Around Oakley: Missing traffic signs can cost you big time

IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY world it is easy to let our mind wonder or become distracted while driving from one place to the other on our daily routine. The kids arguing in the back seat, trying to remember what exactly was on the shopping list as you head to the store or even talking on the phone legally through a headset can all distract your attention.
Sometimes we forget to check our speed limit or fail to notice that a new stop sign has been put up.
I was reminded of this a few weeks ago while picking my son up from the movie theater in Brentwood. The afternoon wasn't anything special. I hadn't even thought about it at the time, but it was the first time I had taken the Laurel Road exit off the new bypass and just did what came naturally. I was thinking of a million things, my teenage son was talking about the movie he had just seen with a friend, and I stopped at the red light.
A car was coming over the overpass after coming off the eastbound entrance to Laurel Road. I waited for the car to pass and then made my right turn on the red. I didn't realize I had done anything wrong until I was pulled over by the Oakley police officer right after I had made the turn. Apparently there were two signs on the exit ramp informing me that I wasn't allowed to make a right turn on the red light. I had totally missed them. I can't say that the signs were obstructed from view, since apparently according to the officer, there are no trees or anything in the way. I just had my own blinders on with too much going on in my head.
In the past few months there has been a lot of talk that there are a lot of tickets being given out all over California for various reasons. I don't have any facts or figures, but I'm sure a good percentage of those tickets are given out for the simple reason that drivers aren't paying attention. The culprit isn't always because we were talking on our cell phones or because we intentionally set out to disobey the traffic laws, but because we all live fast-paced lives and have our mind on many different things at once.
The Oakley officer who pulled me over was very nice, if not a little disbelieving that people could miss the sign that was right in front of their faces. Of course, me being the curious type, I told him that I write a column for the paper and was interested in the statistics for the "no turn on red" sign at that intersection.
He said that the sign is probably there because it is a little difficult to see a car coming over the overpass from the other direction.
The officer also told me about one in 12 drivers coming off that intersection makes the turn on red. At least I wasn't the only one to make the mistake of turning. Another well-known problem coming off the bypass and Laurel Road is speeding. I did a little impromptu survey and found that most people believe the speed limit coming onto Laurel from the bypass is 45 miles per hour, when actually it is only 35 miles per hour.
With ticket costs and related fees, my ticket came to $222. That fee may vary I understand depending on city rules and other issues. I can go to traffic school to take care of the ticket for $271.
Of course, I could have my day in court and contest the ticket, but there is really no point since being preoccupied with life is no excuse for not following the rules in the contract I signed when I got my driver's license. So the moral of the story is keep your mind on your driving and watch for the signs because you never know when some out-of-the-ordinary traffic sign will wind up costing you big time.