This traffic stop beat the alternative: Editor’s Note

I had a real-life experience similar to that recently described in Kent Reporter, where a woman was pulled over for drunk driving, but was in fact sober. A couple of years ago, I was pulled over on Interstate 5 by a Washington State Patrol trooper, for what he suspected was drinking and driving.

I wasn’t drunk – I was just plain exhausted after playing all day in a sports tourney, and my driving looked a tad erratic.

And just like Burien resident Lynn Pittier, who failed her field-sobriety tests, I failed mine too. In my case it was partly because my balance was bad from overworked leg muscles, and partly because I have trouble walking in a straight line on even a good day.

So things were not looking good for me at that point on a cold March afternoon along I-5. Fortunately, my trooper had a breathalyzer with him, and I blew a zero. I think he looked a little like Christmas had been canceled, but he was extremely polite and let me off with a warning.

Granted, it was not one of my best moments. I was totally rattled from my near-miss at getting a ride to wherever WSP takes its suspected drunks. I was frustrated, and actually went as far to talk about that in a previous column.

But you know what? I’m glad that trooper had the presence of mind to pull me over. While I didn’t enjoy the experience one bit, it wasn’t about me. It was about him doing the best he could to keep our roads safe.

I’d rather be pulled over on suspicion of something, than face the very real risk of getting hit by a drunk driver.

I’ve seen it from that side too – having been involved in a wreck with a drunk driver that destroyed my car and left me shaken. There were weeks of flashbacks, and my beautiful Avalon luxury sedan was no more. I now drive a teeny Hyundai – I never could afford to replace my Avalon.

I wish that WSP officer – and the one who stopped Ms. Pittier – could have been on the road that night.

The bottom line here? That we should be grateful we have officers out there watching for us. I’d rather have the inconvenience of a traffic stop than the reality of a destroyed car or fatality.

It’s the price we pay for having police who do their jobs.