The Legend of the 55 mph Speed Limit

I don’t know how true this story is, but after telling the story of the guy with instructions on avoiding traffic tickets, I just have to share it.

For all I know, it’s nothing but an urban legend, and the first time I heard it was when I was at the police academy. And some of those instructors were great for a BS story which puts a question mark on the story itself.

But here goes.

This takes place around the time the speed limit was reduced to 55 mph. We have an LAPD motorcycle cop running traffic. Of course, no one can read speed limit signs, so everyone else is doing warp speed. The officer, though, is still writing tickets. Not for speeding. He’s pulling over the folks who are doing 55.

He observes one car doing 55, and he pulls it over. He gets the driver’s information and is going to write him a ticket. As he wrote, the officer must have wondered why the name sounded familiar.

He hands the ticket book to the man to sign, but before he signs it, the man says, “Officer. I don’t mean to be a pain here, but I really don’t understand why you’re giving me this ticket?”

“Well, Sir. It’s like it says, ‘”‘Impeding the flow of traffic.'”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“It means you’re going too slow for traffic conditions. Everyone has to slow down or pass you.”

“Well, I can understand that. But isn’t the speed limit now 55?”

“Yes, it is?”

“I see. So everyone else is speeding, but those of us obeying the law get the ticket.”

“Yes, you’re not staying with the flow of traffic. You’re actually endangering them and others by making them pass or slow down.”

The man shook his head and picked up his pen again to sign. “I guess I understand that. I was just trying to set an example for the public to follow.”

The comment got the officer’s attention, and asked, “Why should you be the one setting the example, Sir?”

The man signed the ticket and handed the ticket book back to the officer. “I’m your boss. I’m Chief Gates.”

I wonder if the officer’s next question was, “Do I write my resignation on the back of the ticket, or do you want it typed up?”