"Sneaky" police officer catches unwary speeder

Cruising along the highway can be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. Or it can be filled with tension because we are late for something important. Either way, we can easily be tempted to get a heavy foot and start picking up our speed. This was the case with a white Honda Civic driving along on an Ontario highway. The car was in the left lane, appropriate for those who want to pass traffic that is going more slowly. That’s what the right lane is for. Although, in this case, traffic in the right lane was already doing a little more than the posted 90km/h or 55mph speed limit. So when the white Honda glided past, the driver was doing approximately 40km/h (25mp/h) more than is allowed. That’s usually a little risky and the speeding driver is wise to keep their eyes open for police and radar ahead of them. The fine for a speed like that is $290 and a ticket comes with 4 points attached. Luckily, police cruisers are generally identifiable by their fluorescent stripes and differently colored doors. But occasionally, they are not so obvious. This Honda driver didn’t realize that the grey SUV at the onramp ahead of him was actually an unmarked police cruiser and he was equipped with a laser speed measuring device, an instrument that is better designed for catching speeders than the typical radar units. The officer had the Honda pegged before he knew it. The Honda driver was suspicious as he went by and he slowed down and moved into the right lane behind other traffic. It might have been an attempt to blend in and escape being pulled over, or it might have been that he sensed the inevitable and was just slowing down in advance. His actions resembled the attempt of a little fish to blend with a school of other fish when the barracuda suddenly appears. For this unlucky motorist, this was not a good day to be a speeder. The lights on the SUV came on, leaving no doubt that it was an officer and the Honda driver pulled over to accept his fate. When we are traveling down the road, it is always a good idea to consider how much time we really save by increasing our speed. In the end, it’s probably not worth the risk. It certainly isn’t worth the cost if we meet an officer like this in a stealthy patrol car with no markings.