Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?
When I was young, I had a knack for getting into trouble. Here’s one unforgettable tale…
As I wrapped up a wonderful evening with my date, the ominous glow of flashing police lights filled my rear-view mirror. I quickly glanced at my speedometer and thought, “What the hell! I’m going the speed limit.”
With parked cars lining the road, there was no immediate place to pull over. Left with no choice, I brought my car to a stop, unintentionally blocking the entire lane.
Since this was my first time being pulled over, I was now more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Now, I have tremendous respect for police officers; however, this guy put the “A” in ass. He strutted up to my car with an air of superiority and curtly demanded my driver’s license and registration.
With trembling hands, I handed over my license and registration. Without another word, he spun around, barked something incoherent, and stormed off toward his cruiser. I turned to my date, bewildered, and asked, “Did you catch what he just said?”
There was an open parking spot roughly 50 yards from my car. My date thought he said to move my car so as not to block traffic. So, I drove toward the empty spot.
It quickly became obvious that’s not what he said. 😂🤦♂️
All I heard was the roar of his engine and siren. In an instant, there was a blur, then a deafening bang—a big bang! Followed by my panicked, “Oh, shit!”
He obviously thought I was trying to make a run for it. In a flash, he sped past my car, and before I could react, I found myself crashing directly into the side of his police cruiser! Yes… you read that right. In a completely sober state, I managed to pull off a collision so absurd that it would be hard to believe if I weren’t living it. Needless to say, Mom and Dad were so proud! 😜
If I could have sunk any lower in my seat, I would have tunneled straight to Antarctica. To put it mildly, my already grumpy officer was now as furious as a three-legged dog trying to bury a bone on a frozen pond.
He unleashed a string of colorful expletives before grabbing my arm and escorting me—none too gently—to the back of his cruiser.
Even at this point, I still had no idea why I had been pulled over. Sitting in the back of his cruiser, curiosity got the better of me, and I finally asked the question.
His face turned an alarming shade of red as he bellowed, “What did you do!? You crashed into my fucking car!!”
Watching my car slam into his, I had no doubts about that part of the incident… It was everything leading up to the crash that remained a blur.
Apparently, it was a slow night because two more police officers soon arrived, their presence only adding to my already frayed nerves.
One of the officers finally shed some light on how I ended up in this predicament. He was surprisingly friendly and visibly annoyed with the officer who had initially stopped me. With an exasperated sigh, he kept urging his colleague to relax, clearly aware that they hadn’t nabbed a high-profile fugitive. Lol!
Ultimately, I was handed three tickets. The first was for my initial infraction—going left of center. I had mistakenly thought I was on a one-way street, but I wasn’t. When I turned left, I veered left of center, unknowingly breaking the law. To be fair, the lane markings were practically invisible, worn away with time, but that excuse held no weight. At 16 years old, I was guilty by default.
The other citations? Failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and failing to control my car.
Needless to say, my parents were absolutely thrilled when I walked in the door with not just one, but a full hand of tickets, fanned out like a winning poker hand. 😂
Just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get worse… well, they did. Hard to believe, right?
On my 17th birthday, I had to go to court. Surprisingly, it went well, and I was allowed to keep my license. Things were looking up—until I decided to go on another date that very same day. Mind you, with a different girl… the other one ditched me. I can’t imagine why? Lol!
As we headed to a party, flashing lights appeared in my rearview mirror once again—I had been caught speeding, 45 mph in a 25 mph zone.
A birthday, a court hearing, and yet another ticket—all in one day! You can probably guess how my next court appearance went… a 30-day suspension!
By age 16, I was already pursuing my pilot’s license. Since my parents weren’t footing the bill for lessons, I worked for my instructor in exchange for flight time. He relied on me to help out at the airport, but with my newly suspended driver’s license, getting there was now a serious issue. After all, a student pilot’s license wasn’t much use if I couldn’t even make it to the runway.
Determined that I keep my job, my parents stepped in. For an entire month, I endured my dad’s exasperated sighs and head shakes as he chauffeured me to the airport. “Unbelievable,” he’d mutter, “You can’t even drive a damn car, yet here I am, taking you to fly airplanes!” 😂
So, for 30 days, I was authorized to fly airplanes, but not drive cars. Lol!
Crock’s Thoughts 