A New York lawyer, not paying attention to the road and busy on his phone, drives straight through a stop sign.

An Alabama deputy sheriff sees it, gives chase, and pulls him over.

The lawyer, thinking he’s far smarter than the deputy — after all, he’s a big-shot attorney from New York City — decides to have a little fun at the deputy’s expense.

The deputy walks up and says,
“License and registration, please, sir.”

“What for?” the lawyer asks.

“You didn’t come to a complete stop at that stop sign.”

“But officer,” the lawyer replies, “I slowed down and looked. No one was coming.”

“You didn’t come to a complete stop,” the deputy repeats. “License and registration, please.”

“Come on,” the lawyer says. “What’s the difference?”

“The difference,” says the deputy, “is that the law requires a complete stop. License and registration, please.”

The lawyer smiles smugly.
“I’ll make you a deal. If you can show me the legal difference between slowing down and stopping, I’ll give you my license and registration and take the ticket. If you can’t, you let me go.”

The deputy thinks for a moment and says,
“That sounds fair. Please step out of the vehicle, sir.”

The lawyer steps out.

The deputy pulls out his nightstick and starts whacking the lawyer while calmly asking,

“Now… do you want me to stop… or just slow down?”