Flashing lights

There is a first time for everything, whether good or bad. And yesterday was my first time to be pulled over by the police. In all my years of driving, I have never been pulled over, or received a ticket (I’m still waiting for that award :)), so this was completely new to me. And as my husband was driving, and I was merely his passenger, it was an interesting as opposed to a harrowing experience. The fact that we were returning from a Hawaiian party, and were both sporting Hawaiian shirts and leis only added to the merriment as far as I was concerned (although I’m not sure my husband concurred).

So what happened to the people who believe that “rules make the game more fun!”? Well, we were driving along a dark and deserted country road, and husband-dear accidentally forgot to turn his high-beams off as a car came from the opposite direction. This would have not been a problem at all, had that car not turned out to belong to a Georgia State trooper. I have seen plenty of other cars pulled over since my arrival here in Georgia, so I was somewhat aware of the circus that accompanied a police intervention, but to be at “the receiving end” was a whole new experience. The blue lights appeared to be everywhere, and as we were waiting for the trooper to get out of his car, the light blue glare made it seem as though we were about to experience an encounter of the third kind.

If you have never seen an American police car in action, it is a completely different ballgame from anything the Dutch, German, or French highway patrol will do to you. First of all, most people in Europe don’t even realize they’ve actually been caught speeding or running a light until they receive a hefty bill in the mail, accompanied by a picture of themselves committing the offense. In the Netherlands they will take the picture from the back, which can lead to interesting discussions between couples regarding who actually drove that day. In Germany they've solved that problem; they take your picture from the front, although they will blot out the faces of any passengers. This was implemented, I believe, after a man successfully sued the German police after his wife had found out about his affair when she opened his mail and found a picture of him and his mistress speeding down the autobahn. Looking out for the much-hated cameras has become a national sport in many countries, complete with websites that indicate the different locations and news stories about people spray painting or otherwise dismantling the cameras. Second, if you get pulled over, which only occurs very rarely, you usually don’t even notice you’re being followed until a nondescript car in front of you suddenly pops up a sign in its rear window that tells you they are the police and you have to follow them. No lights, no sirens, and no cool troopers with ten gallon hats and nightsticks three feet long.

The American traffic police experience could not be any different. I can’t count the number of times I almost got a heart attack because a police car would suddenly come flying by with its lights flashing and siren blaring. They also don’t lead the offender to a parking spot or rest area like in Europe. No, they stay behind the offender who is expected to pull over immediately, even if that means coming to a standstill on a muddy shoulder right by an intersection. The police car then leaves its lights on, to warn other traffic. In Georgia, you are then, according to the, yes indeed “move over law”, expected to move over one lane, or slow down. It’s quite the experience.

So when we were pulled over yesterday, I couldn’t help but wonder how fierce the police officer would be. After all, with all that show of force, they should have a reputation to uphold. But I could not have been more wrong. The first thing the trooper said when he came up the window was; “Wow, did y’all just come from Hawaii or something?”. The second thing he said was; “And does your car come with a dimmer?”. In the end, he just gave us a warning, and wished us a pleasant night. My husband was very relieved, and I was excited to be able to add another experience to my last. Who knows, maybe bungee jumping will be next!