Court: Vermont's roads are so bad that they excuse suspicious driving

There's really nothing geeky about this story, but I love it anyway. In today's Burlington Free Press, a half-amused report about a Vermont state Supreme Court ruling that said cops didn't have a right to suspect a guy was drunk when he drove badly on a rutted dirt road, because Vermont's roads are so horrible that everybody drives badly on them.

From the story, a quote from the ruling:

"These roads are often primitive and rough. Over the seasons, they are topped with dirt, snow, ice, and mud. They are studded with rocks and frost heaves, pitted with potholes, wrinkled with washboards, and, worn by weather and trucks, left uneven and, in places, washed-out.“ To deliberately travel over such roads,” the decision continues, “is a reality of Vermont life, not a rash decision.”