I was taking a friend driving – she is getting ready to take her driver’s test in mid-October. I have student-driver signs on my car when we drive together.
We decided to go through downtown Brattleboro and to the roundabout at Exit 3. As we were approaching the roundabout (she was doing a good job!) she noticed that there was a police car behind us. I said to just keep going and doing her driving work. We made it through the roundabout and just after, the police car’s lights went on. I instructed her to pull over safely and keep her hands on the wheel – as a practice that is good when you are pulled over to ensure that you don’t make the officer nervous.
She rolled down the window and the young officer leaned forward and said “I want you to know that you’ve done a great job driving through these lights and through the roundabout. I’m not pulling you over because of your driving; I’m pulling you over because one of your rear signal lights is burned out.”
What a good cop! She was happy with his comments and she learned to have a bit more trust, hopefully, in our community.”
As told by Rich Talbot, September 2024
From Afar to Home: Vermont Journeys 