Saturday, June 07, 2008

me need Autobahn

First off, let me preface this post by saying that it is not a veiled announcement that I have obtained another speeding ticket.

I am happy to announce that I have driven for more than an hour since arriving in Alabama this afternoon, and have avoided any semblance of speeding tickets.

But

I did find the speedometer creeping up to 83 mph (the cursed speed from last year's speeding ticket on a Mississippi highway) again as I and my souped-up rental [that I got for having to wait a very long time in the rental car office] made our journey.

And

as we were driving along listening to country music I came to a realization:

The problem with the roads here is that there aren't enough cars.

How in the world can you tell how fast you're going without other cars?

My driving-in-the-South style is becoming one of habitual fear -- one eye on the road and one eye on the speedometer.

I know that this somehow ties in with the conflict between legalism and the law of liberty, and with a conversation I had on a plane today with a guy named Eddie (more on Eddie later; he said he was going to tell his grandchildren about me, and I told him that I would put him in my novel) about what our good deeds do for us.

For now, though, I ask again:

How in the world can you tell how fast you're going without other cars???

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's not about other cars or other people (since you mentioned legalism and the law of liberty); it's about the pre-set standard, also known as the speed limit. We are not to compare our driving to that of others or our living to that of others, lest we end up, like the Pharisee, uttering, "I'm thankful I'm not like that publican."

What's the hurry?

Jourdan said...

Well I'm glad you shared this Em cause I'll soon be driving all the way to Mississippi and back. Though I find myself speeding ESPECIALLY when others are on the road because I tend to want to keep up with them, which is normally over the speed limit. I have yet recieved a speeding ticket but if ever I could predict it would be a result from this upcoming trip so thanks for this little "heads up"...

Jack said...

best way I know of is to drive a reeeealy old "beater" that stars falling apart when you reach the speed limit.

The alternative, as you have discovered, is to drive a fast car/motorbike and slow down whenever you feel like you might actually be enjoying the trip. Speed limits on empty roads are designed to remind us that we're not allowed to have fun.