Tell the truth, and make sure the truth is good...

... or just be lucky, as in this case.

I used to be a little lax about car maintenance. Ok, ok, I still am, but I'm not this bad anymore. Here's the story of when I was driving around with a missing muffler:

I was sitting at a stoplight with a lady cop behind me and I knew that as soon as I started to move I was nailed, but I tried to just ease on the gas and make as little noise as possible. No dice, she heard it (or just saw it, probably both) and pulled me over. She said it appeared I had no muffler at all and I (truthfully) said yes, that's partly true... this car has two mufflers in-line and its missing the rearmost one (so it wasn't as loud as no muffler).

I also told her that the inspection was current, that I was aware of the problem and had plans to fix it. That was all true too, though I didn't reveal the timeline I had had in mind.

Anyway, she took my license, and insurance and all that, but it turned out I didn't have my latest insurance card. This made me a little nervous... I was pretty sure my insurance was current, but then why would my card be outdated?

Well, I had an old one, and I gave it to her and told her at least that was my insurance company with phone # and all that.

She was the quinessential scary woman cop.. young, pretty, stern... the way I picture a female army interrogator (I have a friend who was one of those, with eyes that seem to penetrate your mind and find all your 1's and 0's and convert them in her mind back into your inner thoughts).

She looked me straight in the eye and said "do you have insurance?" and I looked her straight in the eye and said "yes, I do" but in my mind I was like "oh, Lord, I hope I have insurance".

So then she said "I can call them right now from here. Do you have insurance?" And I said "I know... I don't mind if you do" looking her straight in the eye again. So she didn't call and she let me go. I went home immediately and called the insurance company.

I had forgotten to pay and I was uninsured. Just about fainted.

I would like to say that I learned to always tell the truth. I really did think I was telling the truth... sort of. I was pretty sure, but the lie was that I made it sound like I was totally sure, which I wasn't. I definitely did learn to make sure the truth is what you'd want cops to know! But more importantly, God knows the truth. Not much point in lying.

I wonder what would have happened if I just told her I wasn't sure I had insurance. Even more interestingly, I wonder what would have happened if after I told her I did, she found out I didn't. Oh, man. Can't be anything good about that. Fortunately, I don't know.

Here's how to become a cop in vermont.