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Old 12-14-2011, 01:28 PM   #74 (permalink)
Geonerd
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel_Dave View Post
I'm not interested in making up any stories to get out of a ticket. I have a very high regard for law officers and I also believe in being honest. What I am saying is, based on my current understanding, I did not break the law.

If he wants to claim that my "stopping" was in violation of IC 9-21-8-24(1), I believe I'm on firm ground that I am definitely not, because there was no one behind me and therefore my action was reasonably safe. The only thing I could see is if he wanted to argue that the 28 in a 60 was a violation of IC 9-21-8-24(1) (which is not what he said at the scene). If that were the case then I guess it's a matter of my opinion against his as to whether the 28 in a 60 constituted a "slow down that is not reasonably safe".

I'm hesitant to say something negative against a law officer, but I'm wondering if he saw me, was sure he'd caught a drunk and then when I wasn't he was like, "Something is fishy here. He was doing something. I need to get him for something."

You can argue all you want about the letter of the law, but whether or not you came to a full and complete stop is completely irrelevant. What IS relevant is that you were going substantially slower than ambient traffic, thus creating a hazard. In the beginning you talk like there were zero other cars on the road - later you sort of admit that there was traffic, as witnessed by the cop. If people had to change lanes to pass, and were traveling significantly faster, you WERE creating a hazard. (And when several hazards get together you have an wreck.) I don't care what the law says, if you get hit from behind while putzing down the road, you are partially responsible for any resultant death, injury and mayhem. If you want to drive like an fool, please do it out in the middle of Nevada, where there is no one around to endanger. I'm no fan of the 'cop' mentality, but I don't particularly blame him for writing you up.

Keep in mind that people like Gerdes have already given hypermiling a bad name. Your driving 10 MPH down the freeway sure isn't doing anything to reverse that impression. Think about it.
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