Quick story about a good interaction I had with a cop:
I was doing 50 in a 35 was pulled over (deservedly).
The cop noticed I had a few speeding tickets within the last 3 years of that stop and said:
Officer: "I see you've had a few speeding tickets and are still speeding... I'm gonna do you a favor"
Me: "I've never had a police officer do me a favor before!"
Officer: "Well, today's your lucky day. Here's what you're gonna need to do though. You're gonna need to give up 8 hours on one of your Saturdays, but if you do, I'll reduce your $260 speeding ticket to $50 bucks."
Me: "Well hell, you don't have to ask me twice. What do I have to do?"
Officer gives me a card and says: "This Saturday, go down to Emanuel Hospital, pay $50 and take the all day "High Risk Driving Course".
That course should be high school health class curriculum. They literally walk you through the ICU to see trauma victims. They have people with brain damage come and speak to you. It's eye opening.
Taking this course is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I'd regularly do 15-20 mph over the limit. Today maybe 5 mph over.
I learned many good things but a few stood out:
- The safest place for your child is in the back seat in the middle seat belt.
- You can die/be permanently disfigured in a 15 MPH crash.
- Speeding does not get you to your destination faster. It only does this more dangerously.
- Police and Emergency vehicles do NOT have to adhere to traffic safety control devices
- The police will NOT pull you over if you are going about 5 MPH over the limit.