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Since I discovered the Roadkill forum I have been making my way through the older stories and one about an off duty police officers road rage reminded me of an incident that happened shortly after I got my license and first car.
It was a nice summer Saturday and I was going to the McDonald's in my hometown to grab some lunch. I was driving on a back road as close to the 30 MPH speed limit as my nervous new driver self could get. I was about 10ft from a side street on my right when a guy came out of the side street taking a right onto my road without even slowing down for the stop sign much less stopping or, you know, looking to see if anyone was already on the road.
I think that was the very first time I ever locked up my brakes. With rubber screaming I came to a stop a few feet from the back of this guys car. I saw his head whip around to look at me as soon as my tires started to squeal and I remember thinking, "GOOD! I hope that made you shit your pants so maybe next time you won't consider a stop sign to be just some sort of pretty decoration!"
We both take rights onto the four lane main street and about a mile up the road I take a left into the McD's parking lot and pull into a parking spot. Unknown to me the guy whose car I came close to hitting had gotten behind me while we were on main street. He followed me into the parking lot, pulled into the spot next to me and started screaming at me about how I almost hit his car. I said something like, "Yes. I did manage not to hit your car. You're welcome." but that seemed to make him even angrier.
He pulls out his wallet and flashes a badge stating that he is an off duty My Town police officer and that he can have an on duty officer here in five minutes to issue me a ticket for reckless driving.
Me: So...you really want me to explain to an officer about how I had to lock up my brakes to avoid hitting a car that drove through a stop sign without stopping?
Him: I DIDN'T DRIVE THROUGH A STOP SIGN YOU WERE SPEEDING!
Me: It's just you and me here and we both know you drove through the stop sign so there's no reason to lie about it. Not yet anyway.
Him: You were still speeding and that's why you almost hit my car!
Me: I was going at the posted speed limit. I almost hit your car because you drove through a stop sign right in front of me.
It was a long time ago and that's probably not verbatim but pretty close. He kept arguing for a few minutes then got back in his car telling me that he made a note of what I was driving and would be looking for me when he was on duty. I never encountered him again and I don't know for sure if he was even a police officer (I sure hope not!).
It was a nice summer Saturday and I was going to the McDonald's in my hometown to grab some lunch. I was driving on a back road as close to the 30 MPH speed limit as my nervous new driver self could get. I was about 10ft from a side street on my right when a guy came out of the side street taking a right onto my road without even slowing down for the stop sign much less stopping or, you know, looking to see if anyone was already on the road.
I think that was the very first time I ever locked up my brakes. With rubber screaming I came to a stop a few feet from the back of this guys car. I saw his head whip around to look at me as soon as my tires started to squeal and I remember thinking, "GOOD! I hope that made you shit your pants so maybe next time you won't consider a stop sign to be just some sort of pretty decoration!"
We both take rights onto the four lane main street and about a mile up the road I take a left into the McD's parking lot and pull into a parking spot. Unknown to me the guy whose car I came close to hitting had gotten behind me while we were on main street. He followed me into the parking lot, pulled into the spot next to me and started screaming at me about how I almost hit his car. I said something like, "Yes. I did manage not to hit your car. You're welcome." but that seemed to make him even angrier.
He pulls out his wallet and flashes a badge stating that he is an off duty My Town police officer and that he can have an on duty officer here in five minutes to issue me a ticket for reckless driving.
Me: So...you really want me to explain to an officer about how I had to lock up my brakes to avoid hitting a car that drove through a stop sign without stopping?
Him: I DIDN'T DRIVE THROUGH A STOP SIGN YOU WERE SPEEDING!
Me: It's just you and me here and we both know you drove through the stop sign so there's no reason to lie about it. Not yet anyway.
Him: You were still speeding and that's why you almost hit my car!
Me: I was going at the posted speed limit. I almost hit your car because you drove through a stop sign right in front of me.
It was a long time ago and that's probably not verbatim but pretty close. He kept arguing for a few minutes then got back in his car telling me that he made a note of what I was driving and would be looking for me when he was on duty. I never encountered him again and I don't know for sure if he was even a police officer (I sure hope not!).
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