Posted on: Tuesday, February 19, 2002

ISLAND VOICES
My car is innocent till proven guilty

By Stacy Yuen Hernandez

I dropped the letter in the mail today, my written contest of a speeding ticket issued by one of those "talivans."

I mentioned my ticket challenge to a friend.

"But were you speeding?"

"I'm not sure," I responded. "You see, my Honda got the ticket."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Well, my husband and I debated over who was driving the car when it traveled 42 miles an hour in that 35-mph zone on that fateful day. We finally determined that the ticket belongs to "Christine," my 7-year-old Civic, who up until this time really has not had a mind or soul of her own.

Now whether "Christine" has her own bank account or money stashed in her glove compartment somewhere to pay that $65 fine is a mystery to me. I would like to think she had an excuse for going 7 mph too fast — she probably thought she was keeping up with the flow of traffic when she merged on the freeway from that short Wyllie Street on-ramp.

I'd imagine she was worried someone coming downhill on the Pali might bump into her pretty little hatchback if she went any slower. I don't know. She never had a chance to plead her case with an officer. She can face the judge, if we get to that.

Obviously there are flaws in the system when justice is not being served and due process is thrown out the window. "The law is the law," some folks are saying. It doesn't matter what your excuse is, because if you're breaking the law, you're breaking the law.

But based on the track record of our lawmakers, it's easy to lose faith in the laws that are made. You see, sometimes laws are made by accident, but it's hard to admit you're wrong when you've got, say, a $14 million contract at stake.

I applaud those who see the system's flaws and are challenging them. We need to take action if something doesn't seem right. Often our laid-back Island lifestyle prevents us from speaking up. If you're in doubt, contest your ticket and don't just fork over your hard-earned cash.

You need to save those dollars for more important things, like hurricane insurance.

Stacy Yuen Hernandez is a free-lance writer who works part-time in the classified advertising section of The Honolulu Advertiser.