Why I don’t put stickers on the back of my car

I am always running late. Always. This habit has led to another bad habit- speeding.

Although now that I think about it, maybe the speeding isn’t a result of my lateness but something that just comes naturally for me. In Driver’s Ed my nickname was “lead foot”. I don’t go dangerously fast, but I am almost always above the speed limit. And if you are going too slowly, you better get out of my way, because if I can’t get around you, I will tailgate and yell at you from the safety of my car.

I once tailgated my boss unknowingly at my old job. We had all driven separately and were on our way back to the office and when she got in the turn lane to turn in to the parking lot I knew it was her. Luckily she didn’t know it was me. But she did complain about it when we were all back in the office and I just played dumb.

It is for this reason I don’t put any stickers on my car. I don’t want people thinking “That pirate fan/ that Zeta/ that Summit church member is a b**** and can’t drive!”

In my lifetime I have had about 5 speeding tickets. The most recent is when I was visiting my mom in High Point. In my defense I was on a highway I had never been on before, I was in the left hand lane, it was ending, and there was a big truck beside me that I had to get in front of. I ended up having to get a lawyer and I just got the bill. I sent him $50 and now I have to pay the court $149. Where am I going to get $149? I also have a credit card bill to pay for my new dresses. This is not good.

Anyway, all this brings me to today’s story. I wasn’t running too late for work, but I couldn’t exactly take my time either. I take this back road to cut over to a main road every morning. The only bad thing about this back road is that it is a school zone. Which means on my way to work the speed limit is 25 on that road. So I was coming down the hill and had just entered the school zone and coming right at me was a cop.

My heart dropped as I saw him bust a u-turn and get behind me. I slowed to a crawl and prayed he wouldn’t pull me. But sure enough he flipped on those blue lights. I HAD to convince him not to give me a ticket. There is no way I could afford another ticket! When he came to the car I immediately started apologizing. Yes, I lied. I told him I had never taken this road and had just come down the hill and didn’t realize it was a school zone. He asked me how fast I thought I thought I was going. I guessed 35-40? He said I was going 41. I apologized profusely. He asked for my license and registration. THIS IS A BAD SIGN. If they take your stuff back to their car and you don’t convince them to be lenient beforehand, you’re getting a ticket and they can’t take it back.

So as I was getting them out I practically begged him not to give me a ticket. I told him about how I had been laid off and just started working again and how I was having money problems and please, please, I was so sorry.

Then he asked how my driving record was. I couldn’t lie, so I told him about the ticket and he asked if this was a pattern for me. I told him no and explained the situation of how I was in an unfamiliar place and my lane was ending.

As he took my license and registration I made one last plea of “Please don’t give me a ticket.” He said he’d be right back. I prayed he would not give me a ticket. I was freaking out. I would not be able to afford that!

He took his sweet time. But when he came back to the car he said he was going to be lenient today. I was so thankful. He reminded me that until 9:30 am it was 25 on that road and to be careful next time and not give him a reason to pull me again.

Now I was really late to work, but I drove the speed limit the whole way there.

Wonder how long that will last? I am guessing not long. I just feel like I am going SO slow when I go the speed limit. I guess I am a bad driver. Maybe if I put an identifying sticker on the back of my car it will help me slow down and not be so aggressive?