So I live way out in the boonies and have to take a twisty, turny, country road of death to get into the nearest town. Well on my way out to town, I notice a cop behind me. Which is odd since I never see them out there. Unsure of what the speed limit is and paranoid as hell, I drive a reasonable speed (45) and just try my hardest to not do anything wrong.
So we finally hit town and he turns on his lights. I pull over and he comes up and tells me I was pulled over for “Failure to maintain the lane”. I asked him what that meant cause I was a little confused. He told me I had crossed over the line at one point. I just want to point out I highly doubt this happened because I was driving like a saint the whole time. I hand him all my stuff and he walks away. Then I notice a SECOND cop had appeared out of nowhere and was behind him with their lights flashing too. As I watch, they just stand there for like a few minutes chatting and laughing. I don’t recall him getting into the car to run my license or anything. Finally he comes back to the car, gives me my license and tells me I’m free to go.
Definitely happy to not get a ticket but completely confused as to what happened. I NEVER see any cops in that area and suddenly two are on my ass for going over the center line once? Were they just bored or maybe were hoping to get me for some small infraction like no insurance? Do cops just pull over people for the hell of it?
Well, there could be a lot of “reasons” depending on whether you are an attractive young woman or a black person, especially a male black person. Or if you had a red car. Or a beatup car. Or if the cop was bored. Or if he was under quota (you know, that quota of tickets per month that doesn’t exist?).
Well I’m neither black or overly attractive and I drive a little PT Cruiser around. Granted, it has a custom paint job but I’ve been driving it for three years and never gotten pulled over for something so stupid before.
Best guess I have is maybe you did weave a bit and he figured what the hell and check it out,
He radioed in to run the plate and the second cop was in the area and stopped by just in case and say hello to his friend.
Plate came back clean and sent you on you’re way
They might, if they know you — my roommate was friends with a great many cops, and once in a great while one would spot him, turn on the lights, pull him over, and chat (to the effect of “hey, check it out, I got a new squad car”).
More to your situation, I’ve also heard of cops trailing after certain drivers based on the make and model of the vehicle. In particular, I heard it said of drivers in a Toyota Camry, because that was such a popular/easy car to steal. Perhaps in your area, the PT Cruiser is a vehicle often sought by thieves?
It could be that they were looking for someone fitting your general physical description with no vehicle description given in your area. That would explain the second cop’s interest.
And if you live waaaaayyy out in the boonies, they might have just been bored.
Years ago, I heard some bad people were impersonating police officers. They’d order a flashing red light from JC Whitney or some auto supplier, put it on the dash like they’re driving an “unmarked” cruiser. They’d order uniforms from supply companies, realistic looking badges, the whole bit. They’d pull women over, out in the country, rape and kill them.
The law (according to those who told me the story) says that you don’t have to pull over in a desolate area. You can’t try to escape or evade, but you can drive into a well-lit area with people around for your own safety before submitting.
Although they seem to have been legit, driving marked cars and all that, perhaps this is why they didn’t try to pull you over prior to reaching town.
