You’re driving along and a bit late for work, or to get the kids to school, or to some other pressing engagement. The speed limit is 35, but you know that, on this stretch of road, everyone drives 40 or even 45 without fear of consequence. Such is your haste that you press the accelerator, and with it your luck, until the speedometer hits 50. You check the clock on the dash and are gladdened to know that, if the traffic signals break your way, you’ll make it to your destination on time.
And then there it is behind you: the police car, its red and blue lights ablaze. The hope you felt only a moment ago has been dashed, instantly supplanted by what an appellate court in California once described as “the sinking feeling a driver experiences upon seeing police lights in the rear-view mirror.” Yes, you are sunk. You pull to the curb to await your fate.
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