Speeders and --- What's Your Excuse?!
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009
by Sandra E. Graham
My Books and Articles
You're late for work, you're late for an appointment-there's always a good reason for rushing here and rushing there. Speed limits, speed bumps, stop signs, yield signs, and red lights-what's your greatest peeve? Mine was speed limits; or at least when I was young and had that "can't touch me!" attitude. My car had one speed and that was thirty-mph over the posted limit.
It has been many years since I have been stopped for speeding and then I only got a warning. The police officer was very kind and understanding when I explained why I was doing sixty mph in a forty-five zone. One time I was driving about thirty five-mph when I decided to wash my windshield. My husband told me I would have to get the car up to sixty or the washer would just blow the water over the top of the car. I trust my husband, so from then on, I always got my speed up to at least sixty before turning on the windshield washer. Well, I couldn't very well wait until I found a sixty-mph speed limit before washing my windshield-it wasn't like I needed to drive all the way out of town and back.
At any rate, I didn't get a ticket, but I now know not to wash my windshield in the middle of town-unless I'm carrying Windex and want to stop in someone's parking lot. I guess that rates right up there with texting, dialing, or putting on makeup while driving. We're all entitled to one ‘dumb' mistake, right? Hopefully it doesn't end in tragedy.
Speeding isn't a joke, but some of the excuses people can come up with when caught in the act are one for the books. My niece tried using " I was about out of gas so I was hurrying to get to the gas station before I ran out."-Although true, that didn't work and she got a ticket. Then there was the guy who slipped a Monopoly get-out-of-jail-free card under his driver's license when he handed it to the officer. The guy got lucky-the cop was in a good mood; got a good laugh, and let the guy off with a warning.
The best way to avoid a speeding ticket is to be polite and watch what you say to the officer. You are much more likely to get out of a ticket if you don't try to lie, get belligerent, or angry, and just apologize for the over-sight. If you're in the wrong, accept it and take your medicine. If you feel you were in the right, still be polite and just take it to court. Take pictures of the speed limit sign from where you were stopped. If you were stopped in a higher speed zone and the lower limit zone sign could not be read from where you were stopped, then you may have a good case.
Here is a good one that I thought you might all enjoy-or use if need be:
My husband was going through his mid-life crisis so he went out and bought himself a new bright red BMW. He decided to take his new BMW on a test drive down the interstate one day. He got up to about 85 mph and all of a sudden he saw this highway patrolman with his blue lights and siren blaring coming toward him. He decided he and his new BMW would outrun the officer. So he sped up to 95 mph, and then to 105 mph, but the patrolman was still coming. My husband finally came to his senses and said to himself, "This is crazy, I could go to jail for this," so he pulled over. The patrolman came to the car and told him, "It has been a long day and I am tired. If you can give me an excuse no one else has ever given me I will let you go." So my husband told the officer, "Last night my wife ran off with a patrolman and when I seen you chasing me I thought you were trying to bring her back."
The officer looked at him and said, "Have a nice day."
But, no, I didn't really run off with a patrolman and the car wasn't really a BMW; it was actually a little red Pontiac Fiero.
And all you SearchWarpers---Have a Nice Day.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Hi Sandra.Hah! That was a good one. And who cares what the make and model really were. You made me laugh. Thanks.DianneThanks, Dianne. Glad you enjoyed it. I felt it was time for a little humor.Have a good--Nice--day.Sandra
Great article. Well done.I never speed. I do however, get in trouble for making rude gestures at speeders.It is not speeders that annoy me - people who drive too slowly annoy me. It is not only unsafe to go through a 30 MPH zone at 15 MPH it is also rude! They get the same gesture and what is even better; they get longer to enjoy it.By the way, I love the cartoon.Thanks for reading and commenting, Connor. I don't speed anymore, either.Have a great week.Sandra
I have to admit i speed from time to time, nothing dangerous mind. Generally in the morning on the way to work, never have been any good at getting up in the morning. Great articleThanks for reading and commenting, Samuel. Be careful going to work this morning.Sandra
Ohmygosh, Sandra! You and your husband must do standup somewhere. How funny!The article made some good points though. It's always good to have that kind of a reminder!Thanks, Grammy. Yes, my husband and I enjoy laughing, playing with our grandchildren, and life in general.Have a wonderful week.Sandra
TOO CUTE!!!I seldom find myself LOLing at what I read, but I was busting a gut with this one!!Thanks!!Thanks so much, Nila, and Welcome to Searchwarp.Sandra
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