I give you this warning, not because I got pulled over for speeding in South Carolina, but because, miraculously, I DIDN'T get pulled over for speeding in South Carolina.
I have a lead foot that is typical for most 20-something males. I like to drive fast. Not excessively fast or reckless, but fast enough to get where I am going. I have had my fair share of encounters with some of the finest law enforcement officers that Virginia has to offer. Some have been forgiving, others have not. Some have even made me break down and cry on the side of the freeway. But, that's another blog altogether.
The point of this blog is to inform my diligent reader(s) of the dangers that come with disregarding South Carolina's maximum speed limit. Now...I cannot speak for the entire state of South Carolina, but I am sure that the speed limit applies to all roads throughout. This story is in regards to a stretch of Interstate 95 around Florence, SC, where the speed limit bounces between 65 and 70 MPH.
I was headed southbound toward exit 77, just moseying with the flow of traffic. Thankfully, most of the traffic was flowing around 72 MPH. Shortly before Florence, I encountered my first State Trooper in the center median. One would think that this is not a big deal. One would be mistaken, though. Less than a mile down the road, there were 2 more police vehicles in the median: brand new black Ford Mustangs. The strange part about this was that they weren't hidden. Instead, there were right out in the open, almost daring you to speed past them. Yeah...they were ballsy.
3 police vehicles in less than a mile. This was the beginning of "The Gauntlet". Now, to prevent this blog from getting out of control with substance, I will just summarize what was experience from here on out. Over the course of the next 19 miles, 20 more police vehicles were spotted. I say "police vehicles" and not "troopers" because these guys weren't even all part of the same law enforcement agencies. There were State Police, Highway Patrol, and local Florence police. There might've even been a few FBI agents thrown in the mix. There were Dodge Chargers, Ford Crown Victorias, Chevy Tahoes, and even a couple of pick-up trucks. And, to top it all off, nearly every one of them were grouped with others. I think I spotted 3 or 4 that were actually by themselves. The rest were in groups of 3-5. It was a harrowing experience, to say the least.
As stated before, I kept my speed kosher and thankfully didn't get nabbed. Plenty of other folks weren't as fortunate as me. Some of them got the rare opportunity to experience several of South Carolina's finest at the same time. Like I said, they were hunting in packs today.
After those 20 miles and 23 law enforcement officers, it was relatively quiet the rest of the way to exit 77. On the way back, I expected "The Gauntlet" to be even more deadly, due to nighttime rapidly approaching. However, I was surprise to be greeted by only 5 coppers. I was also witness to 3 separate police helicopters monitoring speed from above I-95. I have passed countless signs warning me that my speed was being "checked by aircraft", but I always just assumed that it was a scare tactic, like the warning on those packets inside of a bag of beef jerky. You know, the ones that you're "not suppose to eat"?
So, the moral of the story is DON'T SPEED IN SOUTH CAROLINA! Especially in and around Florence. Especially near the end of the month. Especially while updating your Facebook status.
