Sucker!

[thewayne]

I went to Las Cruces today, tonight I'm coming home up the road to Cloudcroft. Speed limit's 55 MPH. And just earlier today I'm talking to my cousin about traffic tickets, mainly concerning speeding in Texas. So I'm waiting for the light to change and a State Trooper turns on the road. Light changes, I start driving, accelerate to 55ish. I see the trooper's tail lights up ahead. A truck comes blasting by me at a pretty good speed.

Now, New Mexico State Police cars are dark brown, so it's possible that this guy was clueless. He went to pass the cop, possibly in a passing zone, but there are areas on this highway that are no-pass. I see the cop pull over to the side of the road, the truck passes, the cop turns on his flashers!

BUSTED!

I had to laugh while I drove past. I've been pulled over twice in the last couple of years; I neglected to turn on my headlights coming out of a gas station (I turn off my headlights and leave my running lights on in gas stations and got sloppy but didn't get a ticket) and when heading to Phoenix I got pulled over for my license plate light being out, apparently they're pulling people over for that in case it's a stolen vehicle. It's been six to eight years since I last had a speeding ticket, so I was feeling kinda smug.

Comments

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think I did a not dissimilar manouver once. I had a new (to me) Toyota Celica with a 5-speed. It was a rocket, and I didn't know truly how fast it was. I was getting on the freeway to go for pizza with a friend and just happily jamming through the gears, and I didn't notice but I was doing 75 when I started merging. There just happened to be a cop right there. Busted!

That was 23-24 years ago, IIRC. Fortunatly back then insurance wasn't quite as rabid when you got speeding tix. I had quite a few back then, including a really stupid one or two. It wasn't that I was blasting through space and time just to go fast, it was that I was largely stupid. I've slown down considerably, almost never do more than 5 MPH over the limit.

[deborak]

Insurance is weird. I know someone who pegged for reckless driving, lost their license for three months, and showed no increase on their policy rates.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

They have a strange law down here. If you're busted without auto insurance three times, you lose your license for TWENTY YEARS!

I wish they were that rabid about drunk drivers.

[deborak]

(rolls eyes) Sucks to be poor, eh? The stupidity of "laws" like this is that they don't stop the "bad" behavior. Do they really think people will not drive just because they lack a little piece of plastic?

You do less time for what I consider "real" crimes, like assault, murder, etc.