Paying the Price for Driving Infractions Menlo Students Discuss Their Experiences on Area Roads

by ERICA FENYO

Police pull over more than 50,000 drivers daily, but for teenagers with provisional licenses, the consequences can be more severe and require young drivers to appear in court. Many Menlo students have gone through the arduous process, and while some have gotten off lightly, others have faced more serious consequences.

In November 2021, senior Sophie Stone got pulled over for speeding on Interstate 280. When she heard the sirens, she looked at her speedometer and realized she was going 90 mph in a 65 mph zone. Stone pulled over to the median instead of the right-hand shoulder since she was in the far left lane, but her tire popped and deflated as soon as she pulled over.

Highway patrol spoke to Stone via a megaphone, instructing her to move to the other side of the highway, yet they struggled to understand that she was unable to drive for several minutes since Stone could not exit the car, and the police officer did not approach her vehicle. Finally, the officer understood that her tire had popped and informed Stone that the police would have to briefly barricade 280 so she could slowly roll to the other side.

“The next thing I know, there’s like five police cars and they block off 280, and traffic has been completely stopped and I’m able to roll to the other shoulder at like five miles per hour,”

Stone said.

According to Stone, the situation only got worse. The officer looked at her license and realized she hadn’t had it for a full year yet, which makes it illegal to drive passengers. Nevertheless, she had her sister in the car. He issued Stone a citation for speeding, which mandates a court appearance for drivers with a provisional license, so Stone appeared in traffic court on Zoom last March.

According to Stone, the judge wasn’t very sympathetic about her situation either. “He wanted me to plead guilty with an explanation, which confused me, so I basically just started making excuses about how there was a hill, so I didn’t know I was going that fast, and [the judge] hated that and said he couldn’t believe I ever passed a driver’s test,” Stone said. “Then he hit me with a $400 fine, and then I had to go to regular driving school and behavior management driving school — or anger management driving school — and then my license got suspended for a month.”