Sometimes I totally forget where I live. And, then something happens, and it totally reminds me that this here place is California. More so, there’s a reason that it has the reputation that it has.

Today’s episode came courtesy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

A while back, M. got nabbed for speeding through Redwood City, “Climate Best By Government Test.” Moments after California’s handsfree law forbid drivers in the state from holding their cellphones up to their heads, M. got spotted by a man in uniform for just that activity. Note to drivers everywhere, pretending that your phone is a scratching device to reach the hard-to-reach side of your head, won’t get you out of a ticket in our neighborhood.

So far, despite his scofflaw tendencies, you could say M.’s experience was about on par for all 50 of the states with some kind of traffic laws. But, today, today he got the kind of notice in the form of a warning that brands this state.

According to the letter and the letter of the law, another couple of notches on his moving violations belt this year, and M. might move into the negligent drivers’ pantheon. The notice was official looking and has that kind of pronouncement ALL CAPS lettering that makes you sure you must fill out some paperwork in triplicate and otherwise face bureaucratic mechanizations. But, primarily it was merely informing him of this perilous state of his driving privileges if he’s not more careful over the next 12-24 months.

There was an action item, however, embodied in this notable line:

Please review your convictions ad points (listed below), and then ask yourself if there is anything you can do to avoid future violations and/or accidents.

Thank you, California. Self-reflection is a wonderful path.

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