By David Brian Woosnam

To you proud citizens of Seattle and SeaTac,

I arrived in Seattle for the first time in my life less than 48 hours ago, and something happened to me (a Brit in his 65th year) soon after landing, that had a profoundly disturbing effect on me.

No, I do not mean the luggage carts at SeaTac airport costing an amazing $4. Ha!(I tell you that if London Heathrow tried to charge 50 CENTS for an airport cart/trolley, there would be a mass revolt of the locals!)

Rather, it was a more serious event that took place just 10 minutes after I had taken the key to a rental car.

But, before I tell you the minutiae of the event, let me first set the scene.

For many years, I have been shopping in the same British supermarket chain, and saving all my loyalty points and turning them into air miles.

And this April saw me cash them in and turn them into a once-in-a-lifetime flight to Seattle.

I have never had a job with a pension, so I have to make my money working hard. Thus for the two weeks I am in Washington state (before flying back to London), Rosalie and I are staying in the Motel 6 chain.

So here we were at the start of a big adventure for a SENIOR like me. Driving a left hand drive car for the first time in my life. An automatic car for the first time ever (for I have always driven manual cars for 45 years), and finding my left leg twitching impotently and now having the hand brake on the other side of me for the first time ever. Even the windscreen wipers and washers sticks were on the alternate side to my car back home.

So I tell you, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins as they hovered over the moon, could not have been more of a "study in concentration" than I was, as I followed the Motel 6 directions into Ortilla Road from I-5 South.

And then I came up the sloping hill toward the busy junction by SeaTac City Hall, and saw the Motel 6 in front of me on the left across the lights.

So I took up a position in the left hand lane in the middle of the road, meaning to turn left once I crossed the lights. I stopped because the lights were red against me.

It was approximately 6 p.m. on Wed 25th April, as I drove up in my silver Kia Soul.

And as I stopped, it was a junction quite unlike those we have in Britain, and it was clear that I was wrongly in a "left hand ONLY" lane, but I actually needed to go straight on.

Now a callous driver would wait til the lights turned green for "straight ahead" and then drive straight ahead, even if there were impatient horn-blowing left-turning motorists behind.

But that is not my style. Maybe I was trying to emulate Sir Galahad, (or just maybe I am a paid-up member of the Cowards' Club!) for I decided to INCH forward crab-like across into the next lane on my right, to clear the way for people turning left.

And in doing this, I noted a camera take a picture!

And I gingerly moved another yard to my right, and off it went again!

I could not believe it! I had caused no danger, nor impeded the flow on the big junction.

We do not have such cameras in Britain, just SPEED cameras. But I could immediately tell that it was my slow crawl that had set this off.

When I eventually checked in at the hotel, and told them, they said "That will mean a $120 fine. You will be deemed to have run a red light."

I was crestfallen.

Apart from two - just over the speed limit - speeding offences when very young, I have had a clean driving licence for a great many years.

It mortifies me to think that I am now to be put on a par with a dangerous driver who oblivious to the safety of anyone, puts his foot down and drives through a set of red lights with the cops in hot pursuit!

Am I technically guilty?
Of course.
And are such cameras a good thing?
Oh, golly yes. I would like them in Britain.
Anything to cut down death and injury on the road.

But how ironic that I should choose to come to Seattle because I thought it a nice place with decent people: indeed saw it in my mind's eye as a BASTION of fair play.

And yet, within 10 minutes of leaving the airport, I have the holiday collapse in on me!

So why do I send you this?
Well, I guess because I still at my advanced age believe in Fairy Tales. Believe that someone somewhere can wave a magic wand.
I write this to you in the hope that you know who actually issues the tickets, and can please forward this email to him/her in the hope that they can give this Brit a stay of execution (so to speak).

Tell them that in the near 48 hours since, I have driven very responsibly as I have now got accustomed to the road markings and driving habits of America and Washington State in particular.

But this incident has fair got under my skin: I think about it every few minutes and find it hard to get to sleep at night.
(Yes, I really DO know! Don't tell me! Know what? Well, doubtless that I need a fortnight in Syria or Afghanistan to get things in perspective!)

But guess what?
Life is not about LOGIC or REASON ...it is more about EVENTS.

And this curious little event has upset my equilibrium far more than you would EVER believe.

Not least because traffic offences abroad are now transferable to my native country, and will bring three endorsement points on my licence and a hike in my insurance premium.
Please forward it to the suitable person in authority.
If he/she turns me down, at least I will have TRIED.

Kindest,
David Brian Woosnam