Breaking The Law In Holland
I have broken the law. I am a criminal. I might even be a master criminal. It is hard to tell at this moment since my criminal career has only just begun. However, there is no doubt that my downward spiral into a life of crime has begun.
I did not mean to break the law. My crime had not been planned. It happened by accident. However, there is no turning back now. I am forever tainted. I can no longer claim to be the innocent civilian that I once thought I was.
I will have to live with the crime I have committed for the rest of my life. Every day that I look in the mirror I will now see the face of a criminal staring back at me. I can never undo what I have done. My only hope is that those of you reading this will learn from my terrible crime…
I drove seven kph over the speed limit through a village in Friesland.
At the time I did not realize that I was driving seven kph over the speed limit or that my crime had been witnessed by a traffic camera for that matter. Never the less, from the moment it happened I was a lawbreaker on the run, a wanted man, a criminal at large… at least I was technically, until I paid the fine a few weeks later and my debt to society was fully repaid.
My family-in-law on the other hand are never going to let me forget. They are having too much fun making jokes about having a criminal in the family.
As far as I know this is actually part of inburgering…… congratulations!
Yes! From now on I will drive over the speed limit everywhere.
You truly have become Dutch now, driving over the speed limit!
So what you are saying is that all Dutch are criminals? :p
I know you’re kidding, but it’s not a criminal offense. It’s just a minor traffic violation.
Here in the US, I can go 5-10 mph (8-16 kph) over and not worry too much about a ticket (no cameras in Indianapolis). Anything over that, though and you may get stopped by a police officer.
They have a bit of a margin here as well. It turns out I was over that too.
Are you kidding, people here in the US consistently drive between 20-30 mph (about 30-50 kph) above the speed limit. That includes the police. A lot of them do it while talking on their mobile phones, doing makeup, eating, or even reading the newspaper. There are so many accidents due to speed, especially with the first snow of winter, it’s incredible.
If I was to drive the speed limit, and keep proper distance behind the car in front of me, I would get run over by someone in their gigantic Ford F-950 or something. This truck (it’s not a car) is so big, you need a ladder to get into it, but I digress.
I only wish that folks here would learn to drive at a more reasonable speed, including the police. Until then, I’ll just have to drive when there are fewer racecar driver wannabes on the road.
Seems you have one of two options now: keep being a Dutchman with a criminal record, or repatriate yourself with a story about how you broke the law “abroad.” :P
Or I break the speed limit in my own country to balance things out :p