Another childhood hero has fallen.
First it was rock stars getting arrested, then movie heroes rebooted into depressing Netflix dramas, and now KITT from Knight Rider has apparently been nailed for speeding in a school zone like some clapped-out Infiniti weaving through traffic on Highway 401. Wonderful. Society truly has peaked.
The famous black 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am from the beloved 1980s television series recently received a $50 traffic ticket from New York City after automated cameras allegedly caught the car speeding in a school zone. The problem, however, is that KITT has reportedly been parked on display at the Volo Museum in Illinois for years.
The car’s novelty licence plate confused New York’s traffic enforcement cameras, proving once again that humanity has handed enormous authority to machines barely capable of distinguishing between a moving car and a museum exhibit.
For those who grew up in the 1980s, this whole story feels oddly tragic. KITT was supposed to represent justice, law and order, and futuristic technology helping mankind. Now the poor car is buried in paperwork, falsely accused by malfunctioning cameras and preparing for a dispute hearing like an ordinary citizen fighting parking enforcement downtown. Honestly, somewhere David Hasselhoff is probably staring silently out a window while synth music plays in the background.
The Volo Museum has reportedly requested a hearing to dispute the ticket, meaning KITT may soon have to prove in court that it was not street racing through a school zone in New York City.
A humiliating end for a crime fighter once capable of turbo boost.