All of us have certain expectations when the holidays come around. They mainly consist of seeing old friends, spending time with family and making the most of the time we are given away from our studies. These hopes keep us from thinking about an underlying fear that dwells in the back of our minds — having a run in with the law during these times of supposed celebration and good will.

The holidays are an indication to the police for them to swarm highways and fortify themselves along side-roads to monitor and enforce the laws, acting as stalking bullies who never get enough of their task at hand.

There is nothing more frightening than having your vehicle pulled over, forcing you to be confronted by one of these officers whose demeanor remains stern and less than understanding.

At times it seems that college students are their most reliable client to stop, and nothing we could possibly say would grant us a reprieve from getting that wallet wrenching ticket.

As of a few days ago, I was involved in one of these instances. My journey back to school was cut short, extremely short, when we were pulled over while on the road back to Raleigh only after ten minutes of endless highway.

Then the words everyone who has been pulled over dreads was immediately asked, “Sir, do you have a reason why you were speeding today?” Whenever I hear this standardized question, it makes my stomach drop. Though I’ve never personally received a speeding ticket, the blunt accusation remains a slap in the face even to a driver’s passenger. We’re screwed, I thought. There went the start of a pleasant trip and in its place remained a bad ending to a great vacation.

I’ve never seen anyone answer this question successfully to avoid a citation, but it’s always a desperate situation when a pair of college students are willing to use a bluff as imaginative as stomach pains and bathroom emergencies to avoid being written up. Even then it takes a lot of acting and guts to consider pulling a fast one over a cop, and unfortunately the idea came to us after we continued on our journey.

But it seems not even a clean record and honesty will get you off on a warning. Though most situations vary from each person’s personal encounter, I’ve known people who have been pulled over drunk and drove away without the slightest of repercussions. It seems like the one’s looking to be caught never are.

Where is the justice in our system? No matter how experienced a driver can be or how safe the situation appears, it always seems like it’s those who allow a rare moment of laxity to spawn who suffer the life long repercussions of their short-lived actions.

While good drivers are caught by police by the hour, there always seems to be a reckless one getting away, “to live and fight another day”, risking the lives of others as they drive off like a blind man with the delusions of one day being a NASCAR driver.

The police aren’t prejudice; they just prefer to pull over the safe drivers rather than the dangerous ones.

Do you agree with Matt? Send your comments to viewpoint@technicianonline.com.