Traffic tickets were worth saving a child’s life

Imagine pulling into a parking spot at a local park where just a few feet away is a 100-foot drop. It may not seem like an important fact, but your six-year old son is so excited he jumps out of the vehicle before it comes to a full stop. Instead of panicking and doing nothing, you quickly respond, throw the gearshift in park and chase after your child. This reasonable response would cost you two traffic citations.

Who knows if your son would stop before plummeting over the side? You grab him at the slope’s edge while the adrenaline continues coursing through your veins. As you hug your child, thanking God for being able to keep him safe, your little boy yells, “Look the car’s moving.”

Still clutching your son close, you turn around. Standing still in utter disbelief, you watch your vehicle roll off the cliff, plummeting to a thundering crash. You hug your son tighter, embarrassing him with constant kisses until the local police arrive once you’ve placed a call. When the authorities arrive, you assure them the boy is alright.

The officer says this is good while handing you tickets for not one traffic violation, but two, failing to use your handbrake and failure to produce proof of insurance. What? The insurance card is sitting in the glove box that is now down the slope with the car. What’s worse is the officer states this could have been avoided taking the five seconds needed to apply the handbrake.

This incident has the nation buzzing and parents asking themselves what they would have done in the situation. It also has many questioning whether it was appropriate for the officer to ticket the father for doing what he had to do to avoid real tragedy. What do you think about this matter?

Source: Fox News, “Dad saves boy before car plunges down cliff — and gets pair of traffic tickets,” Greg Wilson, May 21, 2012