Google Street View is filled with all sorts of strange things. But one of the less odd things is the Google car getting stopped by the Japanese police.
If you've ever driven in Japan, you'll know that the speed traps often include unmanned radar guns stationed somewhat away from the actual police. There will be one police officer to flag your butt down and another sitting at a table, waiting for you to fill out paperwork. It's slightly different from what I remember about the U.S., where there was usually an officer with a radar gun in a squad car. If you drive a lot in Japan, you're bound to get stopped.
Website Afternoon News points to this Street View in Hokkaido, Japan that shows the moment the Google Car got pulled over. It's unclear if the Google car was actually breaking the law.
Out of seemingly nowhere, a wild police officer appears. In dramatic GIF form!
Oh, hi radar gun we just passed.
Here's a better look at the policeman, blowing a whistle and directing the car to pull over.
And there's the other officer waiting for us.
Oh no, he's certainly not hiding, because that would be sneaky and unfair.
The police car in the background. It's not hidden either. You can clearly see it once you get up close.
But! If you move forward from this point, there's no more police officer, no more police sitting at the table, no radar gun and no squad car. Here, have a look:
The weather goes from somewhat overcast to sunny. It looks like the Google Car filmed this on another day. Or maybe just had a very long chat with the police. Yes, that must be it.
Speeding is bad! Google car or not, don't do it.
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