Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Don't pass the pace car dummy!

Maybe it's just me but.....
Here's the scenario. Traveling on a freeway outside of a somewhat Metropolitan area here in Michigan. There's a State Trooper in the left lane traveling 75-77 mph in a 70 mph zone. Yet, to my amazement, there are people who pass the Trooper in the right lane. They get pulled over and I assume get a ticket for being stupid. So, is it just me or are people getting more stupid, arrogant and just plain disrespectful or what! When I grew up you respected your elders, authority, and sure as chit you respected State Troopers or you got your azz kicked. I never got into a lot of trouble but when I had contact with cops it was "yes sir, no sir." and I avoided contact. Sure as hell didn't drive up their tailpipe and pass them. There are days I pray for Darwinism to come back full force to clean the gene pool.

Yep, stupidity abounds and it's getting worse.

I drove over the road back in the 55 mph days. Certain states were initially not too keen on enforcing the limit and explained that their states were just too big to get anywhere at that speed. (Texas and Wyoming that I remember.)

When the feds finally put their foot down and were going to cut off federal highway dollars based on average observed speed on interstates, Texas in particular found it very hard to slow down their Texans.

I would ascribe this more to citizens expressing their drive for freedom rather than stupidity, because I didn't see Texas troopers doing a bunch of ticketing on the open road. what I did see, which was hilarious, was rolling roadblocks. Eastbound into Houston I saw three troopers driving abreast at the speed limit. Even two weren't enough because they'd get passed on the shoulders! So they drove 55 mph, three abreast, straddling the edge lines and lane lines. Like I say, hilarious. Apparently slowing Texans down was akin to herding cats!

tickets aren't cheap anymore either. I think they start around $180 except seat belt tickets. that buys a lot of beer! only take a trip or two to the court house to get the point at that rate.

That and they just don't pay attention to their surroundings.

The other extreme is more common around here. Four or five idiots lined up behind a cop car going 15-20 under the speed limit and will not pass them. "Oh no, I have to go slow because they are!" Morons.

then you have the mensa drivers that pull up behind the patrol unit and honk their horn and flash their lights. saw that regularly on LA freeways. almost always a Middle Easterner in a Mercedes.

I saw one of those once, sitting in a bit of a block on Memorial weekend. Some yahoo in a "I'm better than you" car did the weave a few times; I told the wife to watch this; and he passed the whole string on the shoulder, including the state patrol jeep. On came the lights.

It's getting worse. Driving is getting hazardous.

Likely few notice, because their attention is on that small screen. It is hard to keypunch and drive at the same time.

Only in Montana could you be driving 10 MPH over the speed limit and still get passed.

Most were probably texting on their smart phones - not payin' attention..

"Trolling"

Nope, happens in ND also...

Seems to happen everywhere now. I just a month ago traveled I-15 South from Ogden to Las Vegas. Posted 75-80 all the way, drove about 75 or a little more, got passed like I wasn't moving at all, many are moving 100+.

Ya wanna bet?

Speaking of tickets,..seat belt laws,..

I don't like 'em,..it's nobody's business whether I wear a seat belt or not, but I usually wear them to avoid being harassed. (In Kentucky the cops don't seem to be too concerned with it unless you get pulled over for something else.)

Anyway, on long trips I usually do without them after a while because I have to shift around in the seat here and there to keep comfortable, and a seat belt inhibits that.

So I got pulled over in a small town in North Carolina for not having my seat belt on. I was driving about 30 mph down a city street and next thing I know I'm being pulled over.

It cost me $180.

I've been vacationing in North Carolina on a regular basis for close to 40 years,...spent a lot of money there. But that's over.

That $180 ticket is the last of my money North Carolina will ever see.

Wearing seatbelts is kind of like an IQ test. Do you wear a helmet when riding your scooter? How about eye protection and ear pro when shooting? Free spirits crack me up.


mike r

Nope,...don't even own a helmet,....and I know there's people out there that will support any nanny laws that the government comes up with as long as it's "for your own good".

Fug that. I don't need the government deciding what's "for my own good".

When Arkansas passed a seat belt law, the lying SOB's said that it would always be a secondary law, meaning that they would have to have another reason to pull you over. They made it a primary law the next session of the legislature. I feel adults should make up their own mind about wearing one. miles

Yes! (We must remember that traffic laws are "just suggestions".)