High school students taken to traffic court for mock hearings
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
District Judge Michael Manfredi swears in a student during Thursday’s mock hearings.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Students from Bethlehem-Center, Jefferson-Morgan, Trinity and West Greene high schools took part in the mock hearings Thursday.
District Judge Michael Manfredi heard an unusual number of traffic cases involving teen drivers on Thursday.
Thankfully for the defendants, these were only mock hearings.
The state Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Network, AAA East Central and State Farm partnered with Manfredi and local law enforcement to conduct the hearings and teach high school students about driving safety.
Students from Bethlehem-Center, Jefferson-Morgan, Trinity and West Greene high schools took part in the mock hearings at the South Strabane Township municipal building. Officers from state police and South Strabane represented the commonwealth in the hearings.
The students were given fake traffic citations and were able to come prepared with their own defense.
“This gives an idea of actual laws that they’ll be experiencing as young drivers,” said Jaci Brice, the community traffic safety project coordinator for PennDOT District 12. “This also gives them the real-life experiences, that if they do have to experience this they have the proper ways to go through it.”
Manfredi heard more than a dozen mock cases that included speeding, running stop signs, parking in a handicapped spot and following another car too closely.
In his mock hearing, Trinity High School student Caleb Dolan was cited for driving without a license. Dolan’s defense was that his brother was injured and needed to be driven to the hospital, and that his parents told him to take the car home. The arresting officer testified that Dolan never mentioned this supposed medical emergency. Dolan apparently took another five months after the non-existent traffic stop to renew his license.
However, Manfredi decided to show some leniency.
“For your honesty … I’m going to find you not guilty. I’m going to give you a break this time,” Manfredi said.
One student who was “cited” for texting while driving managed to impress Manfredi with his defense that he was using the phone for GPS.
Manfredi pointed out that Pennsylvania law specifically prohibits texting while driving, but it is less clear on other potential uses for cellphones.
“I must find you not guilty because I believe that you created reasonable doubt,” Manfredi said.
However, Manfredi did not always let students off the hook even when they successfully defended themselves. In the distracted driving case, he noted that other states have stricter laws, and you can be fined for holding a cellphone while driving.
“I do believe you created a dangerous or hazardous situation,” Manfredi said.