1988_10 The Daily Collegian October 1988

              The Dolly CoOegian
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Monday. October 10.1988      . P-<e   3 ,
COURT
Con tin oed froai page 1
There have been aproximately 300
moving violations at CSUF since Jan¬
uary of this year, according to the Cam¬
pus Police.
Lt Steven King attributes this small
number to the physical size of the cam¬
pus and the fact that the narrow roads are
congested with traffic and crowded with
pedestrians. And the drivers, he said, are
mostly mature.
There are one or two citations a week
for. speeding, he said, and the stop signs
on Barstow are run occasionally. The
traffic offenses are more numerous in the
evenings, he said, probably as people are
anxious to get home There is also an oc¬
casional citation for failure to yield to a
pedestrian or for wearing stereo head¬
phones.
And of course there are the "notorious"
parking violations, which King said for
some people amount to hundreds of dol¬
lars when they let them pile up. These
people are taken to court.
King said there are also one or two
drunken drivers picked up each week on
campus. These are not students, he said,
but lost drivers only here "because they're
drunk. We've had them driving around the
dorms, on the sidewalks, lost"
Every moving violation is tabulated by
tbe DMV and the insurance companies by
points. An accident or moving violation
is nornuliy one point You get two for
reckless driving, driving under the influ¬
ence of alcohol or any drug, hit-and-run,
or manslaughter with a vehicle.
Most offenses stay on your record for
36 months, Rodriguez said, but others,
such as those involving drunken driving,
show for seven years.
Points on a driving record affect in-
surance cost. The manager of a local insur¬
ance office (who could not be identified be¬
cause of a company policy) said one
point on a drivers record will have no
effect but two can raise an Si ,800-a-year
full-coverage policy by $320, to $2,120.
Many of the drivers in traffic court say
they cannot afford insurance. Accnrrii ng to
Rodriguez, the DMV is seeing "more and
more" citations for lack of proof of insur¬
ance. 70"fc.of all those pulled over are
now cited fbr lack of insurance, she said.
And she points out that having insurance
is not enough. Proof in the vehicle is nec¬
essary.
If a driver does not show proof of in¬
surance within 60 days of being cited for
a lack of it Rodriguez said, they lose
their license
Rodriguez said many students are ap¬
parently letting their policies lapse once
they are too old to be covered by their par¬
ents' policy. She said older working stu¬
dents have been especially hard hit by the
new law requiring insurance for each of
the 22 million vehicles in the state.
The insurance manager said the 16-21
age bracket "is the worst for auto acci¬
dents and motor vehicle records."      fr
Rodriguez said there are now "lots of
suspended licenses for the 18-25 age
group. They are usually in a hurry to set
Tomorrow Is;
National Coming Out Day
.^omprtxlbyfrr©
GaYte$b'kir,''ipucieftfAnkxice
atCSU.&esno    \
At the CSUF campus.
GLSA encourages students
and faculty to wear pink
-" ertavendertovfcably
show support on
National
Coming Out Day
Interested persons may
stop by the GLSA Booth in
the Free-Speech Area for
further information
BANDS AND MUSICIANS
The Alligator Club is
now looking for bands to
play nights.
Call the Manager at
*     435-9539
The Alligator Club
 1794 E. Barstow	
FULL OR
PART TIME
JOBS
AVAILABLE
NOW!!
Apply in Person
12pmto5prn
Please, No Phone Calls
Women Encouraged
ToApply
LAMOURE'S
CLEANERS
1304 "G" ST.
to a class, to find a parking space, work¬
ing two jobs. We see a lot of suspen¬
sions. Too many points."
The insurance manager points out the
risk students are taking when they hurry
to a class. "College students, saying they
want to get a couple of extra winks, are
putting extra stress on their driving.
Driving an auto is stress enough. You
need to plan ahead, give yourself time to
find a perking space."
"Get up earlier, don't cheat an extra two
miles an hour. You've got a 2.000 lb. ve-.
hie le; you're driving a loaded gun. People
don't realize that," she said.
"What did they get you for?" an older
man asked a young kid in the court room.
"Speeding, expired registration, the
tires were too small." The kid was sitting
with his legs hooked over the chair in
front of him. He wore his baseball cap
backwards.
"You're gonna get a warrant?" the man
asked him.
"I already got all kinds." the kid
sighed. '
It's 9: IS and the judge is still nowhere
in sight. "It's like that commercial," the
old man said, pulling at his sweater.
"He's probably in the back drinking his
coffee." He laughed, a short breath. -
Nearly 70 other people are also waiting
in the Fresno Traffic Court. There are
loud families, old men lodging like the
entire situation is an affront to their
dignity, nervous teen-agers, tired old
ladies; but the predominant type up on a
traffic charge today is a middle-aged
minority male
Hill jokingly attempts some Spanish.
Then he says the translator will be in
soon.
People are reading newspapers and
paperbacks, talking, staring into space, or
snoozing.
When Roy Hi 11 first came in he asked
the waiting people, "Are you folks
ready?" There was no answer. "They're
not ready. Judge!" he shouted into a back
room.
Later, speaking like a game show
emcee. Hill quickly runs. down some
basic rules: if you have to show a drivers
license or other document, have it ready;
ladies don't be fishing in your purse all
day. If you have a long story the court
does not need to hear it today, this is not
the trial, save your testimony for that
He also passes out a sheet that states a
defendant's rights. Everyone must sign
the clause accepting today's temporary
judge, attorney Bruce Owdona (*a real
nice guy," Hill tells everyone) for their
hearing.
One lady says she can't read the paper.
"You don't have to know how to read,"
Hill tells her, semi-jokingly. "Just put
something here. It's no big deal."
Then he asks someone nearby to help
her out.
Hill explains that many people will be
offered Traffic School in return for a
Please see COURT, page 5
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