Yeah.  I was on the US60 between Show Low and Globe.  About 20 mins out of Globe.  I was in a long line of cars.  About 5 or 6 behind me, about 5 or 6 in front of me.  We were all traveling along at about 60-65 mph.  I saw a DPS trooper start passing people behind me.  Looked like he was in a hurry to get somewhere.  When he got behind me, I edged to the right a bit in case he wanted to make a pass (not a passing zone).  He didn't make to pass, so I kept on keeping on.  Still a bunch of cars in front of me, so I maintained a safe distance which on my speedo showed me at 62-64mph.

He followed me for about 2 miles like this.  Finally, he lit me up just as there was a turnout (MP 264 for those that travel the 60 in that area often).

I pulled over and he walked up the window.  He asked if I knew why he stopped me.  I was sincerely perplexed. He then told me he was stopping me for going too slow and impeding the flow of traffic.  I was even more perplexed.  He said that anytime there are more than 5 vehicles behind you, you must pull over and let them pass.  He stated he was only going to give me a warning for it, not a citation, he just wanted to let me know that it was illegal.  Now, I'm dumb, but NOT dumb enough to argue myself into a ticket when a warning is being offered, so I shut my mouth and listened.  

He wrote me a warning for 28-704C.   "If a person is driving a vehicle at a speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place on a two-lane highway where passing is unsafe, and if five or more vehicles are formed in a line behind the vehicle, the person shall turn the vehicle off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout by signs erected by the director or a local authority, or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit the vehicles following to proceed."

Now, to be honest, I'm pretty torn about this stop.  On one hand, I applaud DPS for actually enforcing the law.  Slow drivers are more dangerous than drivers going a few MPH over the speed limit, IMO.  The Trooper even verbalized that this was his opinion as well.  People get stupid around people driving slow.  On the other hand, I would have liked to have seen him get the guy at the front of the pack that was keeping ALL of us under 65.  I don't think I was really in violation of the law, because I was driving with the flow of traffic, but he said essentially anytime there are 5 or more cars behind you, you need to pull off.  Which, in my opinion, on that section of the US60, where he actually initiated the traffic stop was the only safe place to do so in the past 10 miles or so.  

I just never in my wildest dreams imagined I would ever get pulled over for going to slow...  Especially considering I once was stopped for doing 126mph OVER the speed limit.  

Either way, I have to sort of grudgingly say "Good Job DPS."  I am of the firm belief that slow drivers are the real danger on the road.  I just never thought it would be me.  

ETA:  It's also the first time I've ever been asked to get out of the car on a traffic stop, and I've been stopped a lot over the years.  He took all my info, went back to his cruiser and wrote the warning, then called me back to his car to sign the stuff. I don't really know if my wife and 3 kids made him nervous or what.  

LOL.. just chalk it up into the WTF file and be glad you got a warning.  I have found that DPS officers here are more concerned with your safety and the safety of others than giving a ticket, and they treat you with respect.  That is from my experiences at least.

Where is this guy during rush hour when the aholes in their Prius block the left lanes!!

Oh yeah, and even with calling me out of the car, he never asked if I was armed.

I guess an XD9 in a comptac holster conceals pretty well under a t-shirt.  Or he didn't care.

I'm with this dude.

He probably just used that as a excuse to pull you over. You will never know for sure why he stopped you.

This.

Spidey sense and all....

What was his badge number?  Based on my training and experience it was a new guy LOL.

He made a comment about being the new guy on his current schedule.  We were talking about his crappy car.  

He really was a pretty nice guy.  I don't have any complaints about his attitude or the stop itself.  I thought it was sort of ridiculous, but...

When I was a younger man, I rode sport bikes and drove low rider mini-trucks.  

I rode fast, and got stopped alot.  My "record" was 151 mph in a 25 mph construction zone.  Oops.

And in the lowrider mini-trucks?  Cops just seemed to think anyone in one of those trucks was up to no good.  

LOL.  He needed the contact for his stat sheet.

 

Your wife makes me nervous ever since she told me she'd stab me if I let you get hurt or lost on our deer hunt .

true or false: Your better half has a rack of knives with names engraved on them. "LukeDuke" is the latest addition. Several may or may not have disappeared over the years. As have several "former" friends.

"When you stroll home alone from the Mogollon plains, the women will come out to cut up what remains...." I think that's what Kipling wrote. Didn't he?

In red...What the hell? Seriously?

Seriously age be darned, what's the fucking rush in 35 or less speed zones? Are you going to die if you don't get to your destination before anyone else? Is it that pertinent that you be ahead of everyone or else life will be over for you?

I was 19 years old.  I was much dumber.  

