Dear sisters and brothers Steemers, I bought THE LAW this morning!
It's not that I am proud of it, but I spared a lot of money. I probably wouldn't do that if I wasn't in need for money. And I have to admit, it is strange feeling inside me and I can't get rid of feeling of guilty conscience. I did it before but not for a very long time. So I proved today that it's still possible and that long arm of the law will cover bright eyes of the law if you're willing to pay. So, judge me if you want but everybody does that in my country and I bet that it is not much different in your country.
But first, let me explain the circumstances in which I had to do that.
I don't use seat belt and I have perfect excuse for that. As I have mentioned many times, my neck spine is damaged and I have very limited moves with my neck. So when I want to turn left or right, I have to do it from lower part of my backs, from my lumbar spine. If I use seat belt, I am practically fixed to the seat and I can't see left nor right. Since this happened to me 8 years ago, I was four time on medical examinations and always passed each test, every doctor that examined me confirmed that I am completely capable to drive. And I can't imagine my life with my car, I make 25-30 thousands kilometers each year, so it would be really shitty if they take my driver's licence.
Each time after those medical examinations, doctors gave me certificate that I can't use seat belt and that I am capable to drive and stay safe without it.
Then usually I go to police station to ask if I can verify my certificate and if I can make that official. I always ask them to write my certificate on my licence but that is problem because I think that I'm the only person in my country that is allowed by doctors to drive without seat belt. But there is no law that could protect me, so they are keep saying to me that all depends on policeman. When cops stop my car, I have to show them my certificate with my driver's licence and cops, if they are normal, should let me go without any penalties. But they don't have to, by the law.
So, in last 8 years, I've been stopped many times by normal cops and I showed them my certificate. They had enough understanding for my problem and just let me go. But four times I stumbled of retard cops that didn't care for my certificate and I had to pay large penalties for driving without seat belt.
And it happened today for the fifth time!
It was a normal Monday morning and I was driving to my work. I noticed a cop on a motorcycle in a rearview mirror. He was driving fast, then passed me by. He gave me sign with his hand to stop the vehicle. Then, he came to my window and immediately started to scream on me because I was driving without me seat belt. Then asked me to show my driver's licence to him.
I tried to explain to him my condition, but he told me to keep my mouth shut.
I gave him my licence together with my certificate. He didn't stop yelling on me threatening with large penalties of 2000 HRK / 280$. I'm not in situation that I can pay that, I have bills to pay and family to take care of. Then, he opened my certificate, but when he was reading it, he did something that policemen don't usually do - he gave me back my driver's licence!
When he read the certificate, he told me that it will not pass and that he has rights to charge me for my felony. He asked me to give him my driver's licence so he can write down it's serial number and write the punishment.
Meanwhile, I made slow motion in my head and analyzed the profile of the cop.
Younger cops are too eager and they wouldn't accept the bribery. Older cops also, they are too near to their retirement and they don't want to mess things up in the end. This was a middle aged man, obviously frustrated by his private problems. Possible money problems.
While my driver's licence was in my hands, I placed the 100 HRK / 14$ bill between licence and plastic cover.
While he was taking my licence for the second time, he was still yelling on me and mocking that I will have to pay and that he doesn't acknowledge my certificate.
When he opened my licence, his face expression has changed. I didn't watch what he was doing but he closed my licence and gave it back to me and told me that I'm free to go. The 100 HRK (14$) bill wasn't there anymore!
So, I bribed a cop successfully!
100 HRK is not a lot of money, but he took it and I was free to go! That means that he really needs that money.