Driving yesterday south on I-55 toward St. Louis, cruise control pegged at 88 in a 65, I get a single K-band blip from ahead as I crest a hill, then another right away. I'm the lead car of a small cluster of traffic. I tap the brakes to disengage the cruise, move to the right, and start to slow; the blips increase. By the time I get down to 75 it's a constant stream of blips; then it increases to the constant you're-being-clocked screech and I see the state trooper, coming at me in the northbound lane. Check my speed: 66. Good. I watch him as we pass each other, then keep an eye on him in the rearview.
I see his brake lights come on. Crap.
He pulls to the left shoulder and his backup lights come on. CRAP.
I continue at 65, dividing my attention between driving and rearview. He crosses the median and starts accelerating south. I'm too far ahead of him for him to see what I'm doing, so I take down the V1 just in case, put it in the console, and tuck the wire up behind the visor. He is now gaining fast in the left-hand lane. I continue to watch.
His cherry-top lights come on. Crap.
And he pulls in right behind... the guy two cars back, who had been pacing me for half an hour and didn't slow down as soon as I did. I watch in the rearview as the two of them pull over to the shoulder, breathe a sigh of relief, put the V1 back up, and hit Resume on the cruise as soon as they're out of view.
I see his brake lights come on. Crap.
He pulls to the left shoulder and his backup lights come on. CRAP.
I continue at 65, dividing my attention between driving and rearview. He crosses the median and starts accelerating south. I'm too far ahead of him for him to see what I'm doing, so I take down the V1 just in case, put it in the console, and tuck the wire up behind the visor. He is now gaining fast in the left-hand lane. I continue to watch.
His cherry-top lights come on. Crap.
And he pulls in right behind... the guy two cars back, who had been pacing me for half an hour and didn't slow down as soon as I did. I watch in the rearview as the two of them pull over to the shoulder, breathe a sigh of relief, put the V1 back up, and hit Resume on the cruise as soon as they're out of view.