A speeding driver who kept going after Portsmouth police tried to pull them over appears to have gotten off with a traffic citation instead of a trip to jail.
Officers attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding on Harding Avenue, but the driver did not immediately pull over.
Instead, police said the vehicle continued on, reaching speeds of about 65 miles per hour before taking the Wheelersburg exit and finally stopping.
Even after pulling over, the driver initially refused to get out of the vehicle.
Once backup arrived, the driver eventually got out and was issued a traffic citation.
The report does not indicate that any arrest was made.
That is a much better outcome than the driver could have faced.
Failing to stop for blue lights can quickly turn a basic traffic stop into something far more serious. What starts as speeding can become a failure-to-comply situation, especially if a driver keeps going, increases speed, drives dangerously, or creates a risk to other people on the road.
Even if someone is nervous, confused, or trying to get to a “better” place to stop, the safest move is to slow down, signal, pull over as soon as it is safe, keep your hands visible, and follow the officer’s instructions.
In this case, the driver ended up cited, not jailed.
That does not always happen when someone decides not to pull over.
