Officer, Is It Because My Car is Orange?

People with red cars get more speeding tickets than other drivers. That’s the conventional wisdom. I don’t know if it is true. I recently bought a new Subaru Crosstrek. It is orange. Sunshine Orange to be exact. It is brighter than any red car I have seen. When I bought it, I thought about the possibility of increasing my chance of being pulled over.  I bought it anyway, and I love it.

So I am about 6 weeks into ownership of “Sunny” and last night, at 10 PM, on my way home from work I get pulled over by a State Police officer.  My first thought was, I’m going to ask if it is because my car is orange!  I wanted to, but, of course, I didn’t.

I was driving north on 309, in Orefield, a 35 MPH speed zone. I passed the well hidden officer who I saw in my peripheral vision. I immediately looked at my speedometer, 50. Damn!  Then I see him pull out behind me and know I am doomed.  He was very polite, and very young. I think he was surprised to see this 67 year old in a bright orange Crosstrek. He asked for my license and registration. I gave him my registration and told him my license is in my wallet which is in my work bag in the back seat. I’m thinking if I have to reach for my license in the back seat he’ll think I am going for a gun and soon I will be on face down on the gravel with a knee on my back! But then I remembered I am white and I relaxed a bit. Oops, no politics.

Actually, he was very professional and cordial and said he didn’t need me to get the license.  After a few minutes he gave me a warning instead of a ticket. He also gave me a little lecture about speed. It seems I got that same lecture from an officer on Rt. 22 a few years ago. I appear to be a slow learner. It seems I am also lucky not to have gotten a ticket, twice.

In my defense (really there is no defense, I was speeding), I had a long day at the office. My first client was at 8 AM and my last client ended at 9:30 PM, with lots and lots of clients in between.  For those of you who think being a counselor is a cushy job, it’s not. You have to be “on” every minute of every session and you are expected to contribute something wise every now and then! I’m not so sure about the wise thing. As noted above, I am a slow learner!   But in other words, I just wanted to get home!!

So there is my tale of woe. I expect no sympathy. Like all of us, we have to live with the consequences of our actions.  My biggest regret is that I never asked him if I was pulled over, at least partly, because my car is orange. Maybe next time!