Next time I am pulled over for speeding, I will express thanks to God for his grace expressed in human government to regulate my dangerous human behavior.
A 24-year-old woman who was clocked speeding by Loop 101 photo enforcement cameras 22 times in less than two months was arrested and placed in jail.
Jennifer Bitton, of Las Vegas, described by authorities as a “habitual speeder,” was arrested by Department of Public Safety officers at her parents’ home in north Scottsdale on Friday and booked into the Scottsdale City Jail on suspicion of two counts of criminal speeding, reckless driving and one count of endangerment, DPS announced Tuesday.
Bitton told officers she “didn’t know cameras were there.” She was flashed 22 times in a 45-day period beginning in mid-May. The fastest speed she was clocked at in her Ford Mustang was 92 mph, according to the agency.
If convicted of the criminal speeding, Bitton would face mandatory jail time and have to pay several thousand dollars in fines for all the tickets, according to Bart Graves, spokesman for DPS.
Although Bitton holds the record for being flashed by the cameras DPS began overseeing the photo enforcement program in July 2007, she does not come close to another driver.
From March 2, 2006, to July 31, 2006, Francesca Cisneros of Chandler, then 32, threw away more than 70 speeding notifications she received on Loop 101 in Scottsdale in her Honda Civic. At the time of her arrest, she told police she said she didn’t think anything would happen to her if she threw away the tickets.
In a plea agreement reached Oct. 23, 2006, Cisneros had to pay $10,022 in fines and spend five days in jail.
“Photo enforcement exists to help slow people down, thereby ensuring the safety of everyone on the road. Sadly, some drivers have no regard for the safety of others as they continue to recklessly speed,” said Roger Vanderpool, DPS director, in a written statement.
What I find of particular interest in this article is the report of Cisneros who threw away 70 tickets on the assumption that they would just go away. All one needs is a real life human relationship to understand that offenses don’t go without their effect – especially when they are left without resolution. Unresolved injustice explains bitterness, hate, etc. It is much easier to forget our offense and assume – or hope – that it will simply go away. It is much happier and glorifying to God to remember our sins, to confess them and to repent of them.
But thanks be to God, we can remember our offenses without having to pay for them. If we are in Christ, God has placed the punishment for our sins on his Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered under his wrath that we might have life. The first step in receiving Jesus’ death as our payment for sin is the humble acknowledgement that sin is real and that we are guilty.
