Around 1975 I was coming out of Issaquah, WA on a two lane back road - after having a few beers at a party - in my Opel GT and some numbscull got right on my bumper. He did this for a few blocks so I floored it, and he instantly turned on the lights (I don’t remember if they were blue back then.
I got out of my car and made sure to stand downwind. I then told him I had no idea he was a cop and I thought he was just some tailgater, and that he was so close to my bumper it made me nervous, which caused me to step on it. He said the way I had been driving caused him to wonder if I’d been drinking and I said no, that I was changing channels on my radio and apologized for not being more attentive. There were no other cars on this road.
He let me go.
My stepdad had one of those mini-Corvettes.......
Sometime back in the mid-1980s I was coming back from a bar around 2 AM. I had two beers in the last hour. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
A cop pulled me over. I rolled down the window and held my breath. “Turn your headlights on,” he said. He then walked back to his cruiser and left.
That was the last time I had a drink then drove.
Back around 1981 I owned a Triumph TR-8; essentially a TR-7 with a GM aluminum small block V-8 in it. Plus I had some aftermarket stuff on it from Huffaker.
NET: it would fly.
One day I was driving from Lake Charles, LA to Baton Rouge, at night, and by about 10 PM or so I was on the elevated section of I-10 above the Atchafalaya Swamp. About 20 miles straight as an arrow. I was behaving myself, in a group of about 10 vehicles. I ended up at the front of that group when a white Plymouth Fury drove right next to me in the left lane, and PERSISTED in driving right next to me.
I slowed a little, the Fury did too. I sped up a little, and the driver would ease right next to me. This persisted for several miles. Looking over I could see a fellow slumped against the right passenger window sound asleep, but I could not see the driver in the dark.
In Louisiana drunk drivers were a common issue, so I decided to resolve the issue by speeding up a good bit, to maybe 75. The driver positioned his car right next to me. Now the Plymouth Fury was nothing special - just a bland 4 door sedan. So knowing I could shed this guy using my right foot, I decided to get well in front of him using my right foot.
So I floored it.
In a few seconds I was passing through 120 MPH and leaving the Fury WAAY behind. And we were just coming down off the elevated portion on the east end of the Swamp onto regular I-10 east, a little west of Port Arthur.
That’s when he turned on the blue lights in his grill.
I was far enough ahead that I had time to easily pull over, think about how I would call my wife from jail to get the car towed and my bail handled when the police car kinda slowly pulled up behind me on the shoulder.
The LA State trooper (driver) comes up to my window and immediately asks me “Do you know how FAST you were driving?”
Blueflag: Yessir, about 120 when you turned your lights on
Officer: [with incredulity in his voice] WHY were you driving so fast?
Blueflag: I thought you were a drunk; you kept driving RIGHT NEXT TO ME no matter how I changed speeds, so I sped away from you ... I knew I could.
Officer: [thinks for a bit] Well keep your speed LEGAL from now on! [and hands me back my license].
And off I went!
He did this for a few blocks so I floored it, and he instantly turned on the lights.
Dad had an Opel and similar happened to me. New snow in Minnesota and I was heading home from a friends house (sober) but screwing around on the fresh snow on the side streets late at night. Sliding around corners, etc.
He followed me for quite awhile and of course I sped up as I thought it was some other kids out screwing around.
He let me go.