Royal Highway Patrol

The Royal Highway Patrol is the division of the Royal Centralia Civil Guard responsible for enforcement of traffic codes.

Constable Payne often claims affiliation with the Royal Highway Patrol.

Duties

Traffic enforcement

While constables of the Royal Highway Patrol are granted full police authority, their primary focus is roads policing, including enforcement of traffic codes, investigation of motor vehicle collisions, and emergency response along major highways.

Security escorts

The Royal Highway Patrol conducts traffic escorts for high-ranking government officials or foreign dignitaries. Notably, Princess Alice, in an attempt to garner attention, insists on having Royal Highway Patrol constables escort her to Dame Adorabelle's Academy at the start of each term. (She never gets the attention she wants, because all the other students arrive by train, and the only people present when she arrives at the school are the decidedly unimpressed adult faculty and staff.)

Commercial vehicle inspections

The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division of the Royal Highway Patrol employs inspectors responsible for enforcing national regulations governing freight carriers and other commericial vehicles. Commercial vehicle inspectors are not police officers and their authority is limited only to enforcement of commercial vehicle codes.

Jurisdiction

Like its parent agency, the Civil Guard, the Royal Highway Patrol exercises nationwide jurisdiction. In practice, the Highway Patrol primarily serves unincorporated areas and major highways within municipalities, with traffic enforcement on city streets carried out mainly by local police.

Notable incidents

Princess Meredith runs a stop sign

While on patrol one day, Constable Payne of the Royal Highway Patrol observed a large luxury sedan blow past a stop sign on a busy rural highway. She activated her lights and directed the driver to pull over, only to find, to her surprise, that the driver was none other than Princess Meredith.

"I apologize for inconveniencing you, Your Royal Highness," Payne said, "but I noticed you didn't stop for that stop sign a mile or so back. Did you not see it?"

"I saw the stop sign," Princess Meredith responded. "But I am quite angry today, so I did not stop."

"I know it's not nice to feel angry, but that's no excuse to endanger your subjects. Please observe the traffic signs regardless of your mood, Your Highness."

Princess Meredith was extremely confused. "I was obeying the sign! The sign instructed me not to stop because I am angry!"

Both were extremely confused, until the princess took Constable Payne back to the intersection and pointed out the small sign mounted below the stop sign: CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP.

In the end, Constable Payne spoke with Dame Adorabelle, who convinced Princess Meredith to complete a driver education course before driving without supervision again.