So I was out for a drive this afternoon, looking for a place to grab lunch. Posted speed limit on this road was 45mph, but most cars drive at around 50-60. Lunch traffic was over so I was cruising at a comfortable speed and all of a sudden, I notice a motorcycle officer catching up to me and then throwing on his siren. I was the only car around so I knew it was me, but I didn’t think I was driving that fast. I was a little pissed at first because this was my 2nd ticket in this car and it hasn’t even been a year yet. That would mean a strike on my license because I wouldn’t be able to take traffic school again.
So I pull over, the officer walks up to me and asks if I knew why he pulled over. I told him that I assumed it was for speeding. He then asked if I knew how fast I was going. I said, “I’m not sure, but I’d guess around 50mph?” Then he told me that he clocked me at 57mph. 12 over isn’t too bad, but a ticket is a ticket. “Do you have a reason for driving so fast? Are you in a hurry or something?”, he then asked.
My first instinct would be to think of any excuse at all and take a chance that he’ll buy it. “I’m late for work” or “I really have to use the bathroom” would probably be the first on my mind, but logic kicked in and I realized that no answer is going to get me out of this ticket. I’m sure officers ask this question just to hear what crazy crap people make up. They probably make great stories at the bar after work. So I figured it wouldn’t hurt to just tell the truth. I told him that I had no excuse for speeding and I just wasn’t really paying attention to my speed. He nods and requests my driver’s license and registration.
As I’m gathering my license out of my wallet and the registration from my glove box, the officer says, “This is the first 1 series I’ve pulled over. How do you like the car? Is this your first ticket in this car?” It was almost like déjà vu. I began to tell him that I was pulled over a week after I got my car. I told him I wasn’t driving too fast, just following the flow of traffic on a freeway. I also told him that the last officer asked me the same exact question about my car. Then to my surprise, the officer thinks for a moment and then says, “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to save you a bit of money this time and instead of giving you a speeding ticket, I’ll just give you a fix-it ticket (doesn’t go against your record) for not having a front license plate. Get it fixed and it’ll only cost you $25.” You have no idea how relieved I felt.
I told him thanks and that I really really appreciated it. He writes my ticket up and then mentions that he thought the red time attack lines that go around the inside of my wheels looked really cool. He’s seen them on the outside, but never on the inside.
I’ve been pulled over 2x in this car by motorcycle officers and both times they were really cool and curious about the car. I know a lot of the police motorcycles are BMWs (at least in this area). I wonder if that has anything to do with their interest in the car?
Anyways, I just thought it was a pretty cool story to share.
