If you are driving around England, the one constant companion in cars is the inbuilt technical support system that warns you of speed cameras and speed limits. “Speed cameras in 100 yards” is something I have now heard a few thousand times already! While it is frustrating on occasions and interrupts conversations, may I say, it is essential.
None other than Sachin Tendulkar had learned it the hard way back in 1992, on his way to Leeds from Newcastle. It is one of my favourite Sachin stories, and it is best to narrate it in his words.
“After the match (in Newcastle), Jatin Paranjpe and I decided to drive back to Yorkshire in the evening, so that I could rejoin my county the following morning. This journey was rather eventful. There were road works everywhere as we got out of Newcastle and the speed limit had been brought down to 55 mph from the normal 70 mph. Given that it was fairly late, we decided to follow a police car that was in front of us, reckoning that as long as we followed a police car while maintaining a safe distance we would also be safe. After a while, I saw the police car making some sort of gesture to me. The driver had his hand out of the window and had all five fingers stretched out. He then closed his fist before spreading his fingers again. I thought he was asking me to put my lights on full beam and duly followed his instructions.
“A few minutes later, the police car put on its hazard lights and signalled us to stop. I was confused but did exactly as I was told. The policeman asked me if I had seen his earlier signal. I said yes and told him that I had followed his instruction and turned on my lights. He said that wasn’t what he had meant and explained that the signal was for me to slow down because I was speeding. The police car was doing 65 mph while the speed limit had been set at 55 mph. As I’d been maintaining the same distance for the last hour and a half, I must have been speeding. He went on to say that the reason he stretched his five fingers twice was to indicate to me that the speed limit was 55 mph and I should slow down. I was taken aback and immediately confessed to my mistake, saying it wasn’t intentional and that I was blindly following the police car, believing it to be the safest option. In the interim, the policeman had seen the white rose and Yorkshire CCC printed on my car and asked what it meant. I informed him that I played cricket for Yorkshire and it was a car given to me by the county. At this, he asked my name and queried if I was indeed the first overseas professional to play for Yorkshire. I think it was my identity that earned me a reprieve and I was let off with a warning that I should always keep the speed limit in mind while driving.”
If you are speeding, keep in mind that not every policeman will be that kind, and not every driver will be Sachin!