Yes me! Miss Law Abiding Citizen, ex- driving instructor and wife to a……………POLICEMAN!!!

It happened just before Christmas. I had been visiting a friend and had stayed most of the day and had dinner there. A festive fab time had been had by all- although I stayed completely T-Total as I was driving home.

It’s a journey I have done hundreds of time and to be honest on those sorts of journeys it’s almost driven on auto pilot. It wasn’t busy on the roads and I was tired from the noise and activity of the day. To be honest i couldn’t wait to get back and get my pj’s on and have a good ol’ lug of mulled wine ( it was Christmas you know).

Anyway, I had gone through a junction when I noticed the flashing blue lights in my mirror. The car was typically steamed up from the cold and wet so when I noticed the flashing I just indicated, slowed down and pulled over towards the side so it could pass. when I checked again the flashing lights had gone so I indicated back out and started to drive off again. Suddenly the flashing lights where there again and my 13 year old suggested they may want me!!! Me??? Me??? Why would an ambulance want me.

So reluctantly I stopped and rolled down my driver side window to find A POLICE CAR next to me also with their window rolled down.

‘What colour was that red light you just went through then?’ said the officer in the passenger seat.

Well this sentence took a few seconds to sink in………red light……went through…….OMFG!!

So uncontrollably I went into a full ‘Tracy moment’ as my friends and family know it- that is me in full shock mode including very loud and sharp intake of breath and my hands both coming up to my face ( really I should have been an actress you no- so natural!) At this point the officer in the passenger seat started to laugh after a slight startle. I went fluently into auto babble saying how sorry I was, how I had been past there hundreds of time, how sorry I was, how I thought they were an ambulance so didn’t mean to drive off, how sorry I was………..

Now the driving officer had started to laugh and explained that obviously they had to stop me as I went through a red light but he could see it was unintentional and that I should take care on the drive home. Thank God for nice people eh- no ticket, no points on license, no arrest for failing to stop ( on the first occasion) and I even got a ‘Merry Christmas’ from them.

I was still babbling at this rate, how sorry I was, how it wouldn’t happen again, how sorry I was………

Talk about being reduced to a complete wreck. I should be hardened to a police stop, my husband tells me stories of what goes on all the time, I should have known it wasn’t crime of the century, no one was hurt, there was no near miss, I did (eventually) pull over.

But I tell you one thing. I could NOT be a professional criminal. I couldn’t take the pressure! I was guilty before I had even known I was guilty. Those poor officers must have thought I was a complete nutter, worryingly in charge of a car and children!

Still, I provided them with their entertainment for the evening, I’m sure the rest of their stops that evening where no were near as apologetic as myself.

Oh and my OH thought it was hilarious, no chance of keeping it secret with a 13 and 15 year old in the car.