Woman blames 92 mph speed on menstrual cycle
A menstrual cycle might be an excuse for mood swings, irritability and anger, but on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, it isn’t an excuse for speeding.
A New York City woman who said menstruating was her reason for driving 92 mph on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was found guilty of reckless driving in Northampton Circuit Court on Tuesday, May 31.
She wasn’t any less irritable or angry when Judge W. Revell Lewis III fined her $600.
For 31-year-old Cinthya Rivas, having her time of the month meant one of the worst times of her life.
“I am never coming back here,” Rivas told Lewis. “I didn’t have a good experience.”
OPINION:It must have been a rough period
Rivas was appealing a lower court conviction. The speed limit on the 17.6-mile bridge is posted at 55 mph.
When stopped by bridge-tunnel police Jan. 10, she gave no reason as to why she was speeding. But in court, she said she was menstruating and needed a restroom immediately.
Rather than stopping on the bridge-tunnel, which has restrooms at a bridge restaurant near its southern end and a large welcome center at its north end, she said her GPS device told her of a stop several miles north.
In response to a query by Commonwealth’s Attorney Bruce Jones asking why she did not stop on the bridge or at the north end, Rivas said it was too embarrassing to tell a man about her problem and she needed to find a bathroom quickly.
“I don’t understand why you didn’t tell the officer you needed to get to a bathroom,” the judge said.