Sammy Hagar Unable to Meet Cop Who Issued ‘I Can’t Drive 55’ Ticket

Sammy Hagar’s hopes of meeting the state trooper who wrote his infamous “I Can’t Drive 55” speeding ticket seem to be a lost cause, following efforts by an ex-police officer to solve the long-standing mystery.

The iconic rocker, who will be bringing his Van Halen-focused Best of All Worlds tour to Saratoga Springs, New York, on July 22, was ticketed back in 1984 near Albany. He was caught driving 62 miles per hour in a 55-zone, an incident that later inspired the song “I Can’t Drive 55,” one of Hagar’s signature solo hits.

Local radio station Q105.7 embarked on a quest to uncover the officer’s identity, leveraging the connections of retired trooper Mike Wells. The aim was to see if Hagar could reunite with the trooper who inadvertently gave him the inspiration for his iconic song.

Wells, who serves as the secretary of the Association of Former New York State Troopers, explained his process: “I put it out to our network. The story started going back and forth; somebody said it was this guy, somebody said no, it had to be this guy. I think we had it narrowed down to about four.”

There was even the possibility that two troopers had been on duty that night. “If it was 2 a.m., the state police usually have two-man patrols,” Wells noted. However, identifying the correct individual posed significant challenges due to how differently records were kept 40 years ago. “The Department of Motor Vehicles may have a record of Mr. Hagar getting a ticket,” Wells said, clarifying that, “back then, the individual tickets were all paper.”

In the end, Wells found that the most likely candidates were no longer living. “Of the likely people, they’re all deceased,” he shared. “There wasn’t anybody that stepped up and said, ‘It was me.’ There wasn’t anybody that said, ‘I know it was this guy.’”

Hagar’s fans can still enjoy his classic hit live as he continues his Best of All Worlds tour, with dates scheduled through late September.

Watch Sammy Hagar’s ‘I Can’t Drive 55’ Music Video