Tired and groggy, you’re driving home late at night, whipping down the side streets and back paths to get home a bit faster, your eyelids drooping, your body achy and sore. Occasionally, there are headlights in the opposite direction, blurry, whiz-by streaks of bright white — shift workers, truck drivers, and party animals all owning the lonely roads, trying to get somewhere quick.
Then suddenly an approaching car flashes their high beams at you. Blinded, you sit up, awake and alert, checking all your mirrors, slowing the car down. What’s going on, you think, until a few seconds later you pass a cop car with its lights off, sitting on the side of the road waiting to catch a speeder, a patient and silent predator waiting for its prey.
“Thank you,” you whisper under your breath, as you drive by under the speed limit. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
* * *
Isn’t it also great that the flasher going the opposite direction really can’t ever get the favor returned? I mean, you don’t know him or her, him or her don’t know you. They just sort of threw the favor out there, a warm passing smile on a dark drive home, with no payback required or expected. No, you might never see each other again, but it’s just The Late-Night Driver’s Pact, a rebellious fight-tha-police stance that helps everyone out in the pocketbook a bit.
So you smile as you drive on, and when you see another car heading the opposite direction, you know what to do.
Flash them high beams, sister. Flash them bright and light up the night.
AWESOME!
Photo from: here
Best Gift Ever? The 2013 Calendar of Awesome! Now Available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble!
Photo from: here
I like the idea of comradeship that comes with this, so long as the person being warned isn’t driving irresponsively. There’s nothing that irritates me more than a reckless driver getting away with it because the cops can never catch them…
Agree!
I had an awesome experience a few weeks ago. A guy in a BIG 4×4 truck was driving far beyond speed limit, wrecklessly weaving in and out of traffic, putting other peoples lives at risk, when we arrived at a sharp corner he near drove over me to pass on a double line into oncoming traffic, and there was a cop in a bigger truck who turned about his vehicle on a dime and pulled the driver over!!!
*I’m pretty sure the bad guy did not get no loving hug that day;)
Not a bad guy. Just a jerk. ;)
And good to hear this driver got their comeuppance!
I really like that picture of the road there. Anyway, I can’t drive, so I can’t say I’ve experienced this. However, I can agree that it is awesome because I like the thought of fellow drivers helping each other out. I like it when people help each other out, especially when there strangers. I once saw a guy in the waiting room of a walk-in clinic help somebody who’s leg was really hurting bad make his way to the doctor’s. He was waiting for a wheelchair, but it took a long time so some guy just got up and helped him hobble over. And they both had bad legs. It was really nice. Anyway, that’s a bit off topic and this comment is now really, really long. Sorry everyone, and happy Wednesday.
Still VERY awesome! :)
And while we’re *on topic*
Congrats to all winners last week!
Thanks for the congrats I rec’d and….
HAPPY FIRST DAY AT NEW JOB, KATHY!
Max, sometimes the most off-topic stuff is the best stuff! I like your story. :)
Thanks for the Congrats, Wendy! It was a really good first day and each since has been wonderful! I’m so thrilled and it feels good to have purpose once again!
Sorry to trash the party.
I will never ever flash my headlights when there are traffic controls. Traffic code is there for a reason (ensuring safety for every single participant on the road). Perhaps thos who violate speed limits start respecting those limits after paying a fine. Oh and that’s not learning it the hard way.
I’ve lost someone very near because someone drove irresponsably.
Clearly you are an asshole who drives annoyingly slow, turns at 5mph like you are driving a semi, stops for 5 seconds at the stop signs, and genrally and pisses off everybody else who has somewhere to be. I come from the city, where speed limits consist of “as fast as traffic is flowing” so 25 in a 65 during rush hour and 95 when it allows. Nobody stops for stop signs, we slow and look, we get along just fine.
Besides, instead of generating revenue with speed traps perhaps the police should be out trying to stop real crime, like robbery and rape? I forgot, thats hard and dangerous.
My truckdriving dad taught me this kindness of the road when I started driving. These days I can’t help but associate it with my departed dad and it makes me smile, especially considering my dad was typically driving 5-10 BELOW the limit…LOL! Maybe it’s not a great idea as some reckless drivers are tipped off, but I prefer to think of it as helping out my fellow decent drivers. Isn’t it grand that our world has room for people of both mindsets and we’re all in it together?!
Love it. A police caught someone doing this once and brought charges against him. The flasher won on his constitutional right of free speech!