Mr. Speedy's Luck Runs Out: Police Warnings & Speeding Tickets
Jim's been skating through "life on the highway" by the skin of his teeth for years now.
He's gotten FOUR (4) warnings for speeding -- and that's just in the time that I've known him.
Every time I'm in the car with Jim and I comment about his driving, he always reminds me of the fact that HE's never been in an accident (I've been in 3 minor "incidents", of which NONE were my fault...) and HE's never gotten a ticket (I've gotten 3, but wait til you hear what for!!!).
Jim's had no incidents or tickets... Til now!
Jim's somewhere in Ontario Canada by now -- Grand Bend, I think...
(I've asked him to not call me while he's in Canada, cuz the cell phone rates for us would be OUTRAGEOUS! That, and the fact that I might just be "away" at the Caribbean again.)
But somewhere around Louisville, Kentucky he called last night to tell me that he'd just gotten his first speeding ticket!
Going 75 in a 55.
There was no "warning" this time!...
Life Is A Highway...
He said up until the moment the police officer pulled him over, he was cruising right along enjoying the ride while listening to his brand-new XM Satellite Radio.Now I'm thinking: That XM's gotta go -- it's just too distracting! (...just kidding. I'm sure it made this very long road trip more bearable for him -- DESPITE the Speeding Ticket.)
Jim does drive A LOT. Always has... for business trips.
Lately he's driving all across the country (and beyond!) for IHRA motorsports events. So I guess if this is his first ticket, then he's done pretty well. That, and the fact that he was incredibly LUCKY that the previous 4 let him go with warnings!
Fun Music Videos About Driving Fast
And now for the FUN part of this post...Sing along to Tom Cochrane's "Life Is A Highway" song playing in the background of this video featuring hilarious antics while driving cars!
[Thanks to Sammy Hagar himself for making both of those videos available!]
...Did you know Sammy Hagar wrote that song while driving a rental car?! Here are lots of other fun songfacts about Sammy Hagar and the "I Can't Drive 55" song.
My friend got 17 tickets in Springfield, mo in 1 1/2 years, including seat belt ticket which is $10 and the tickets keep coming but all of them are off his record.
Ha ha ha you got a ticket in the city I live in....seriously. I do live there.
the most I saw was a guy who had 15 tickets in 3 years, 12 of those he hired OTT who got him off. I recently saw that the police can access your drivers record from the time your first got it at age 16!
Hey Rockin' Randy:
I got 9 points in 2005. If I can make it until Christmas all of the points will go away. Two of the tickets are already a year behind me.
Lynnette loves to wear me out about the # of warnings and tickets that I have. While I won't sit here and try to convince everyone that I'm MPH compliant - I will make the argument that if you divide my warnings and tickets by the number of miles traveled, it will compare to that of every other law-abiding citizen.
So far in 2006, I've driven over 30,000 miles. One warning, no accidents (Lynnette??), and one incident with some tire tread that was left behind from a trucker at 3AM just east of Cleveland (Sorry about that Jack).
Jim...slow down, man!! How many points remaining?
In an effort to keep the running total of Jim's speeding tickets & warnings up-to-date...
Ding, ding, ding... Yes, we have another one to add to the tally!
Last weekend, we were driving down a 2-lane highway in Middle Tennessee. Moments after I'd reminded Jim that I thought he was going to fast, we passed a cop who was parked on the side of the road.
COP: Do you know why I pulled you over?
JIM: Well, my wife said the speed limit was 40, but I thought it was 55.
COP: Yes, it's 55 alright, but I clocked you going 69.
JIM: Okay.
COP: Can I have your license and registration?
JIM: Here you go.
COP: Here's your license & registration back. Y'all drive safely now & have a nice day.
For the record, Jim got ANOTHER warning last weekend... on the way to CHURCH!
Fortunately, he was passing a car at the time, so they let him slide on that technicality.
OK - so, I guess I'm busted! But, what Lynnette failed to mention is the amount of miles that I drive. The last season I did the IHRA - I drove about 39,000 miles (not counting personal miles). This time I'm doing the Canadian events as well. I'm already about 7,000 miles through 4 events.
So, my point - Tickets per mile! Maybe I wished this ticket on myself. I knew the odds were against me - my time was up statistically speaking.
Hey, I count myself lucky - something like 200,000 + miles with 1 flat tire, 1 broken tensioner pulley and 1 speeding ticket.
Here's to the next 200,000 being as clean as the last ones!