Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 13, 2013

And I thought Rat would have: It’s legal to drink and drive on this road.

This reminds me of those posters and T-shirts from the 1970s::“If it feels good, do it!”

‘Speed Limit – Whatever’

I’ve seen plenty of drivers that already follow that rule – and some of them are cops.

Some see speed limit signs as a suggestion, others as a minimum.

So act like it’s the seventies?

Hey, if the local governments put that sign up on the roads, I am sure the cops would find a way to enforce it! That ticket revenue is needed.

That must be what people read on the traffic signs where I live…particularly those riding motorcycles and scooters.

Of course! If a tractor trailor can handle the curve at that speed then my car should certainly be safe at 15% faster.

And what if I feel like running over a certain Rat?!

Rat must be self employed…..who would hire him?

…and so we learn that the PBS locale is Massachusetts…

Rat is the sort of chracter who paints a sign that says, “READING THIS SIGN PROHIBITED”!!

oh good no comic strip cops…. today…I didn’t lol …

Ron Swanson of sign makers.

Another from the 70’s:

“Are we having fun yet?”

Okay Rat you know that works both ways. That can be enforced. I would just do what I feel. You won’t like what I feel when I do it to you. But I will.

There used to be a few states whose speed limits (on interstates anyway) were whatever is “reasonable and prudent”.

Stephan is apparently quite familiar with the traffic laws in Atlanta.

MAJOR Problem: A sign like that can be used to justify rape.

I once had an officer try to give me a ticket for “failing to follow the intent of the sign.”.It was a left arrow with a slash through it. The sign was at the end of a long driveway exit and not visible until you came upon it, though the locals probably knew it very well..It was a set up for ticket revenue, because turning right would send you into a long term road construction zone which everyone tried to avoid..I went straight across the intersection, made a legal u-turn, stopped completely, then put on my indicator to turn right..Only then, I discovered myself looking eye-to-eye with a police officer..After I turned right, he stopped me and wanted to ticket me for an illegal left turn. I remember telling him I didn’t turn left. I explained, step by step what I did..He came back with the “failing to follow the intent of the sign” idea.I ask him straight out, but very politely, if he thought issuing that ticket was a wise idea..He took my license, walked back to his car and must have made a call, because he came back, handed me back my license and told me I was free to leave without his issuing any ticket..Oh, did I mention I was driving a car with my employer’s name plastered all over it, something like ‘Acme’ Auto Insurance..Now, there was one area of town I avoided for awhile.

That does not meet the MUTCD, Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Designs.

how about some more intelligent traffic control signals? nothing burns me more than a huge line of cars havingto immediately stop for one car that just pulled up to the lite from the perpendicular street. or coming up to a red light and having to stop when there’s obviously nobody at the other entrances to the intersection! can’t we just cautiously blow through these? it’d save a lot of fuel. but then again, I open up the 4 barrels wide as soon as I’m able! (4 barrels? what are those? lol)

and we could always just say “no hablamos” !!!!! burn rubber, baby!!!

Rat must be a Californian!

Oh dear…

‘Yield… Or don’t. Couldn’t care less.’