Well, color me perplexed here, but I have got to tell this story that just happened to me on my way to work. For those of you not familiar with the Washington DC area just trust me that traffic is bumper to bumper in rush hour. Especially since public school just started today. Morning rush hour literally begins at 6:30 and doesn't end until about 9am.

I'm in the left lane of a 3 lane highway (I370). So I go around some traffic and an 18 wheeler to try and pass when I realize I am behind an officer in a lumina -- not an unmarked car, his personal ride. I need to state why I decided to pass -- this left exit I'm about to take is a hairpin turn onto 270 South, uphill. I'm not trying to wait behind an 18 wheeler. I'm just not. We are all going about 30 mph I would say, and I need to make it back into the left lane (in front of the 18 wheeler) to make the left exit onto 270 South. I've got about 50 seconds I would say to make it over to the exit. So I think I'm not riding his bumper -- afterall I know it's a cop right? So as I finally see room to get over to the left lane -- at least 4 car lengths in front of the 18 wheeler at 30mph -- his driver side window is going down. As I pull next to him, he motions for me to roll down my window and says, "Sir, you have got to stop tailgaiting! You need to slow down. There is no rush." To which I just gave him the head nod and the thumbs up. We both go our separate ways.

Now I ask you, as I have described the situation, does it seem like I was tailgating? Hell no. Rush hour traffic in this area is INSANELY HORRIBLE and everyone is bumper to bumper. I even allowed for extra room because he was a cop. This all stems from Maryland, DC, and Virginia law enforcement trying to crack down on aggressive driving.

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No ticket, so no harm done. Let'em say whatever he wants and just move on.

 

Point taken. I just felt like the wrong guy got yelled at. Let it be I suppose.

 

you really should be careful .... my wife is from Baltimore and the Beltway is CRAWLING with cops (both marked & unmarked)

you got lucky ...... after all its what THEY think .... not reality

 

Yeah, but he was just being a COP!

 

I would have kept my window up, looked at him and smiled... maybe even wave... but listen...? Pahleeze!

 

as long as the cop wasnt being a dik about it. if theyre in a bad mood they just care about anything and then u gotta drive away with a ticket. as for that tailgating thing, screw that... when i drive on the parkway and theres mad traffic, i HAVE to tailgate otherwise some other jackoff is gonna cut in and then im 1car length behind again... give some more space and more cars cut in. drivers in jersey are bad... most of them women though -- too indecisive

 

There all gung ho on this "aggressive driving" campaign. Just being a cop as someone said.

 

I guess my general sentiment here was that you have to tailgate in rush hour traffic. The cop freaking knows this. And I'm not talking tailgating at 60 mph. I'm talking about stop and go traffic. Yes, I wasn't in stop and go traffic at the time, but I certainly wasn't tailgating him.

And, yes, the police are gung ho on this anti-agressive driving campaign. I just thought he was wrong. No real harm done as someone else had described.

 

Yep, school did start today and it sure was a *****! My teachers blow

 

Dang, I feel old now. My KID started school a couple weeks ago.

I don't envy you guys with big city traffic. At least you didn't get a ticket. I hear what you're saying about being singled out but life is too short to worry about it.