asv108's Journal: My Yearly Speeding Ticket Story

Some of you may remember last year's speeding ticket story. It seems that April is a bad month for encounters with the police. This story is just a peculiar as last year's "call-in."

Last Friday, I was making my bi-monthly drive to my girlfriend's apartment in Philadelphia. This trip was actually both business and pleasure because she had to watch Linus for me while I was at the Internet2 Spring Member's meeting in DC. My plan was to arrive in Philadelphia in time for a late dinner, so I left State College, PA around four in the afternoon. It was a nice spring afternoon, blue skies, with the temperature hovering around 70 as I drove through the central Pennsylvania countryside.

After passing through Harrisburg, I got on the PA Turnpike, heading east towards Philly. There are is an inordinate amount of police in this area so I usually keep a close eye on my radar detector. The Valentine One has a nice large display so I can keep the detector on mute. The noise doesn't sit well with Linus, who doesn't like my driving in the first place. As I rolled down the turnpike at a decent speed, probably around 90, I could see two cars ahead in the left lane. A Pontiac was following a State Police cruiser that was chugging along in the fast lane at around 70. Anyone familiar with the PA turnpike knows that the average fast lane speed is at least 80 mph, if not more.

As I moved closer to the Pontiac, he moved in to the right lane to let me go behind the cop. I moved in at a cautious distance of about 10-15 car lengths behind the police car. I was following the police car at a safe distance, keeping pace. Behind me, were several vehicles, obviously held up by the cruiser.

Occasionally the police cruiser would pass a vehicle in the right lane, there was decent amount of traffic but it was not exactly rush hour at the time. I was keeping a safe pace with the cruiser, as it passed yet another car. A couple seconds after it made a pass, I moved in to the left lane to keep pace. As I passed a vehicle in the right lane, the police car slammed on the breaks and zipped under me with its lights on. I turned over to side of the road, perplexed as to what I did wrong.

Out of the car, comes this woman who looks to be in her mid forties. She reminded me of Major "Hot Lips" Houlihan from MASH. Blond hair, heavy makeup, and an attitude to match her aggressive posture and gesturing. As she approached the car, I rolled down the window and made sure Linus stayed in his usual spot on the front seat.

• Police Officer: License and Registration Please!
• asv: If you don't mind me asking mamm, what did I do wrong?
• po: I clocked you at 82!
• asv: Clocked? With what?
• po: my speedometer!
• asv: I was following your car from a safe distance.
• po: DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO WHAT I DO OUT HERE?
• asv: I'm sorry, I was under the assumption that police and other emergency vehicles are suppose to comply will traffic laws unless their emergency lights on. I assumed as I was following you with the flow of traffic, that I was ok.
• po: What if I was going to a bank robbery and I didn't want my lights and siren on so I didn't tip off the criminals?
• asv: Well I thought you were just traveling down the turnpike, it didn't appear like there was any situation.
• po: I will be back with your ticket!
• As the police office wrote the ticket, I started thinking about how much a of a bullshit ticket this was, this woman was obviously extremely pissed from a hard day at work or some personal problem and was taking it out on me.
• po: Please review this and sign!
• asv: Why is Radar and Clocked checked?
• po: Lemme fix that..
• po: What is that? (points to my radar detector)
• asv: its a radar detector
• po: Why do you need that if your not speed?
• asv: to detect radar, it is not illegal
• po: It is illegal to have it stuck on your windshield! Take it down!
• asv: Oh really? Where should I mount it so that I'm legal?
• po: You can be serious!...... Just take it off!
• po: And watch out as you pull away!

I love how cops act completely condescending in order to main the illusion of superiority and always act like they care when they tell the drive to "be safe" as you pull away. This ticket has to be the flimsiest citation I've ever received. I'm looking forward to my day in court.

Governor Rendell

[JTFritz]

Heh... If you had Fast Eddie Rendell in the back seat you wouldn't have had a problem!

I dunno about PA...

[LordBodak]

But in Virginia, if you're behind the cop and they don't have their lights on, they can't pull you over for speeding. It's called baiting.