All about MEme! Driving stories

Today's topic is on times you've gotten pulled over.

Ah yes... Those times. I swear I was never doing anything wrong. It was all a mistake and someone else and... oh hell, here's what happened.

The first time I was 21. It was labor day weekend the summer after college graduation and I was starting my first real job the next week. My best friend had moved to Kentucky for grad school and was feeling sad and lonely, so a friend of mine and I decided to drive out and visit from NJ. We were driving back through the extremely boring flat landscape of Ohio and I was feeling like I was made of teflon with my radar detector. If only I'd thought to look in the rearview mirror to see if there was actually a cop there. Oops... Yup, no need for a radar detector when he's clocking me nearing 80 in a 65. (Thank goodness he hadn't been behind me an hour earlier...)

So it's the end of the month, a holiday weekend and I have out of state plates. Why even try to get out of this one? He came up and it was clear he didn't want to hear my sob story. He didn't ask if I knew how fast I was going or why I was in a hurry. He just asked for my license and started writing me a ticket.

I was a bit shaken and stressed, but didn't cry (what would have been the point?) while I waited for him to finish running my license. My friend looked at me and said - man, he's taking a long time. Can't he tell we're in hurry?! And then I started laughing hysterically (you have to break the stress gauge somewhere!). Luckily I stopped before he came back and as we pulled back out into traffic, I asked my friend to try to figure out what this would cost me. $50 and no points. Really? OK, that might have almost been worth it to get out of Ohio faster! Though I did still make my friend drive most of the rest of the way home.

Ok, not a pulled over story, but someone else's post reminded me of one of my funniest car stories, so here goes:

I was actually walking for this one, but the other person was in a car. I was probably in HS and we lived on a pretty busy street. I didn't have a car, so I walked a bit - to work, youth group, etc. Since the street was busy, I got honked at a bit while walking. I guess I could have gotten upset by it or uncomfortable, but I decided to generally try to take it as a compliment. (I mean I was young and had fairly long blond hair. I doubt the drivers even got a good look at me, but were just deciding to honk at some young girl. As long as they just keep going, who cares?)

Well, one day I was walking and I heard a car honk and I didn't pay much attention. I didn't recognize the car and didn't acknowledge the honks of strangers. Suddenly the car stops and I see the door open. Well, crap! I start running! I didn't know who this was and did NOT want to find out who would stop their car for some random girl on the street when she hasn't acknowledged their honk.

Suddenly I hear my name! It was a friend of mine catching a ride from someone I didn't know (hence didn't know the car)! Oh man... I was so embarrassed. And I felt like such a snob trying to explain - look, I actually get honked at all the time on this street... No, that didn't come out right... Um, what I meant was...