You’re Busted!

Did you know that winking at that hottie across the street could land you a ticket?

Safe Swipes: After using their metro cards legally Diane Catton, Gloria Dweck and author Sarah Sarway ride the rails.

by Sarah Sarway

Iremember the day I got my first ticket. Calm down now, I didn’t do anything crazy like crash a car or steal from a supermarket. I used my student Metro card — a discounted MTA card with restrictions — on an unauthorized day. (Yeah, I know how un-criminal-like that sounds.)
It all started on a Tuesday in mid-January. I finished my last final the day before so I slept by my friend in the city the previous night. We spent the day in Manhattan and planned on riding home the F train. We met up with a few more girls and had a great day. There was zero stress in the air and our moods were uplifted with the excitement of the vacations we

were each about to embark on over the next few days.
My friends swiped their Metro cards and waited for me on the other side of the gate. As I was swiping mine, a police officer got my attention. “You. Please come with me,” she said sternly. She pulled me over to the side where there were four or five other young people looking as baffled as me. I can’t even begin to explain to you what I was feeling. My heart was racing, my eyes were tearing and I felt like New York’s newest criminal.
She grabbed my Metro card, covered the name on the top, and asked me to slowly recite the spelling of my name. As I said each letter she nodded her head while looking at the card. She then passed it to a male officer and he said he was going to ask me for my information. I looked over to the right and saw my friends looking just as scared as me. I had to hold back my tears, I thought, or I would look like an immature child. He showed me the fine print that read “Only valid when student’s school is in session.”
First thing’s first, I didn’t even realize it said that and technically my school was in session, but I wasn’t required to go because I didn’t have a final that day. I wasn’t going to argue with the officer because this was my first run-in with the law and I knew there was no way to sweet-talk my way out of it. I was then given a $60 ticket and was told I could leave.
There are so many random laws that we teenagers don’t know about, which means that there are so many chances at every turn for us to get into a messy situation like this one. I want to help prevent you from falling into a trap that you can’t see with your own eyes. Since we’re at the age of late-night cruising, on the streets and on the rails, there is a whole other legal can of worms waiting to be opened.
The first law that you may not know about is one that you probably broke dozens of times. You’re not allowed to feed the meter for someone else. As good as it feels to pull up to a parking spot and find 20 minutes left in the meter, you still need to feed it. You can get a parking ticket if you are seen leaving your car without putting in money even with time remaining. Also, if your time is up you can’t just put more money in it. You need to park in a spot at least 500 meters away from the original spot so that someone else has the chance to park there.
How many memories do you have from the summer of riding your bike down the sidewalk, the wind blowing in your hair, and the only worry is which beach to spend your day? Now picture this, you get pulled over because it’s illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk. Like me, you must’ve thought it’s safer to ride on the sidewalk. But a study in the Institute of Transportation Engineers Journal in 1994 showed that sidewalk riding is about twice as dangerous as riding in the street.
Riding a bicycle on a sidewalk is hazardous to the pedestrian and to the rider. The pedestrian could instantly switch direction or change speed making it very easy to have a harmful collision. You should also make sure you don’t get caught without wearing a helmet.
Now that you may be driving a car there are a couple of things you should know. If a police officer pulls you over and asks questions, you legally don’t have to say a single word until you have someone responsible by your side. While you should never refuse to show the officer your driver’s license and registration information it is probably best to wait until you have a parent or even a lawyer with you before answering anything, especially if you’re under the age of 18.
Any minor that is 17 years of age or younger can be forced to go to school by the Board of Education unless they are employed. But not so fast — in order for a minor to work, they need working papers though there are a few jobs that don’t require these papers. These include working on a farm, caddying at a golf course and babysitting in a stable home. Hmm ... suddenly school doesn’t sound so bad.
Believe it or not, there are a few crazy and ridiculous laws in New York that aren’t really enforced. (I found them on crazylaws.com, go figure!) One is a $25 fine for flirting in a public place. Don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone getting a ticket for that one.
Did you know that since it’s legal for men to be topless on a bus or subway the same goes for a woman? That’s right! When it was decided that men could be topless a bunch of women’s rights activists protested against gender discrimination saying if it’s legal for a man then it must be for a woman.
Some people think that the legal system is like the Torah. Everything’s not always black or white — there’s usually areas of gray. In the Torah we have Rashi and the Gemara, while in federal and state laws we have amendments. Just like we don’t know each and every mitzvah and Jewish law we should follow, we’re often ignorant of secular rules.
Since my traumatizing incident with my MTA card, not a day has gone by that I use my card and don’t have flashbacks. For all I know, a new law or situation could pop up any second so I usually look every which way before going in for the swipe.
I decided to contest my ticket. I sent to the MTA a statement about what happened. The MTA replied that I needed a note from my school saying my argument was true. Since it was true, I got that note and mailed it in as soon as I could. I wait for their final verdict each and very day, following my ride home on the MTA’s always-reliable-but-sometimes-sneaky bus.
Sarah Sarway is a junior at the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn.

Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization