Driving at 30 KPH Attracts Flashing Blue and Red Lights! A Near Coronary Event For an 80 Year Old!
If one rips along the highway at 90 kph in a 70 kph speed zone, one expects to attract the attention of traffic police.
However, if one is idling along at 35 kph in a 70 kph zone for a minute or so , everything should be hunky dory; shouldn't it?
Actually, no, not necessarily so!
A lady friend in her early 80's related this stunning story to us today. She joined my wife and I at a Tavern for lunch, at which, none of us had previously attended.
Our friend arrived puffing, slightly pale, and mildly shocked. After sitting down at our reserved table, and getting back her breath, she related this weird story to us, of what just happened to her.
New to this suburb and road, she was ambling along in her red Toyota sedan at a sedate 35 kph for a few minutes, as she looked for the tavern, which according to her research should be nearby.
She didn't want to miss the turn off the dual highway into the tavern and be forced to go around the block for a second reconnaissance.
Avidly searching the shopping area on her left she received a hair-raising shock, when suddenly, her rear vision and side mirrors blazed with flashing brilliant blue and red lights! Accompanied by the ear splitting scream of a siren!
Oh my God she thought! What have I done wrong? She slowed down from 35 kph to zero as she promptly parked her car at the kerbside.
In mere seconds FOUR uniformed police men surrounded her car. Oh my God she thought do they think I'm a drug runner?
Shaking like a leaf she pressed the down button to lower her driver's side window! She noted that the two police men on her side of her car didn't have guns drawn? Not so sure about the two cops on the other side of her car?
"I'm sorry officers, what have I done wrong?" she stammered!
A Senior Constable, apparently the leader of the "bust", warily approached her car. She noted his right hand was on the butt of his holstered revolver!
"Place your hands on top of your steering wheel, Madam", which she did immediately. The officer, apparently satisfied she was not holding a weapon, stepped up to her window.
"Have you been drinking, or taking drugs?" he inquired.
"Good lord no. I'm on my way to meet friends at the local tavern," she managed to say from a mouth suddenly gone dry from fear.
"Why then were you driving at only 30 to 35 kph for the last few kilometres? People usually only drive slow like that if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs!" asked the Senior Constable.
"Sorry, but I slowed down as I'm looking for the off ramp into the tavern. There's no traffic on this road so I didn't think I was causing a problem", she responded in a dry, shaking voice.
She thinks, at that point, the Senior Constable realized she was an elderly lady who actually had not done anything wrong! He changed his tone to one of compassion, perhaps understanding they half scared the life out of her, for no good reason?
"Actually, we've been following you thinking you may have suffered an adverse event and were waiting for a safe spot to stop and check you," he offered as a legitimate reason for terrifying this elderly lady.
The four policemen said goodbye, jumped back in their blue and white checked vehicle, and off they went!
Our friend sat shaking in her car for several minutes, regaining her composure, before starting her engine and once again toodling along the road.
Our friend acknowledges that her driving at a low speed along a highway, albeit a highway lacking traffic, might be reason for a police officer to be suspicious as to why. That's reasonable enough. She's not complaining. Just wishing they had been elsewhere at the time!
She continued along the highway and lo and behold, there sat the tavern. Barely 200 metres up the road from an event, the like of which, she had never encountered in sixty two years of driving!
Incredible, but true! Rest assured once our friend had told her tale we had a good laugh, a delicious lunch, and a drink! Coffee!
Cheers Ross
That is very typical behavior from more elderly drivers here in Canada as well. The more experienced of us will put our four-way flashers on if we're going considerably slower than the posted limit. But I think police are doing the right thing when they investigate unusual behavior. Anyone behaving in that manner could be intoxicated, or having a health episode. Erring on the side of caution is better than ignoring it and possibly resulting in injury or death.
Yes I agree. The driver was aware she was driving slowly. Also aware there was no traffic behind her, otherwise she would not have toodled along. I think most of us have driven slowly when looking for an unknown destination, providing we did not present a traffic hazard.
She had no disagreement with the police pulling her up as a result of her brief bout of slow driving. The event simply gave her a big fright. And seeing four burly armed policemen surrounding her car added to the event. Reason for our mirth!
A substantially greater driving problem here, other than encountering a driver doing half the legal limit, which I have rarely seen, are numerous drivers tail gating me because I'm actually driving AT THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT!
Being tail gated on the freeway while driving at the legal limit of 100 kph is scary, and downright dangerous. And drivers who persist in tailgating on any road, no matter what the speed limit might be, are equally dangerous.
Unfortunately I have never seen a police vehicle on the scene to stop tail gating drivers.
Anyway hearing our friend relate her story gave us a good chuckle. No one was hurt, the police were doing their job, and our friend sure won't do a repeat performance. :))
I agree wholeheartedly. Some of the most egregious behavior on the roads today in North America and obviously your nation as well is tailgating. In my opinion there should be stiff fines for perpetrators and loss of licence for those who do it repeatedly. Over my 8 million miles of driving I've encountered it everywhere and simply will not tolerate it. When I encounter it on the highway I will put on my four way flashers and if they don't back off I take my foot off the gas and let my vehicle slow until they pass. I get lots of middle finger salutes and mouthed obcentities but that doesn't hurt nearly as much as a rear end collision.
I concur completely with your comments Bill. Just yesterday while driving on our local freeway one of those huge black Ute's rushed up behind me, and stuck like glue to my rear.
I was on the speed limit of 100 kph. The tailgater could have passed me in either the right or left lanes but didn't. The driver apparently obtained some sick enjoyment thinking I would be scared and get out of the way.
No way, I slowed down to 90 kph. A minute later the tailgater roared past in the right lane probably seeking someone else to harass!
I wonder if the police cameras installed along our freeways can record these lunatics crazy behaviour? Seems they can record everything else. Speeding. Not wearing seatbelts. Etc.
I can't remember the last time I saw a HUMAN police person on our freeway who might react to bad driving behaviour?