Learn Math - Beat A Traffic Ticket!

You have probably heard of several reasons why knowing your math is soooo important - It can help you manage your money, make you a better athlete, etc. etc. Here is one you haven't heard before - It can help you beat a traffic ticket!

Mrs. Mogil, a resident of Collier County, Florida, was driving across an intersection on Collier Boulevard when the light turned red. Caught red-handed by an automatic camera, she of course received a hefty traffic ticket in the mail.

When examining her ticket, she casually mentioned to her husband that the yellow light had seemed awfully short. While any other person would have shrugged off the comment, Mr. Mogil, a math tutor decided to verify if she was indeed right!

He set off with a stopwatch and not only timed the light on Collier Boulevard, but also, at 65 other intersections. As it turns out, his wife's intuition was absolutely right!

According to county guidelines, since Collier Boulevard has a speed limit of 45mph, the yellow light should have lasted for 4.5 seconds. Instead, in the 15 times that Mr. Mogil timed it, it lasted for an average of just 3.8 seconds. And, the results from the other 65 intersections were no better - Only 7 met the county guidelines!

When the judge confronted the county officials they agreed that Mr. Mogil was right and attributed the mistake to an oversight! They promised to not only rectify this one, but also check all the other ones to make sure they were compliant with the law.

The best part is, not only did the judge cancel Mrs. Mogil's traffic fine, but also, encouraged the 28,000 people who have received a similar ticket, just this year, to come forward and challenge it, if they believed they had been short-changed by the yellow light too. All we can say is Yeah For Math and Math teachers everywhere!

source:newsnet5.com,nbc-2.com