Swerving Towards The Truth

(Pulling out of my apartment complex’s side-street onto the main road, there’s a slight incline. On the day in question it’s very rainy out, so I wait for the right lane to be clear before pulling out. Sure enough, as I’m pulling out, my tires spin a bit and it takes me an extra half second to get traction and bump up onto the road; as that happens, a white SUV that was in the left lane suddenly SWERVES through my lane and onto the shoulder of the road up past me.)

Me: “JESUS, where are the cops when you need them?!”

(As I’m saying this, the SUV falls back… and turns on the lights. As it turns out he IS a cop! Obligingly I pull over, get out my license and all, and give it all over when he comes up.)

Officer: “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

Me: “I’m going to guess that it was because of what just happened as I was pulling out.”

Officer: “Exactly! You almost made me hit you! You have to look when you’re pulling out!”

Me: “I did look, sir. In fact, I know how slippery that spot can be from experience, so I gave up several spots I normally would have gone into. The entire lane was completely empty, and I didn’t see a single car have a turn signal on to change lanes.”

Officer: “You still should have looked.”

Me: “Again, sir, I was looking carefully, I was never able to see your turn signal when you changed lanes.”

Officer: “I didn’t change lanes.”

Me: “Are you QUITE certain of that, sir? Again, there were NO cars in the right lane when I started to pull out, but I was sure I saw a vehicle suddenly swerve from the left…”

Officer: “Just be careful and look before you pull out!”

(He had already given my stuff back, so when he “let me off with a warning” and stormed off I just rolled my window up and, obligingly, waited until there was a suitable space to pull back out without “making someone almost hit me.” I’m not SAYING he would have tried writing me a ticket anyway if he didn’t have a dash cam…)