Trucker Brian Miner used his horn to signal an Illinois state trooper he thought was driving too fast.
Miner was pulled over in Illinois after he honked his truck horn at a state police officer he claims was using his cellphone while speeding on a wet highway.
Miner has no bad intention, he just wants to look out for his fellow drivers, so, when he saw a police officer using his cell phone and speeding and the roadway was rain-slick before someone might get hurt, Brian decided to do something about it.
“I pulled you over – the horn, I don’t know what that was about,” the officer told Miner, who recorded the traffic stop.
Brian decided to capture the exchange on his cell phone’s camera, flipping on the camera before taking the officer to task and leaving viewers shocked to see how things played out for a variety of reasons.
As the trooper opens the door to the cab, he tells Miner that he’s been pulled over for unlawful use of a horn. He probably expected the trucker to cower and apologize, but Miner had other plans.
Their encounter starts contentiously but ends much differently. Without Miner being issued a citation he was threatened with, and for good reason.
The cop isn’t about to cave to being called out, and the two continue a frosty exchange to the point where the trooper tells Miner that he’s going to be ticketed, and Miner drops the hammer, telling the trooper that he’s being recorded when Miner rebuffs the law enforcement officer, saying he was honking at the trooper because he was on a cell phone while speeding.
According to Fox 4 Kansas City reports, “After the revelation that he’s on video sinks in, the trooper’s behavior seemingly changed dramatically to the point that, by the end of the traffic stop, the trooper thanked the trucker for his concern, admitting that he wasn’t paying attention. Furthermore, he didn’t write Miner a ticket, saying he didn’t want to hurt his record.”
Many have applauded the trucker, saying the gentleman was completely in the right to do what he did for the safety of his fellow drivers on the same highway. Police officers should be required to abide by the laws they are tasked with enforcing.
However, this cop is getting some surprising kudos as well for showing compromise, even if it was only after he was informed that he was being recorded that he seemingly had a change of heart.
One YouTube commenter wrote, addressing the truck driver, “While it can be difficult to assert your rights, I must commend your tact and ability in the circumstances presented in this video. We live in a time when it is finally possible to regulate as citizens what we expect from a governing force”
“Your steadfast nature, along with the officer’s legally mandated compliance, shows me that our system of law has promise beyond any arrows flung from fools quick to dismiss why we stand up for ourselves in the first place. Please never let that fire of yours fade, as it promises us all a brighter future,” He continued.
We, too, applaud Brian Miner for holding this officer accountable for his reckless actions while sharing the highway with civilians. We also applaud the cop for showing some humility, admitting that he was in the wrong, and apologizing for it.
Those aren’t easy tasks for anyone, let alone a person of authority who’s been put in their place in a humiliating way. Both gentlemen kept calm, and this proves, “Cooler heads prevail,” as they say.
We really do need to look out for one another, and we need to be willing to accept rightful criticism, regardless of our position, when we deserve it. This is how we make progress.
In this day and age, technology will definitely help keep people honest if they can’t manage that for themselves. You never know when you’re being recorded, so always be on your best behavior before you find yourself enduring your own 15-minutes of internet fame.
Watch it here: Youtube/BrianMiner
Sources: Taphaps, En.stories.newsner, Fox4kc
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