Thursday, January 8, 2009

A Moral Dilemma

I’m a pretty organized person. I like to look ahead and make contingency plans for things that could possibly happen.

So I’m hoping that you can help me.

Here is the situation:
I drive fast. It’s not because I am running late. I always leave with plenty of time. For example, under normal conditions – like a sane person driving on dry pavement at the prescribed speed - it takes 9 minutes to get to church. It takes me about 7. I leave at 5:25 and seminary starts at 6:00. So who cares if I get there at 5:31 or 5:34?

I guess that's not the point. I just like to drive fast. And it doesn't matter if I am driving an SUV or a sportscar.
I drive like a bat out of hell. It's way more fun!

I guess I just figure that if you know where you are going, why not hurry up and get there? I don’t like to waste time. Plus, I just like to drive fast with blatant disregard for the law....only speed related laws though. I don't weave or make illegal turns and I always stop behind school buses.

My fantasy is that all the streets are closed to normal people and I get to drive as fast as I want.....with a great song like Dusturbia or My Life CRANKED on the radio!

Driving to seminary at 5:25 am is a little bit like this fantasy because no one in their right mind is on the road except for the newspaper delivery man………and he pulls over now to let me go by.

But here’s the thing. I think the police are on to me.
Not to be paranoid, but I’ve noticed police sitting in strategic locations on the way to seminary....places they wouldn't normall sit, lying in wait. Who are they trying to catch? Then, yesterday, I was sitting at my desk and saw a policeman going down my street. I have NEVER seen a policeman just cruise down my street. It’s difficult to explain but we live on a quiet circle in the back of a large neighborhood. Our street goes nowhere. You only come down our street to go to a house on our street. So, I see the police drive by. A few minutes later, I leave and I see the policeman sitting down the street…..just sitting. I know he’s not there for me. He’s not close to my house and when I see him, his back (or the back of his car) is to me. But it got me thinking.

One of these days, I AM GOING TO GET PULLED OVER. I’m planning for that eventuality. I’m analyzing my options.
1) I could slow down. Then I wouldn’t get pulled over. But that’s not fun. That’s not living on the edge! Besides, I don’t like driving under 40. And it will take longer to get to seminary.
2) I could pull over politely………but THAT will really waste time.
3) I could speed up and outrun the police. This kind of appeals to me, but if my goal is not to waste time or be late, won’t I be late to seminary if I’m weaving off my normal course, going through neighborhoods and jumping curbs…..even if I’m going 80?

I'm just trying to be practical here and plan for eventualities like illness, death and getting pulled over by the cops.

I do know that if I get pulled over, I should NOT say what my sister-in-law said. She was going 47 in a 40 when she was pulled over. The officer asked her if she knew how fast she was going. She said, “No.” He said, “47.” She said, “What is the speed limit here ANYWAY?” Yeah, that didn’t illicit much sympathy.

I could be like my brother. He was speeding to the airport. He came around a corner and was flying over a hill when he passed a policeman. He knew he was busted. He slammed on the brakes and the car skidded just a tiny bit to prove his guilt. So he didn’t even wait for the policeman to turn on his lights. He just calmly pulled over, rolled his window half way down and placed his hands out the window – like he was ready to be cuffed. The officer was actually laughing when he got to the car. I can’t remember if my brother got a ticket. I’m gonna say yes.

So what do you think? 1) Convert to being a law abiding citizen 2) Take my lumps 3) Pretend I’m in Fast & Furious Part 5. Don't respond: "Well Gina, what would Jesus do?" because Jesus never drove a car.

8 comments:

Amy said...

I vote you keep doing what you love doing and drive fast. Yeah maybe you'll get ticketed, but you can take that safe driver course, do the supervision and the ticket will go away. That's what I do at least, but this is coming from the lady who since she got her drivers license 12 years ago has been issued 6 or 7 speeding tickets. One for speeds in excess of 100 mph in a 65, the road was begging to see how fast my 400 small block in my 69 Catalina could go. I just had to do it to get it to shut up.

valerie said...

Get a radar detector. :)Ummm not sure how to help you because I too love to drive fast. I hate when the speed limit goes from 75 to 65. :( It's hard to go slooooow! I can't wait to take hubby's 68 camero out this summer!

Melissa said...

Yeah, that's right. Jesus walked everywhere.

Missty said...

Well, you can ask Tyler who wanted to see how fast my BMW could go.... he got a ticket the week of Christmas going 90! The police said he was letting him off easy... because if he wrote the truth on the ticket 110.... my car would of had to be impounded! So, don't go to fast - but enjoy!

I drive fast!! But haven't had a ticket in a long time. I will try to be graceful when I do.

Siobhán said...

SLOW DOWN! but what else would you expect the wife of a highway patrolman to say?! don't bother with the radar detectors. by the time a radar detector catches a radar, the radar has already caught you.

but seriously, gina, SLOW DOWN! your post nearly gave me apoplexy! go find an enclosed track to let your speed demon out and slow down on the streets.

the story about your brother is funny. as i was crossing into st. george once, i rounded a bend at 90mph (pre-kids and pre-highway-patrol-wife) to see two uhp guys with a radar. i immediately pulled over and just waited. the officer said he was surprised that he found me that quickly because it took him a while to get to his car and the road was wide open. i said that i knew the next exit was a ways away and that it was probably best not to waste his time. he still gave me a ticket. :(

Patty Edwards said...

Wild woman! I'm just thrilled that the freeway out by my house is 70 mph (which means, ummm, higher numbers than that if you drive a BMW). :-)

Stacy said...

I got a ticket once for doing 74 in a 45. It was on an interstate I drove daily back and forth to work and it was under construction. Seriously, if you drove 45 on that road, you'd get run over by a semi! But I got caught in a little town. Went to see the judge and he happened to be the father of one of my students! Ack! He let me off with defensive driving--even though technically I wasn't eligible because of the "excessive speed." My fast-driving demons have all been exorcised since then, but if they lower the speed limit again on the open roads, I'll be in trouble!

Unknown said...

I can't say much except bring yourself to German. No one ever gets pulled over you just get a speed trap ticket in the mail. Way easier that way.

Bring that sweet car of yours over to the Autobahn and we'll have a little race :)

That wasn't helpful was it??

And still I am not getting feeds that your site is updated, darn!