Dear Janus:

You received a careless driving citation in New Jersey on Feb 24 this year. From a NJ attorney’s website I looked at, it says that the careless driving statute (NJSA 39: 4-97) exact language reads: “A person who drives a vehicle carelessly, or without due caution and circumspection, in a manner so as to endanger, or be likely to endanger, a person or property, shall be guilty of careless driving”.

On Feb 21 this year, three days before you received the citation, you wrote in your thread: “I have to drive an hour and a half to get to Stockton campus I had to wake at 5:45 am to prepare… I found myself quite tired throughout the week… My gender dysphoria has been getting more intense lately and it’s difficult to focus on things and I find myself always feeling anxious about myself. I feel shaky, my throat hurts and my heart races most of the time.. I’m anxious a lot.. the anxiety is quite intense and I always feel like I’m unsafe like there is someone who will hurt or criticize me”.

Notice the following:

1. You were driving a lot at that time, an hour and a half from home to school, that’s a long drive. You woke up too early to make that drive and the tiredness day after day intensified your anxiety.

2. Your gender dysphoria is an ongoing source of anxiety for you,  and it makes it unsafe for you and for other drivers on the road because you are operating heavy machinery aka your car while so very anxious, and that heavy machinery is a dangerous weapon that can maim or kill people.

This is why I suggested and am suggesting again that you seek medical/ mental health help as soon as possible. I am also suggesting that you don’t drive before you receive effective professional help. It is irresponsible for any person to be driving while experiencing what you experienced at the time: “difficult to focus… always feeling anxious… shaky.. throat hurt.. heart races most of the time.. anxious a lot.. anxiety quite intense”.

The NJ attorney website I looked at says that if you are convicted of careless driving you will get 2 points on your record, be fined $85, and that rarely convicted people serve up to 15 days in jail. And it says that a conviction will result in an astronomical insurance hike.

Taking care of this citation is taking care of one of the many consequences of your anxiety. It is most important that you take care of the anxiety itself with professional help ASAP, and not drive before you do that.

anita