Admitting to Guilt

[Josh Murray <mincarp1@xxxxxxx>]

A story to tell...

Once I was pulled over for speeding.
It was about 2 a.m. and I was the car on the road, a four lane(as in per
side), very straight, very flat highway.
I was going about 100mph, varying by plus minus 10mph.  Suddenly I noticed
that I was no longer the only car.
A pair of headlights was approaching very rapidly from about a mile behind
me.  They looked suspiciously 
like cruiser lights (oh yeah, you can always tell), so I slowed down to the
legal limit, 65.
Before the lights were within half a mile the rest of the lights came on,
except these ones were much prettier. 
I was promptly pulled over and concluded that I must have passed the officer
some ways back.  
He was traveling the opposite direction.  I also concluded that he did not
use radar and had no opportunity
to pace me since I slowed to 65 before he was anywhere near me and because
he had his lights on long before 
he was close enough.  After considering these details, I decided that I'd
risk bluffing.
Especially when I recalled that 100mph could be considered reckless driving
and thus a very large ball of wax.
I didn't expect to get out of the ticket, just to minimize the damage.
When he walked up to my window he was not happy. He asked the normal line of
?s.

Officer:  Do you know why I pulled you over?  
Me:  No I don't.
O:  I'll tell you...you were speeding. Do you know how fast you were going? 

M:  65 I'm sure.  That is the speed limit.
O:  Are you sure (hoping I'd throw out a figure, because he sure didn't have
one)?
M:  Pretty sure.
O:  Let's put it this way, you passed me over ten miles back and I just
managed to catch up with you (ouch).

He returned to his car a did what for twenty minutes (no, I'm not
exagerating)doing what I don't know, and returned extremely peeved to tell
me that he was giving me a ticket for "excess of 65" adding that he knows I
was doing at least 90.  
My point?  The officer could and would have severly nailed me if I had
copped (no pun intended) to my speed.         But, he didn't know my speed
and I knew that.  So, yes, lying saved me of considerable damages.  
I also took the ticket to court on this (another long story) and lost
because the judge said that everyone goes over 65.    In fact he did on the
way to work.  If it had been a specific figure he said that he would have
dismissed it.
Disclaimer:  I'm not sayin' lie to every officer that looks at you wrong,
but not every officer is as fair as the ones we have heard from.  You know
how the saying goes, a few bad apples...
Equal Air Time:  I have an equal experience with a very fair and straight
forward officer.  He gave me the ticket, but couldn't have been cooler about
it if he had tried.  He was bummed that I didn't see him. "Ya gotta watch
out for us, we're out there"
Sorry fer natterin'
Josh Murray


 

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