This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A week ago, I was driving north on Interstate 15. North of Ogden, I started feeling drowsy and pulled into a rest area. There were three semi-trailer trucks in the truck area, but no cars.
I was asleep only a few minutes when there was a bright light in my eyes. I rolled down the window, and an angry Utah Highway Patrol officer demanded to know why I hadn't parked precisely between the white lines on the asphalt.
I told him I saw no problem with how I had parked, and there was no one else in the rest area. He insisted the markings were the law and that I was subject to a parking ticket. He told me that not parking between the lines in an empty parking lot was equivalent to running a stop sign when no one is around.
I had to park again to avoid the ticket. At no time did he ask if I was OK or if I had stopped due to a problem.
Is this how Utah gets tough on crime? Or just Utah's way of encouraging tourism at the beginning of the ski season?
Brent Baker
Corvallis, Ore.