We all know the frustrations of driving behind someone who wants to stick to their own made-up speed limit. It seems theyโre always driving at least 10 miles-per-hour slower than the actual speed limit.
This story begins on a well-traveled road in the US, where a cop pulled over an old lady, who was driving her car too slowly.
Clocking Only 22 MPH
She was only clocking 22 miles-per-hour, and the cop knew that, to other drivers, she was actually just as dangerous as a speeder.
He never liked having to stop old ladies, who often became very nervous when they thought they might be in trouble with the law. But it was his duty to make sure that everyone on the road was driving safely, so he indicated for the car to pull over.
Driving towards the car, the officer could see that the car didnโt just have a single driver โ it was actually packed full of five old ladies, with two in the front and three in the back.
When the cop got closer to the car, he noticed that the old ladies looked as if they were suffering a much worse ordeal than they were facing with him right now.
Their eyes were wide, their faces as white as ghosts. The cop assumed that perhaps the passengers were nervous about being pulled over, and smiled as cheerily as he could when he made it over to the driverโs window, which was rolling down.
But Officer, I Donโt Understand
The driver of the car spoke up:
โOfficer, I donโt understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?โ
The cop explained that actually, the car had been traveling at slower than the speed limit and that this made them a danger to other drivers.
Driving too slowly presented a bigger risk, in some ways, because every other driver sticking to the speed limit could potentially misjudge the speed of the slow car in front of them.
The old driver seemed very confused to hear this, and replied:
โSlower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactlyโฆ Twenty-two miles an hour!โ
The cop fought off the urge to grin, realizing that the โspeed limitโ the old lady had been following was the route number.
Just One More Question Before You Go
He explained to the old lady about her mix up, and watched her face as the realization dawned on her, and she understood her mistake.
Looking a little embarrassed, she thanked him and went to drive off.
But the officer stopped her, because there was one more question that he wanted to ask. Looking back into the car, he noticed that her fellow friends were still looking white-faced and shocked.
Something wasnโt right here, so he decided to follow up on it.
He said:
โHang on a minute. Are your passengers alright? They look a little disturbed to me.โ
The elderly driver turned to check on all of her passengers, who still didnโt utter a word. She smiled at them all reassuredlyโฆ but nobody responded.
Eventually, she turned back to the officer and said,
โOh, theyโll be alright in a minute officer. We just got off of Route 123.โ
A funny story like this is exactly what we all need to cheer us up after a long day! Donโt forget to share this if it made you chuckle.
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