Can You Hear Me NOW? Why this law sucks.

I'm busy. I'm not kidding. From sun up to sun down and beyond, I'm busy.

Two retail businesses. Print, radio, and television obligations.  Third store on the way.

Oh, and I have 4 little kids. I'm busy.

So what a shock it is not that I talk on my cell phone while driving. We all do it. You do it...I know you do. And we are all breaking the law. And none of us cares.

I was heading to one of my stores the other day, just a few blocks from it actually, when I was engaged in a heated debate with Adam, a Good Day Sacramento producer, about a segment I was preparing.

"Look, dude" I said. "The segment is going to be a lot better if we move it to later in the show and...oh sh*t".

The mild profanity a result of me seeing the blue and red lights illuminating my rear view mirror.

"Adam, I have to go. I'm getting pulled over".

"For what?"

"How the hell do I know? I'm doing like 35 in a 40 MPH zone!" I cried defensively.

By now, my friendly CHP officer was tapping on the window of my SUV. As the window rolled down, I hung up the phone, and asked the youngish looking cop if I could help him.

The he asked it. The set up question. The question that causes all of us to immediately wrestle with our conscious and make a decision about just how honest we are going to be.

"Do you know why I pulled you over?" he asked.

Sweet Moses I thought. I don't have a clue. I told him exactly that.

"You were talking on your cell phone. That's illegal in California", he said.

Quite right, I thought. Wow. I'm getting busted for talking on my phone. Finally! I've been breaking this law for years. Flagrantly.  Flauntingly. I've even questioned as to whether this law was still on the books given how many people I see chatting it up while driving. And now I'm going to pay. I'm getting a ticket. And probably a lecture. And a stern warning. It's cool, though--I deserve it.

When Mr. CHP returned from the rudimentary license check he did in fact hand me a yellow ticket to sign. But here's where it got weird.

"Don't worry", my now remorseful sweet cop said. "This isn't a moving violation. It won't go on your license. Nobody will know. Your insurance won't go up. And the fine is only 25 bucks!"

He seemed at best angst ridden. At worst, he seemed to regret giving me the ticket.  I told him it was fine. That I understand what I had done wrong. That I was well aware of the nature of the crime, and that I take ownership of it.

"Don't take it too hard", he said. "A lot of people guilty of this one."

And as s he drove away, I felt strange. I now felt hardly guilty of anything. This law sucks, I thought. It has no teeth. Where was the lecture? The fear of my driving record being even further impugned? The devastating fine that will be coming my way?  Twenty five bucks?  Are you kidding?   I spent more at Starbucks this morning.

The outrage began to grow. As I pulled out into traffic and headed back down the street it hit me. This is a great story for Good Day.

I immediately called Adam and said, " Hey...we need to change this week's segment".

Yea-this law sucks.

Doug Brauner is the owner/operator of  The Car Czar Auto Repair stores in the Sacramento area, and a regular contributor to Good Day Sacramento.

He can be reached at www.thecarczar.com