Law Enforcement Rant

This morning started out innocent enough checking my Facebook homepage. One of my old jr. high friends posted about getting a ticket in the mail for making an incomplete stop 2 months prior. Knowing that one city in our area is notorious for red light tickets I made a little joke about it. Come to find out I had the right city. And then a few more posts later another old friend chimes in that he accidentally ran that same red light in that same intersection and is now nervous about getting a ticket in the mail, too.

So this afternoon when I found that I needed to drive in this city, I was pretty nervous. I mean really. I'm NOT a red light runner. I have personally never gotten a ticket in the mail (though some of our driving students have). I should have nothing to worry about. So then why am I paranoid? On the freeway going to this city I saw a trooper on the side of the road. It didn't look like he had a radar, but he must have. I was driving with the flow of traffic with a nice space cushion on 3 sides of me. I checked my speed 63 in a 60. I tapped my brakes. Then I see the trooper's finger motion someone to the side of the road. Is it me? Really? For 3 over? Maybe it wasn't me. I kept driving. So did the car in the next lane. Then the trooper got in his car and actually pulled over the other car. Phew! Is that bad to be thankful it wasn't me? I was really careful after that as I was driving in the infamous traffic ticket city and the afternoon proceeded without incident.

Going home there was a lot of traffic. It would have been hard to speed...except in the carpool lane where I was. I got nervous again when I spotted a County Sheriff pull out around the car in back of me and come speeding up along side me. Again I checked my speed. This time 60 in a 60. And this guy raced by me (no lights or sirens) and weaved in and out of any cars that got in his way.

Is this for real? Our law enforcement should set a good example by also following the law. Certainly this speeding Sheriff writes traffic tickets. Yet how can he throw stones when he lives in a glass house? It reminds me of the time I literally slammed on my brakes and left tire marks on the road to keep from T-boning a city policeman who pulled out in front of me. He was turning left in front of me from a two way stop. I didn't have a stop sign was going 30 miles per hour. And the officer? It didn't phase him. I honestly don't think he even saw me. I called the police chief about that one. Though didn't offer them my services as a driving instructor, I probably should have.

Law enforcement should be pulling over reckless drivers. Not ones that go with the flow of traffic. And if NO ONE is around at a red light and you've been waiting for at least several minutes to go, is it really so bad to just go? It is if there's a red light camera.