It was a "construction zone" out on Tatum north of the 101.  Of course, there was no 101 then.  Also, it was an area where there were no houses, no businesses, and it was 1 in the morning.

Even the cop felt sort of bad about it, he wrote us (it was me and another guy) for 70 in a 50 (the speed limit if it hadn't been a construction zone).  When we went to court, we only paid a fine of $125.  

We were on liter bikes.  We knew we were being stupid, but we were being stupid in a way that only endangered us.  And that's why the cop let us off easy.  I know it was dumb, everyone knew it was dumb.  If you weren't dumb when you were 19......

Cars in front of ya, and cars behind ya?
Trooper Friendly was fishing, and you looked like a good catch.

you looked oddly suspicious!  LOL

Well, from the sounds of your post, someone is not paying attention to the actual law and what it states.  

A DPS officer told me that if you are EVER on the REZ,  and you get pulled over you are never armed.  Is this good or bad advice?

That is very good advice.

She just has one big knife with lots of notches cut in the handle.

It's a good law.  I think it was written to prevent strings of bikers from clogging up rural Arizona on their rides.  Now they can get pulled over.  

They probably have to pull someone over every once in a while to make sure they aren't appearing to target a specific group.

I'm willing to bet the bike clubs aren't too thrilled about that statute.  Haven't researched it.

I completely agree with the law! It should be heavily enforced, even against me if I'm doing it!

Haha!  Have you ever been behind a group of 20 or more bikes like on the road to Bisbee?  It ain't fun.

I once took the road from Flagstaff to Prescott. 89, I think?
Silly me. I thought the 25-35mph limit applied. Hah!

When the road split, I'd have trucks passing me at 50+.  That was...educational.

I once had a trooper pull me over on the freeway, I was riding a near stock 49 Harley and he said he pulled me over for loud pipes.  He told me that having no mufflers is every bit as dangerous as having no brakes.  Seriously, as dangerous as no brakes.  The bike just wasn't that loud.  Then for this horribly dangerous offense he writes me an equipment warning, the kind where you have 30 days to get it fixed and checked off or it becomes a fine.  

Sometimes you've just gotta blow out the cobwebs dude

I've never been pulled over for 90+ MPH over the posted limit. Ever.

That isn't my point.

I need an M1 Abrams with no governor and an unlimited supply of JP8. Big enough to hog two lanes so you can cool off, nobody would risk trying to cut you off, and so many options if somebody does an asshole move

Thank goodness. Not directed at you OP but there's too many dickheads with HUA syndrome that will let a trail of cars 2 miles behind them because they think their speed is "good enough." Snowbirds love to do that. Fucking dangerous drivers.

Not sure about your situation to be fair. I'm normally speeding with the exception of AJ since DPS loves to patrol there.

Who kicked your walker, grandpa?




damned whippersnappers!

I just am not amused nor am I impressed by speeders, cut off fucktards, turn signal-less numpties, and rolling stop idiots.

Have you noticed they've quit putting turn signals on cars, these days? Why, back in my day, we dodged falling horse turds, and liked it!

I typically come to at least somewhat of a stop, and even use my turn signal when I'm one of those "cut off fucktards." Though I am guilty of those highlighted in red very regularly.

If you're in the left lane, and doing less than 10 mph over, you are the fucktard in my book. Not everyone has to choose to speed, but those who don't need to move their asses over. It's when those who don't speed refuse to move over that I turn into one of those "cut off fucktards." Though, as said, I still at least give them the courtesy of a turn signal.

What's the rush? When I'm in my vehicle, I am traveling to a destination. I prefer to get there as quickly and swiftly as possible. Those idiots who drive around like they have nowhere to go annoy me beyond words.

Thanks, I needed the laughter.

I totally agree with you there, in bold.

I've gotten road raged from behind because I stopped to let a dog pass and so I didn't run him over, road raged at because I let an old couple walk by when I "should have sped past them." I live in a residential area, lots of kids out and 25 all around. That 25 isn't to keep you from your destination, it's to protect pedestrians, which are those fucking kids...and their pets.

Yeah. I hear all that.

My comments pertained to freeways, highways, major streets and roads, etc.

Residential areas and neighborhoods are a different ballgame.

The trooper is correct, technically even if you are in the middle of the pack if there are 5 or more behind you you need to pull into a turnout if available.
And yeah, he was probably just fishing.

However, I also think it's BS that he didn't ticket the dude up front.

Then you really, really would not like my driving......that sounds like a normal comute to me.

No, it isn't normal. Trying to kill other people is not ever normal...all just so you can be ahead by a couple of seconds and "own" the road.

There are people who think that if you cut them off, won't brake hard by the way, they see the opportunity for a new car at your expense and driving record. Good luck!

NM