Chicki said:
We got pulled over a few years back. For not wearing our seat belts. We were still basically in the sand parking lot. My husband had to empty his pockets on the hood of the car. Our fine was $120. Coincidentally the exact amount we had on us. IMO it's a scam for tourists.
A scam indeed and it's not specific to St Martin. The same thing happened to me and my SO in NYC a few years ago. Leaving our hotel near Time Square after a conference. The valet parking attendant loaded our luggage in the trunk and I just pulled away from the curb when a NYC motorcycle cop pulls us over. We were less than 50 yds from the hotel!! He asked for my papers and my SO ID. A few minutes later, he handed each of us a $93 ticket for no seat belts. He knew damn well that with PA plates, we wouldn't come back to fight the ticket in Court.
