My wife was taking our new born daughter to the grocery store the other day and got pulled over. The posted limit is 35mph, she was apparently doing 51. There were many other cars on the 2 lane (each way) road going over the posted limit. Why he picked her out of the crowd I don't know. Regardless of the reasons behind it, the fact that she was speeding isn't what made me so upset. I was not mad at her for 'breaking the law', I had no issue with it at all actually. I was mad at the legality of the actual practice from law enforcement. The sheer fact that a guy in a costume can demand you off of the road, at gun point, for harming no one, is what makes me mad. On top of that, the sheer fact that after you are stopped from your travels, you must submit to identifying yourself, giving up your address, your history is looked up, and in this situation, forced to pay around $180. The hypocrisy comes into full effect when you realize that this is no safety matter. Not one iota of keeping the general public 'safe' comes from pulling over 'speeders'. If someone does injure someone while speeding, they will be held accountable.
I personally drive all over for work and I see marked and unmarked cop cars passing me all the time (speeding), no emergency lights on. I routinely see them not use their blinker when turning. Not wearing their seat belts (in MN this is a big fine if YOU don't wear your seat belt, it's for your safety/sarc). And if you think texting and driving is bad, imagine having a lap top, well, basically in your lap, while driving.
How many times has an officers friend or family member been pulled over, only to be let go with a 'warning' because they had an in with the officer? When police can pick and choose who they harass and fine, it's not about safety. It's about revenue generation for the state.
Live and let live. No victim, no crime. Press on for the day that we can achieve this.
Below is a video of a cop in Austin, Texas get off scott free for doing 92 in a 65. Just because he was a cop.
Video from youtube.com
Image from pixabay.com