typed on his laptop when I told him about it. I ain't gonna say anything about that again! Mum's the word🙈🙉🙊

[redrider90]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

Actually this is quite a common occurrence. I was taught self-hypnosis by a PhD therapist. As part of the training to learn self-hyponosis she uses the exact experience you described to help understand what a hypnotic trance is all about. She says that when we experience driving down the road and then all of a sudden we forgot the last few minutes we actually are in a hypnotic trances albeit not a deliberate one but a trance just the same. And from there she proceeds to teach you how to deliberate access the  brain's capacity to go into trance. Her purpose is to train people for reducing pain and anxiety. She is so good at it that she has had 2 surgeries without anesthesia. She shared with me a video of one of those surgeries and it was fascinating. But there you have it; you are in a trance when you lost track of those last few miles  :o. You really are not a nut job. Well you might be I don't know you so I cannot say for sure.  ;D ;D ;D
 

[tiger_one]

There is a school zone way across town that I go through maybe twice a month (playing golf at a far off course), used to be a large black man working as crossing guy, he dressed up in the reflective garb.  Nothing unusual about that, but he would hold his hand and arm high to wave at everyone that passed, at times no kids were crossing.  He would look you right in the eye and wave to you, you just had to wave back!

Everyone waved back, he wasn't there this season, I miss him.  Sure got everyone's attention to slow down way before the markers.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  It's age aquired dementia.  Pay it no mind, if you just forget about it you will be fine and enjoy life.

[LowRyter]

it's a weird feeling to be driving and just realize that you haven't noticed anything about where you are or how you got there.  It's like you are riding/driving and just notice it and have no recollection of where you were just a few minutes ago or even do a double take to figure out where you are now.

Wow, that's a great point.  Sometimes I feel that way myself........

what?