hunter thompson.

How to Handle Highway Traffic Cops
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“Few people understand the psychology of dealing with a highway traffic-
cop. Your normal speeder will panic and immediately pull over to the
side when he sees the big red light behind him . . . and then he will
start apologizing, begging for mercy.
This is wrong. It arouses contempt in the cop-heart. The thing to
do — when you’re running along at a hundred or so and you suddenly
find a red flashing CHP-tracker on your trail — what you want to do
then is ACCELERATE. Never pull over with the first siren howl.
Mash it down and make the bastard chase you at speeds up to 120 all
the way to the next exit. He will follow. But he won’t know what to make
of your blinker signal that says you are about to turn right.

This is to let him know you’re looking for a proper place to pull
off and talk. . . keep signalling and hope for an off-ramp, one of those
uphill side-loops with a sign saying Max Speed 25 … and the trick, at
this point, is to suddenly leave the freeway and take him into the chute
at no less than a hundred miles an hour…”

“He will lock his brakes about the same time you lock yours, but it will
take him a moment to realize that he’s about to make a 180 degree turn
at this speed . . . but you will be READY for it, braced for the Gs and
the fast heel-toe work, and with any luck at all you will have come to a
complete stop off the road at the top of the turn and be standing beside
your car by the time he catches up.
He will not be reasonable at first. He will want the first word. Let
him have it. His brain will be in turmoil: he may begin jabbering, or even
pull his gun. Let him unwind. Keep smiling. The idea is to show him that
you were always in total control of yourself and your vehicle — while
HE lost control of everything.”

Hunter Thompson
“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”

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