I’ve done my sentence, but committed no crime (Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”)

False imprisonment occurs when a person “is restricted in their personal movement within any area without justification or consent.” Thousands of times a day people are victims of false imprisonment – when they enter a drive thru! Have you noticed that drive thru lanes are getting longer? That’s by design.  Fast food and coffee companies are spending millions of dollars to trap consumers like rats.  Once you enter, you can’t leave.  In a hurry?  Too bad. The car in front of you can’t move and neither can the car behind you.  Safely pull out of the lane?  No chance. The massive curbs and strategically placed shrubbery foil a ground escape.  Once you get past the nameless, faceless microphone there’s no one to complain to. Don’t even think about getting out of your car and walking to the window – the sign clearly states that you can be arrested!  Last weekend I got stuck in a drive thru for 42 minutes.  By the time I got to the window my hot latte was an iced coffee; breakfast had turned into lunch, and the license plate number of the car in front of me was permanently etched in my memory. When I finally reached the cashier she asked if everything in my order was correct. I said “I have no idea, I can’t remember that far back.”  After that I put $20 of pennies in my car just in case it happens again. Next time I’ll pay my bail one penny at a time.