Pregnant woman fined after having an attack of morning sickness...

[fireheart17]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/w...-1226302617364

This is one of the few times I have to agree with the police. And the reason why is purely based on the comments of the woman affected. She seems to think that the road rules shouldn't apply to her because a) she was pregnant and b) she wasn't using the road as a rat run. (a "rat run" refers to a side street that people use to avoid getting stuck in peak-hour traffic.) If the sign says "No left turn between <hours> and <hours>" then it means NO LEFT TURN, not "No left turn for the non-pregnant" people.

Also, the road in question wasn't a t-intersection. If she needed to vomit so badly, she could've pulled over after the left turn. Yes I KNOW that the need to vomit is overwhelming, but last I checked, being pregnant (or chronically ill full stop) does not give you a right to violate road rules. Also, if her morning sickness was that severe, there are medications known as anti-emetics that pregnant women can take (I've had 2-3 friends with severe morning sickness who have had to rely on some anti-emetics, which haven't stopped the morning sickness completely, but have abated it)

She argues commonsense and compassion. Common sense would've dictated that she could've pulled over BEFORE or AFTER that turn-the road in question doesn't have a single yellow line going the whole way. She could've also made plans for if her morning sickness was so severe. Compassion would've maybe resulted in the fine being lowered, not dropped completely.

If she wins though, I can see this occurring for EVERYBODY who vomits while driving: "Oh sorry Officer, I didn't see the sign there, I was too hungover from last night and needed to vomit".

[Greenday]

I was under the impression that law enforcement on the roads was meant to keep us safe. Giving tickets to those with sickness because of health conditions, especially when proven medical, seems to be a complete was of time and money in my opinion.

[Andara Bledin]

If their health condition necessitates that they violate the rules of the road, then their health condition necessitates that they don't drive at all.

She knows she's pregnant, she knows she gets morning sickness, therefore she knew the risks she was taking when she got behind the wheel.

This is the responsibility that goes with the privilege of driving. If you can't be responsible enough to not break the rules, then maybe you're not mature enough to deserve to have the privilege.

^-.-^

[Seifer]

I know it's not fun to get a sudden nausea attack in the car and feel like you're about to vomit. (I've had these attacks plenty of times, though I've never actually vomited.) However, if you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic as stated in the article, you can always open your car door and hurl onto the street. Sure it's disgusting, but if that's your only option left, you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Ginger Tea]

When your the one drving the phrase "Pull over I'm gonna be sick." is adhered to pretty quickly I would thinik, when you are a passenger, not as much as I learned first hand.

I don't recall how long till captain dickhead actually pulled over, but I had already decorated the outside of his car and stopping seemed redundant after that.

[fireheart17]

I know it's not fun to get a sudden nausea attack in the car and feel like you're about to vomit. (I've had these attacks plenty of times, though I've never actually vomited.) However, if you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic as stated in the article, you can always open your car door and hurl onto the street. Sure it's disgusting, but if that's your only option left, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Pretty much that. Cars can be cleaned and there are products out there that can be used to get rid of the vomit smell.
My mum used to get really bad nausea attacks driving to work sometimes shortly after lapband surgery. She used to carry a towel and she WOULD pull over, but usually she'd have the towel on her lap just in case she couldn't pull over in time.

When your the one drving the phrase "Pull over I'm gonna be sick." is adhered to pretty quickly I would thinik, when you are a passenger, not as much as I learned first hand.

I don't recall how long till captain dickhead actually pulled over, but I had already decorated the outside of his car and stopping seemed redundant after that.

In this case, I think she was on her own.

For the record, the area she's referring to is not as bad during peak-hour as she paints it out to be. It IS another method into the Central Business district, but it's not as much of a clusterfuck as the other method. (this is from the south mind you :P)

[Lace Neil Singer]

Just another example of pregnant woman entitlement. A lot of pregnant women seem to have this "bow down before me cuz I is PREGNANT!" attitude nowadays, forgetting that billions of women before them have been pregnant and have coped well enough without having the red carpet rolled out for them.

If this woman had, say, punched the cop then tried to get out of her punishment by claiming "I was controlled by pregnancy hormones, I couldn't help it," I doubt she'd be getting any sympathy. If her morning sickness was so bad that she was randomly getting nausea attacks, then like fireheart said, she could have visited her doctor and asked for anti sickness medicine. Seems to me that she prefers taking the martyr route to exercising basic common sense.

[DrFaroohk]

I don't see a big sense of entitlement anywhere...i just see "I had to puke so I pulled over". Seems like ther's really no sense in a big fine here. ESPECIALLY if the point of the law is top keep people from doing these "Rat runs", which she obviously was not.

[Greenday]

I don't see a big sense of entitlement anywhere...i just see "I had to puke so I pulled over". Seems like ther's really no sense in a big fine here. ESPECIALLY if the point of the law is top keep people from doing these "Rat runs", which she obviously was not.

Exactly. If someone has to puke, they have to puke. They aren't doing anything wrong by pulling over to do it.

[Andara Bledin]

You don't see the sense of entitlement when a woman makes an illegal turn and then claims that she shouldn't have to pay the fine because she's pregnant?

Seriously?

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

When Fiance was having frequent nausea attacks, including in the car on the way to work, we *gasp* kept trash bags in the car for him to vomit in.

[DrFaroohk]

You don't see the sense of entitlement when a woman makes an illegal turn and then claims that she shouldn't have to pay the fine because she's pregnant?

Seriously?

^-.-^

I honestly don't. I believe things like vomiting or being about to shit yourself allow certain minor infractions of the rules. I would see it as like running a red light where there's clearly no other cars around.

Maybe I don't understand the severity of the infraction here? Seems like she wasn't trying to get ahead of anyone or cheat the system, she had to puke. I bet any officer would do the same thing rather than puke in his cruiser.

[Ginger Tea]

I've not read the article, but why turn in? why not pull over (unless where she was it was a no go idea) open up the passenger door and yaff over the pavement?

opening driver side door obv bad idea as that could lead to potential risk

[KnitShoni]

You don't see the sense of entitlement when a woman makes an illegal turn and then claims that she shouldn't have to pay the fine because she's pregnant?

Seriously?

^-.-^

Exactly. So many other pregnant women who can follow the law, and she thinks being pregnant should get her out of having to pay for not doing so? Sorry, no.

[fireheart17]

I don't see a big sense of entitlement anywhere...i just see "I had to puke so I pulled over". Seems like ther's really no sense in a big fine here. ESPECIALLY if the point of the law is top keep people from doing these "Rat runs", which she obviously was not.

Illegal. Left. Turn. (Left turns themselves are not illegal, only where they're marked, they are)

I honestly don't. I believe things like vomiting or being about to shit yourself allow certain minor infractions of the rules. I would see it as like running a red light where there's clearly no other cars around.

Maybe I don't understand the severity of the infraction here? Seems like she wasn't trying to get ahead of anyone or cheat the system, she had to puke. I bet any officer would do the same thing rather than puke in his cruiser.

Actually, the officer would be more inclined to pull over and puke on the yellow line (the local council for that particular area enforces the solid-yellow-line rule, not the police)

I've not read the article, but why turn in? why not pull over (unless where she was it was a no go idea) open up the passenger door and yaff over the pavement?

opening driver side door obv bad idea as that could lead to potential risk

I agree. If she was pulling over for a few minutes, she could've just as easily parked on the yellow line for a few minutes to spew, then leave.