 |
| The Inevitable Will Happen |
Any of us who are out on "Escapes" know that this is a real possibility on any outing. Over the generations, all of my cars have seemed to have a "going fast" look even when sitting still. That is not to say that most of my traffic tickets were not earned. However, it never has helped to drive a rolling target.
One of my memorable stops was on an afternoon driving home from work on Florida's I95; "Office I was thinking the speed limit is 95?" was not the defense I was going to try. The State Highway Patrol officer approached the car on the passenger side and asked if I was aware of my speed. I honestly answered "No". His next request was a license, registration, and proof of insurance. First I handed him my driver's license, which did not fully represent how I presented that afternoon.
"IT IS ME". Seemed kind of lane but was the best and most concise explication I could come up with. At that point, he fully studied the license and me. I said nothing further. He asked for the other documents and then retreated to his police vehicle to verify the information and just write my ticket; I hoped.
How I was dressed was completely legal and it was irrelevant to the stop. I was not going to turn this into an outreach moment nor turn this into anything but a routine traffic stop. See: How to Talk to Police When You're Pulled Over
I watched as he got out of his car and walked back to my car. Very professionally I was given a stern,"Let's watch our speed", along with my speeding ticket and documents. He then told me:
"Have a good day SIR."
OK, what is your best story? Please share and especially share any funny or positive interactions. Let me caution that driving while intoxicated will never have a good outcome. Just don't do it, no matter how you are dressed!
.
I was coming back from my brother’s place in Maine on I-95 one day. I was next in-line at the toll booth when I looked up the tollbooth attendant ducked down and in my rear-view mirror I saw a car coming fast and thought… “He’s not going to stop!”
ReplyDeleteWham!
He continued through the toll booth and pulled over about a 100 yards down the road. As I was sitting there in shock with the dollar still in my hand the lady comes out, asks if I’m okay and grabs the dollar out of my hand.
I limped down to him in my car, the left side of the car was all wiped out on my side from where he went between my car and the tollbooth.
The Maine state officers was excellent!
I wrote about it on my blog, “Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma’am” (August 13, 2008).
My other accident in the Bourne’s Rotary a couple of years ago “Outreach” (August 31, 2020).
My biggest fear is not the police but the other driver.