The Ultimate Act of Kindness

An act of kindness by a complete stranger goes a long way, and should never go unappreciated. Whether it is opening the door for someone, holding that aforementioned door for someone when they are leaving, saying "Hello", to a complete stranger, or simply wishing someone "God bless you", when they sneeze, random acts of kindness say a lot about who someone is as a person, and it can really brighten up someone's day. That being said, these acts of kindness, compared to what I'm talking about, all fall short. I'm talking about an act that could end up saving you hundreds of dollars. I'm talking about an act in which the person performing it is risking trouble with law enforcement. I'm talking about an act that can unite drivers across the country. That's right, I'm talking about flashing your brights to warn fellow drivers about a speed trap.

First off, let's talk about how revolting, and downright wrong the concept of a speed trap is. Generally, they are set up in situations where people are more likely to speed, such as at the bottom of a hill, where the laws of nature say you will have an increased speed in relation to your current traveling velocity. They also negate the context an officer would have if he or she were cruising and caught you speeding. You are essentially at your worst possible moment, whereas if an officer is cruising, he or she could tell that you were going 10 MPH over the speed limit because you were approaching a steep incline.

I salute all of you that flash your brights to warn others of the complete and total atrocity, known as the "speed trap", that awaits you. Those of you who have been on the receiving end on such a gracious act by a fellow driver should stop and say small thank you for all of the trouble that kind person has averted you. The next time you make it passed a speed trap undeterred, I expect you to flash your brights to warn someone else who might not have been so lucky otherwise.


Some of you may think that I'm encouraging you to break the law, or that I'm a terrible person because of how I'm bad-mouthing speed traps. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so I will refrain from calling those people idiots. However, I would bet an exorbitant amount of money that the next time you get pulled over, you will be wishing someone would've flashed their brights at you.