To the best of my memory….. It was Spring, 1969 – I was driving my girlfriend home after school in my ’62 Impala. She lived about five miles out on the old Yamhill Highway. We were heading north on Main Street when she remembered she was supposed to bring home a gallon of milk.
I hit the turn signal and made a quick left onto Grant Street to circle back to Nap’s. I hit the gas just enough to spin those pretty, deep-dish, chrome reverse-wheels and fishtail gracefully on that gravel street as we headed for the “T” in the road – three blocks up. There we would make another left.
I spotted a police car approaching from the right as we neared the intersection. I don’t believe I was speeding, but I was going fast enough that if I hit the brakes for a panic stop, I would only skid foolishly through the gravel intersection, clumsily coming to rest in front of the oncoming patrol car. I chose the better option – I hit the turn signal and made a quick left – right in front of him.
I wasn’t surprised when his overheads lit up. I pulled to the side of the road.
In those days there was a series of Dodge TV commercials featuring a gum-chewing police officer with a southern accent, a cowboy hat, and mirrored sunglasses. I swear it was that same officer who strolled up to my window and asked to see my Drivas’ laacense. I dutifully produced it along with registration and proof of insurance.
“Now Son….” He began, “Whad thay tell ya when you gotcha Drivas Laacense about the car on the raait?”
That was easy – I knew the answer so I quickly told him, “The car on the right always has the right-of-way.”
“That’s raait, That’s raait!” He shot back, “But I was on yo raait back there and you turned raait in front ah-me.”
I offered my best answer – “I thought I could make it.”
“Well, you made it, you made it,” he admitted, “but what woulda happened if I’d been goin’ a bit fastah and we’d had an axident?
That sparked a memory from the Traffic School I was sentenced to after an illegal left turn and a red light ticket shortly after getting my license.
I knew the answer to that one as well, so I very carefully said, “If you had been going any faster you probably would have been exceeding the speed limit, therefore forfeiting your right-of-way and the accident would have been your fault.”
He suddenly lost his footing as he stumbled back a step or two from my car, and after a brief, awkward silence, “That’s raait ….. That’s raait!” he confessed with just a hint of reluctance in his voice.
He stretched out his arm to return my papers and said, “You draive on now, and have a nice day. Ya-heah?”
Nice story, it reminded me of a few instances back about the same time frame. Like doing cookies down Main Street on snow packed road, at 1;30 am on a Sunday morning, finding out when I got home, walking in the kitchen, there was mom having coffee. She simply asked” What were you doing cookies downtown on Main Street at 1:30 in the morning?” Lesson: she sees all and knows all!
Nice picture by the way!
Did your mom know my grandma? When I was in high school, my grandmother was the dispatcher for the Newberg Police Department. She called me once and said (something like) – you’d better watch it! The police are looking for a blue car with the back end raised up (like the ’65 Chevelle I had then), that was seen speeding down Illinois Street! I said, “Grandma – I don’t have the only blue car in town with the back end raised up!” Thanks for reading and commenting.