Heck on Wheels
May 20, 2008 – 5:57 pmThe main road by my house has a speed limit of 55 miles per hour. A mile or two down the road, it drops to 45 MPH for no reason, especially considering the area gets more and more remote the farther you go. Recent road improvements have added a cut off road that goes by the courthouse (25 MPH). Staying on the straightaway will bring you to a new stoplight/intersection and a speed limit of 35 MPH.
It’s important to remember the whole road is really straight, flat, boring. In the early morning, you might be the only car on the road for long stretches of time. Time enough for the traffic cop parked at a cut off would be able to see you speeding for about a mile before you noticed the 35 MPH sign and slowed down.
I never know what to do when I am speeding and see a cop. They can obviously tell if I slam on my breaks and go from 50+ to 35 in the space of a few feet. But then, I feel like if I maintain my speed, or only tap the breaks, the cop will be one of those scary assholes who will shout spit into my face while yelling about my disrespect.
I had a handful of pills on my lap that I had been about to take before I noticed the cop. When I pulled over, I quickly threw the pills into a tissue. The last thing I wanted, was for the cop to think I’m a drug addict. Luckily it was a tiny little young woman cop. She asked me a few questions, including “Where are you headed?” and I had to lamely admit, “Church.” My destination was less than 2 miles away, and I had barely 5 minutes before service started.
I was let off with a warning (whew! I’m in a recession, ya know?) but when she came back to my car to hand over the paperwork, she had to ask for my weight to complete the form. “Ha Ha, I have to tell you might weight?! Wow that must be the worst part!”
One Response to “Heck on Wheels”
I hear ya. My first speeding ticket was along a back mountain road, the signs said 55mph. However, I was testing my car as I just put a few new parts on it. I was cruising along at about 72 through the canyons and notice a policeman speeding up on me. I slam the brakes and then get pulled over.
The guy said he was following me for about 15 minutes and clocked me at about 72 in a 45mph stretch of road. I knew I was traveling along at 72 for most of the turns/curves and upwards of 80-85 on the straight aways so I just took the ticket, did my 2 hour online traffic school, and paid the $400 or so dollar fine.
But yah, its highway robbery. Literally.
By thewallstreetkid on Jan 19, 2009