That reminds me of back in my ER days... I worked the PM shift from 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. I was on my way home one night and when I started my car, I realized that one of the headlights was burned out... but it was only out on "low beam." When I had the high beam on, both lights were lit. Since it was a few minutes shy of midnight and there were almost no cars on the streets, I just drove home with my high beams on, figuring I would deal with it in the morning.flintknapper wrote:I have NEVER been cited for a burned out bulb in 40+ years of driving, I've always just been made aware of it and the officer was always courteous and professional. I mean...lets face it, a bulb is almost NEVER going to burn out in your driveway, so at sometime...we're all going to be driving around in violation.
Most cops are pretty cool with that.
So I'm going up a main thoroughfare that crests a slight hill, and a ways before I get to the crest, another vehicle going the other way pops over the crest coming toward me. To be polite, I flick off my high beams, and wouldn't you know that the other car is a cop. He whips a U-turn and pulls me over. I got a ticket for having a headlight out—never mind that I work in the same ER he brings people into regularly, he even vaguely knows me, he knows that I'm on my way home having just gotten of my shift, and I've just told him that I just discovered the problem minutes before and won't be able to correct it until tomorrow morning.
Yes, it was a legitimate stop.
Yes, there was a safety equipment issue that needed to be addressed.
No, he did not handle it with common sense. I still had to pay a fine and get it fixed. I would have gotten it fixed first thing the next day anyway, and the fine wasn't that much money, but it's the principle of the thing. The guy was a jerk. God willing and the crick don't rise, maybe some brother officer will return him the favor some day right after he comes off his night shift.
That said, I'm all about safety on the road, and if I have a light out and I'm unawares of it, I would want a cop to let me know of it if he spots it.