<VV> Speed on Public Highways

[Tony Underwood]

At 07:31 PM 4/1/2011, henry kaczmarek wrote:
>Smitty can appreciate the distance in this story
>
>One cold winter morning, ( A Sunday @0520) after working all night in the
>Norfolk City Jail, I jumped into my 140 PG 65 monza (1/2 tank premium, 1/2
>tank 110LL Avgas) and STOMPED on it. By the time I got to the short bridge
>on I-264 the needle was approaching 100.  Nobody on the road.
>
>However, The Trooper told me I "SUCKED THE STICKERS" off the side of his car
>when I went by him.  He admitted he was dozing on the side of the road when
>I went past.



I kinda did this once, 15 minutes before Christmas morning (11:45, 
Dec 24) on the Interstate and was in a bit of a hurry.   Never saw 
the cop on the side of the road but he sure saw me.


Showed me the RADAR.   144 mph.   I was not in a Corvair ('66 
Plymouth Satellite).   I never saw his lights.   He caught up with me 
at the Elm Ave exit, saw him rushing up behind me as I sat waiting 
for the green, and I simply pulled over after exiting when the light 
changed.   He followed, never did turn on any lights.


He asked me if I'd lost my mind.   I didn't answer, figured there was 
no correct response so I just sat there looking pitiful.   Then he 
asked if I knew how fast I'd been going and I told him no I did not, 
which was the truth since the speedo had been pegged.   Then he asked 
me where I'd been going, I told him mom's place, wanted to get there 
before midnight.

I know, feeble excuse.

After he walked around the car a couple of times, he threw my license 
and registration into my lap through the window and told me to get 
out of his sight and if he saw me again he was taking me to 
jail.   90 mph over the speed limit and he let me go.    I drove to 
mom's house at about 15 mph.

The car wasn't done before I'd let off.  It was still accelerating 
when I backed off the throttle after my nerve started getting frayed 
when I started considering the tires (steel belted radials) which 
could become an issue of one of them came apart.   There had been 
some news in various media sources about police cars in high speed 
pursuits involved in accidents when their steel belted radials came 
apart at speed, resulting in those "cop tires" coming into use with 
better belt compositions etc. which were rated to 150 mph.  I didn't 
have me any of them sorts uh tires.

I didn't know how fast I'd been going until the cop told me.  The 
Plymouth's speedo didn't read that high.   Now that I look back on 
it, seems kinda dumb to do that sort of thing.

Another time, I made it from Williamson Rd in Roanoke to Shelton 
Chevy in Montgomery County (about 35 miles) in time to get into their 
parts department which closed at 5:00 pm.   Wayne Basham and I left 
Carter's Auto Service on Williamson Rd at 4:35 and made it to the 
I-81 ramp by about 4:40 which was pretty much a straight shot to 
where we were headed.   ...we got there in time to get in the door 
with a couple minutes to spare so he could buy a piston for the 409 
engine in his 55 Chevy.

Again, I was in my Plymouth Satellite.     Never saw a single cop 
coming or going.   Again, kinda dumb since I didn't really like Wayne 
all *that* much anyway and it wouldn't have cost HIM a dime if we'd 
been stopped.


I don't do stuff like that anymore.   Not because I'm less 
adventurous... I'm just cheap and a 100+ mph speeding ticket would 
cost a LOT.




tony..