IS TICKETING DRIVERS THE BEST WAY TO GO?

Neville Raymond September 1 2017 

In its headlong rush to punish, our society loses track of the human values we all share in common.   

Thankfully, one police officer in Louisville, Kentucky, did not lose his way.  He was suspended for turning in traffic tickets with fictitious names.  His baffled superiors asked him why.  His answer was as simple as it was stunning.  It was his way of disguising the fact that he could not bring himself to give tickets to real people.  “I had a conscience.  I had a heart.  I started seeing the human beings behind the drivers wheels (D. Johnson, “Police Looking Close at Unarresting Officer”) 

The narrator who included this anecdote in the footnotes of his book on altruism is a famous author.  He conceded that this sort of fellow feeling is laudable in itself.  And it may even be heroic to the legions of drivers who feel they have been ticketed unfairly.  But then, contrary to form, the famous author goes on to state that if we believe that ticketing unsafe drivers can save lives in the long run, this police officer is guilty of letting his feelings run away with his reason.   

Say whaat?  Is this from the same guy who wrote another book that cited scientific study after study that rewards and punishments do not really work?  Is he actually being two-faced enough to say, If we believe that ticketing is the way to deter unsafe drivers.  That is one mighty big IF….Who says that ticketing unsafe drivers is a credible way of saving lives.  Maybe it just makes drivers mad that their insurance rates will go up.  Maybe it makes them hate cops and hyperventilate at the sight of a squad car.  Maybe their resentment drives them to act out in other areas, on and off the streets, and take unnecessary risks when they think no one is looking.  Maybe it even fuels road rage.   

The whole idea of ticketing people rests on a rather antiquated notion.  Punishment is a valid deterrent.  Punishment works.  We slap people with a punitive fine, which may or may not cause their insurance rates to go up - and voila!  we expect them to grow a halo around their heads and go merrily on their way!

In what universe?  It is human nature to resent punishment.  And resentment has a way of making the best person lash out in ways that are not good for puppies and little children.

You want to deter a speeding driver?  Why not just stop him and find out why the rush?  Is he late for an appointment.  Maybe a call to the person waiting for him would do the trick.  We had to stop Bill here for speeding - and since we know that nothing is worth jeopardizing his life or the lives of other drivers on the road, would you please understand and be a little patient and forgiving when he arrives late? 

Who could resist an appeal like that from the cops?

Or what about giving a neck and shoulder massage to speeding drivers?  Wouldn't that destress their bodies and allow them to drive in a more relaxed manner?  I believe they actually make a practice of this in Malaysia.

Something stronger needed?  What about the cop pulling out his iPhone and showing the driver graphic video content of a crash that occurred just a few days ago?  Perhaps on the very spot she is passing through?

Or, taking the opposite tack, what about handing out fresh roses to drivers in appreciation of the fact that they desperately need to stop and smell the roses?  

Of if the cop decides that the reason for speeding is truly urgent, why not just turn on the siren and give the driver a police escort?

You see, there are myriads of ways of dealing with unsafe drivers.  The only limitation is our imagination - and our capacity for fellow-feeling.  The only option that should be off the table is punishment.  Penalizing people by extracting money from their pockets should be regarded as a non-starter.  The money could be used for so many more practical and productive things - like food or curtains or toys or babysitters.  Why should it go to a faceless bureaucracy that is known for wastage and corruption? 

As long as punishment is off the table, we could take a survey and ask people to write in their suggestions.  What are some of the non-punitive or even loving and supportive ways of helping unsafe drivers slow down and become more aware of their surroundings and more conscious of the need to drive defensively.  I guarantee there would dozens of practical ideas that could be put into effect right away.  Here are some right off the bat.  

The peace officer sees an offender making an unsafe lane change?  How about taking him to the nearest park and setting out a couple of mats for doing fifteen minutes yoga?  

Or how about popping a CD into car and sitting down companionably to listen to a Chopin Nocturne or a memorable aria from a famous opera to remind us what life is all about?  

Someone running a red light?  What about using the calming power of touch.  The officer takes the offender’s face in his hands and and looks into his eyes and says, “You are a child of the universe.  Who are the people who would miss you if something happened to you?  Can you imagine if I had to call them and tell them you were an accident?  Would their world not crumble?  Would their lives ever be the same?  Think of all the years you have ahead of you.  All the fun things you still want to do with your family and friends.  Go, hug your loved ones when you get home.   Open up your heart to all the joy that awaits you.  Be safe.”

  No one gets up the morning thinking that this will be the day they are going to be injured to killed.  But there is an abiding need within all of us to live our lives to the fullest.  Imagine if there was someone to call timeout when we forget that basic truth and lapse into driving practices that jeopardize our lives or the lives of others on the road.  

Maybe the cop could give us a homeopathic tonic to soothe our jangled nerves and calm us down.  

Maybe he could give us some wise perspective on how our lives would change if we were to hit another human being who is someone’s father, mother, child.  

Maybe he could pull some variation of It’s a Wonderful Life and drive home how sad and empty the world would be without us in it.  

What if, instead of asking for your license and registration, the first thing a cop did when he stops you is to help you look at the underlying reason why you would break the rules of the road. Maybe you are depressed, angry, hurt.  Maybe it could be resolved by referring you to the appropriate resource center.  

What about if cops went around with the phone numbers of A-list celebrities in their cellphone.  When they find a driver guilty of texting and driving, they get the offender's  favorite actor on the line.  Imagine hearing the voice of your favorite celebrity speaking to you  personally.    “I’m so happy to talk with you today.  In fact, I am honored to be chosen to make a difference in your life.  Im here to remind you that you are important to those who know you and love you.  I’m sending you a couple of tickets for my next movie.  I want you to be around for it!”  

Are you getting the picture?   Do you really think that a bureaucratic piece of paper with a scribbled court date could ever be as effective in making us take stock of unsafe driving practices as all the thoughtful, sensitive, loving ways in which human beings can change hearts and minds?

Do we really think that a punitive option can ever compare with the transformational power of an empathic, compassionate approach?  

Who says that we can’t just tear up all the ticket books and give our peace officers a heart-warming array of options to choose from to get people to be mindful of their actions behind the wheel?  

 

        After all, the motto on the squad cars does say to protect and to serve.  I defy anyone to show me where it says to punish.