An expectant driver who received a $215 fine for using the HOV lane has blasted the police for ‘wasting’ her time and made her ‘blood boil’ after they disregarded her worries.
Brandy Bottone, 34, argues that her unborn child ought to be treated the same as a person, allowing her to utilise the lane usually set aside for cars carrying several people.
The mother of one told CNN that when authorities failed to explain to her why she was receiving the penalty for utilising the lane on a Texas highway, her “blood boiled.”
After being stopped, Brandy, who said that she wasn’t attempting to make a political statement, tried to take advantage of the Roe v. Wade decision.
When she was pulled over for using the higher occupancy lane while racing to pick up her kid from school, the police informed her that being 34 weeks pregnant didn’t count and the baby had to be “outside” of her body to count.
According to reports, a second officer assured her that the citation would be dismissed if she chose to “fight” it.
Speaking to CNN she said: ‘I had no idea what was going on, I slammed on my brakes. I thought maybe they were looking for someone or there was a car wreck.
‘Never in my wildest dreams it was a HOV checkpoint. I got pulled over and the officer said ”you’re in a HOV lane”.
‘He then said “great where is the other person, is there somebody else in the car?’
‘Looking around I said well yes there is he said “well where” as he’s peeking in the car I pointed at my stomach and he said right here.
‘He said “well its two bodies outside of the body so that doesn’t count”.
‘I was kind of in shock well in light of everything that’s happened, I asked do you understand that this is a baby.
‘He kind of just brushed me off asked me to go to the other officer to get my citation. I spoke to that officer and I said a similar thing.
‘He said “ma’m this is what you have been cited for and honestly if you go and fight this I’m sure it will get dropped.”
‘That then of kinda boiled my blood not only did I get dismissed, didn’t have a conversation about it.
‘But it kind of just wasted my time and I’m going to have to waste my time July 20 fighting a ticket that I feel I shouldn’t have gotten.’
The problem arises because the Texas Transportation Code does not recognise an unborn child as a person, whereas the Texas Penal Code does.
According to existing regulations, a person must take up an additional seat in order to use the HOV lane, something a kid in the womb does not do.
Since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last month, getting an abortion in Texas is all but impossible.
Abortions are prohibited under Texas law after six weeks of pregnancy.
There is an exemption for women who are at danger of “substantial impairment of major bodily function,” but there are no exclusions for rape or incest instances.
Bottone received the ticket on June 28 and plans to contest it when she appears in court on the case on July 20.
The marketing operations director’s family started a fundraising, and thus far $850 of their $10,000 target has been collected.
When asked about Bottone’s claim of being pregnant, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department declined to comment. The check was conducted at Midpark Road and U.S. 75 South.
Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn