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Journal heliocentric's Journal: Cops came to talk to me about my driving last night 9

Journal by heliocentric

So, last night I decided I'd take my car to my dad's garage so he could look at the breaks. (Side topic, the car has power breaks, but the vacuum assist doesn't seem to be doing anything so you have to push harder than on a car without power breaks)

I leave the Harrisburg area around 1AM and I take 283 East. As I am driving along a car is slowly gaining on me and they have their high beams on. Fun. I try to not be the quickest to the impending construction zone so I don't have this idiot up my butt all for several confined miles. I even slow down due to a dog that ran out in front of me. Yet this idiot never seemed to just gun it and pass me. Yippie, I've got high beams through the single lane.

Following this zone I duck off to the right-hand lane, slow down, and let idiot pass me. They continue on and since they were doing a similar speed to what I was doing I just follow along. I didn't be a prick and follow them with my high-beams on, too; I just let the idiot keep on blinding others while I ponder the statistical sampling of those in the oncoming lane who flash their high beams at idiot.

A few times idiot even went to his low-beams, but after a little while when there wasn't anyone else around his lights would go back up, and stay up. We continue on our merry way until we hit 30E. 283E sort of becomes part of 30E, there is no merge if you are in the left land of 283E, you just become the right lane of 30E. However, the right lane of 283E becomes (and has several signs stating this) the exit ramp to something else (72 perhaps?). About ½ mile before this change in highway I merge (with signal no less) into the left lane, idiot stays in the right. Idiot stays in the right all the way up to and including the part where the exit turns, idiot then flies over (no signal) into the right lane.

I decide here and now idiot is a danger and I'd really rather keep idiot in front of me. I had been thinking about a good hilly spot to pass him where I wouldn't have the high beams, but with this new swerving feature and that I wasn't in a rush I figured I just hang back. My exit for 222N (to Reading) comes up shortly and I hang back so as to have good position (this is also an on-ramp to my road thus I need to sort around cars coming on from there, and others staying there). I get behind a slow pickup and after a bit we're on the divided highway and I'm back up to highway speed.

After a few miles I'm up to a truck with a car behind it. Car has his high beams on. Yup, its idiot again. I go back to my old routine of just hanging back. A few people did pass him, but idiot was having issues staying in their lane and I noticed one had to duck sort of over to the stones along the side to avoid being hit.

Not too much further and idiot signals they are going to exit. Huzzah! They actually get into the exit lane and slow down. I slowed down, too, after their last exit-ramp stunt. They actually left this time and I ratchet my speed up again about another 5mph. I don't have cruise control so who knows.

I get to my parents house, I drop off the car, I make a sandwich, hold the cat, and get some sleep. (No, none of these were euphemisms).

I wake up the next morning because the cops want to question me. It seems idiot reported me for "stalking" them. They claimed they slowed down so much at that exit to try and get my license number to report me. The cop didn't seem to know too much about their first exit trick but he said the "witness" made mention of trying to "lose me." The cop said this "witness" felt I was mad at them for having had their high beams on one time too long and that I was following them out of road rage. I said if I was going to do that wouldn't I have put my high beams on, and not just "follow" them to where I was going anyway. Cop agreed that "road rage" would typically be more than me doing the speed limit while going to my original destination anyway.

I explained how I was being a defensive driver with this idiot who I speculated may have been drunk. This wasn't exactly "last call" time of night, but if someone wanted to seem less suspicious leaving the bar early may be a good idea.

While the cop didn't exactly laugh it off he did end things with, "Well, sounds like you did all you could do and I'm sorry but I just had to check up

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Cops came to talk to me about my driving last night More

Cops came to talk to me about my driving last night

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  • ...you would have told him:

    "Well, officer, you're damn right it was road rage. I was slowing down because I was having a hard time loading the .45 Magnum while steering with my knees. Then the damn bullet case slipped and spilled, and I was down under the dash picking up a few bullets, and damned if I didn't constantly get them mixed up with empty casings -- after all, it was dark. By the time we got to that exit, I had the .45 loaded, but I couldn't get a clear shot -- didn't want to blow out my own wind

  • I've had my own run-ins with the the law [slashdot.org] due to idiots calling the cops. Granted I was speeding but safely speeding. :)
    • Oh, I was thinking about your incident shortly after the cop showed up and started talking to me. Normally I'd be driving at speeds more like yours, but not having any real need to get anywhere at any time I looked at it as a nice chance to slow down and relax.

      I try to keep it under 80 in 65 zones when I know I'm near where cops often sit.
  • try my home town. Rt 30 cuts right through as a four-lane undivided road with traffic lights and residential side streets. Speed limit 45, but people go 50 while others go 35, never 45. And it's like that until it reaches Atlantic City.
  • Is there a law in your area that clearly states you cannot "follow" another car on the open highway?

    There is nothing in your description that would suggest anything that any police officer would have to "follow up." That is unless the idiot lied and said you followed him home and entered his house.

    What a load of horseshit and an enormous waste of that cop's time.
    • Well, I didn't get to read any "statement" done by idiot (if any) but I gather they claimed I rode their bumper (similar to asv's story with linkage above in this JE) and was like being a pest. Like I could have prevented them from passing, or rode their blind spot, etc... Tons of things I'll admit I've done for a mile or two to other idiots when they cut me off or other such none-sense. I try to limit my behavior to things that are just of "oh, sorry" length. Not something to rival the movie duel.

      But,
  • Drat! You mean they didn't take you into custody!? And I took all that time and did all that swerving and weaving to get your licence plate numbers!
  • Sort of anyway; I've had plenty of experience following drunks home in the late evening hours, so I can usually tell when someone is wasted (or otherwise incapacitated.

    I'm heading east on 38th streeth through Indianapolis on the westside of town. (Pretty busy, 8+ lane road.) I notice this car in front of me having trouble staying in its lane, driving slow then fast, and stopping about 100 feet short of red lights. I decide to hang back and try to warn other drivers, and also try to get the attention of

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