Misc.: September 2006 Archives

I mean it. Driving in a police car is fun. Note the phrasing: driving in a police car is fun; being driven in a police car is not. Why is this?

I was driving to work today when I noticed a car with heavily tinted windows pull up behind me. In my general paranoia, I figured this was an undercover police car (fortunately, it wasn't). This then in turn reminded me of a story my uncle had told me semi-recently.

My uncle worked in a rather large car shop. The local police department would bring their cars down when something broke, when it needed a tune-up, or whatever. Likewise, for most of the cars he had worked on, he took it for a short (15 minute) drive to make sure everything worked as it should. He'd test out the brakes, made sure everything was shifting properly, etc.

Likewise, a civilian legally driving a police car can be incredibly fun. For example:

• Randomly switching lanes and then tailgating a car.
• Driving 55mph on a 65mph freeway, just to see who would pass.
• Changing from lane to lane at varying speeds.
• Finding someone driving relatively fast, and pull up alongside them. No eye contact, no lights, no nothing, just pull up alongside someone speeding.
• Accelerating to the speed limit, and then slowly drop in speed.

It's not like he can pull anyone over. It's not like he's stolen the car; he has a legal right to it. So why not enjoy it? :)