As I was driving home this afternoon, I encountered something that I had forgotten about while living in CA: the flash of bright lights from an oncoming car that is the international signal for "Speed Trap Ahead."

Now, I don't know if this is done everywhere, but it is something I love about living in the Midwest; we just haven't lost that tiny little scrap of humanity that allows us to warn oncoming traffic to slow down lest they get a ticket. I think it is terribly civilized of us to do this for one another--like a random act of kindness.

I saw, I understood, I spread the word this afternoon. It felt good, as if we were in this safety conspiracy, even if it is primarily money-motivated, and ever so slightly anti-law enforcement. If it gets people to slow down, I'm for it.