LESSONS LEARNED

August 2021

I remember the entire incident as if it was yesterday. I was driving west on interstate 516, heading back towards Atlanta Ga. It was about 4:30 am I was traveling through Laurens County Ga. It appeared as if I was the only vehicle on the road, there wasn’t another headlight for miles, and everything was pitch black except for my headlights lighting my way.  I drove over a hill and there he sat on the side of the road with his lights off. A Lauren County sheriff deputy. I immediately look down at my speed as I passed him, 95 mph. His vehicle lit up like a Christmas tree, I know he was coming for me because I was the only one on the road. I slowed down and said, “Boy, you are out in the middle of nowhere at 4:30 in the morning driving like a bat out of hell, with dark tinted windows all around your vehicle”. 

I pulled my car over before the Police Officer could catch up with me. I then rolled down all my windows and turned on my doom overhead light to make the officer feel as comfortable as possible. Because I had nothing to hide, and I was a little afraid. Once the officer pulled in behind me, he sat in his car for a while. I knew he was running my license plate. He eventually got out and walked up to my car and address me as, “sir I clocked you coming over the hill back there doing 98 mph., What’s your hurry” I explained to him I was just trying to get back home to Atlanta Ga., and I really didn’t realize how fast I was going. He then asked for my driver’s license and told me to stand by, while he went back to his vehicle. I knew I was going to get a super speeder ticket and my insurance premium was going to double if not cancel and my fine amount was going to be horrendous. 

The officer made his way back to my vehicle with his ticket book and said, “I wrote you a warning citation instead of a speeding citation because of what you did”. I ask, “what did I do officer”. He then said, not only did you pull over before I caught up to you, but you also had your windows rolled down and your doom light turned on and your hands were firmly planted on the steering wheel.

As I drove off, I realized I had learned a valuable lesson, I saw myself as the officer, making a traffic stop at 4:30 in the morning in the middle of nowhere and with no one else around. He must have been scared **** less. My action saved me from getting a ticket and perhaps even my life. 

Michael A. Williams