Tag: police
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They’re not “just doing their job” – they’re scamming us
So last week, coming back from the Black Angels gig, I got pulled over by the police. I shouldn’t be surprised – I seem to average one ticket a year, and I’d made it to December (actually, November 30th) without getting a ticket so it was about time. What was a surprise is that this wasn’t for speeding! (That radar detector I have is turning out to be money well spent.) This ticket was for “failure to signal” when I turned a corner. That’s right. It was for not using my indicators. At half past midnight, at an almost deserted intersection. … Read more
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Road – it’s all the rage!
This commute is killing me. A couple of nights ago it took me an hour and 40 minutes to get home from work. For a 20-mile journey, on a single stretch of motorway – the infamous I-10 (a.k.a. the Katy Freeway). That’s an average of 12 mph – which just shows that the police are taking the piss by putting up “65-mph” speed limit signs. And 12mph is an average. For the last 5 miles of the journey I was hurtling along at closer to 80mph. Yes, that’s over the limit, but I dare the bastards to pull me over and… Read more
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No, really, they are are out to get me…
My car sprang a fairly serious oil leak (to the point where it was getting through oil faster than petrol, and I was leaving a trail all down the road). I’d noticed the oil light flashing on and off when I drove into work on Friday morning. So I topped it up with a gallon of Esso Superlube (company man to the last!) before I left work, but the oil light was flashing again before I was halfway home. I was just wondering where I’d find a garage open on a Saturday (this is Belgium, after all…), when the police… Read more
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The Joy of Driving (Or Not)…Belgian Style
Nowadays, a car is pretty much a necessity. And just about everyone here in Belgium has one. So why do the Belgians make getting a car on the road such a difficult, lengthy, and truly exasperating process? Here’s what I had to go through… When you buy a car (even a second hand one – and even from a private sale) in Belgium you don’t get the number plates with it. These are actually issued by the local authorities (it’s another way of getting tax).  We bought a couple of cars from a dealership, paid the money, and asked for… Read more