Pfeew
by Volker Weber
I was pulled over yesterday for running a stop sign. Vell, I tried my ferry pest german aksent, err, ehmm, ... ant he lett mee go. ;-)
Having a rental car, a big smile, and a EU driver's license may have helped as well ...
Comments
Speeding down to the beach with your towel again? ;O)
Be careful, he might be reading your weblog.....
That never worked for my (German) wife when we lived in the States. But she was always somehow proud of her speeding tickets.
Wow. I am AMAZED that you were pulled over for running a stop sign! When we first moved to Florida, we commented often about the terrible driving. I see police ALL of the time running stop signs, failing to signal for lane changes or turns, speeding, running red lights..... never with their emergency lights or sirens going.
It seems that the normal speed is TWENTY miles per hour over the posted speed limit ...although I typically stick to 10 mph over and watch the other cars zoom past me. Usually the stop signs and red lights seem to be treated more as suggestions than actual law.
Congrats on a smart ploy :-)
Hehhe - I'll have to tell you someday how a german accent worked for me - in a very different situtation, in Germany. Good story, but I need a few beers first....
I always tell the officer I am blind :-)
Hmmh, I got pulled over for speeding yesterday in NZ and I was just 12 km/h over the limit. Still I had to pay.
But the police officer was so nice that it was almost entertaining and well worth the 80$.
And I got a complimentary photo with the policeman ...
http://claudia-und-mariano.net/articles/2006/01/17/80-fotos
The police here in NZ are actually a secret part of the tourism industry. Their primary function across the country is not preventing crime or enforcing the law - it's revenue gathering. So, when it comes to public relations with overseas visitors, they see it as all part of the service to take time out with the "customer" and grant a few souvenier photos.
Still, at $80, you seem to have got a lot more photos than you would if you paid the $200 to jump off the Sky Tower, and it was probably a lot more exciting too! ;)
American cop looking at my UK license: "Wow, you must be a good driver, you've been endorsed three times!"
