They Can’t Pull ALL Of Us Over!

I live in a congested Eastern European city. It is pretty common to break some laws in some places in the city, because otherwise, the traffic would be at a standstill. One of those is that on one part of the highway which runs centrally through the city, people use the shoulder lane in bad traffic, though they should not. It’s an everyday thing and that lane is bumper-to-bumper when it’s rush hour.

One day, I am in that lane, inching away in rush hour traffic, and a policeman on a motorbike is driving past me, hardly finding space between me and the next lane. He waves at me, of all the cars, to signal that he wants to stop me. But he won’t stop me there, naturally, because he would have to basically stop traffic to do that, considering the lane is full of cars. So, we slowly make our way forward and get to a place where the jam eases up and he can stop me.

I roll down the window.

Officer: “Do you know why I stopped you?”

I honestly reply that I don’t because it could be anything; him singling me out between all those “offenders” seems strange.

Officer: “You were driving in the stop lane. This may bring about a three-month licence suspension.”

Now, my life has many issues and this has taught me not to sweat things like this. I nevertheless try not to annoy policemen without need. But I can’t; it is too much.

Me: “So, a suspension for me and all those people in that lane, as well?”

But he doesn’t even flinch.

Officer: “I saw only you there, by that gas station.”

I nod for a moment.

Me: “Only me?”

Officer: “Only you.”

Me: “So, why didn’t we stop there?”

Both of us looked back at the lane, still full of cars using it.

He gave me back my papers and I went on my way.