Want To Avoid A Traffic Ticket? Here’s Some Advice
#1
   
Think you need to know the law to drive a car?

If you’re guilty of something, chances are better than average a cop is going to know. Think he can’t smell that blunt you smoked an hour ago? Think that saying, “I don’t consent to a search” is going to make any difference when he sees a pipe in your center console? Think that copping a “I know my rights” attitude is going to help your case? You’d be wrong on all of the above.

There is no way that you’re going to avoid a ticket 100% of the time. If you get pulled over, chances are pretty damn good you’re getting stopped for a reason. Cops are just like the rest of us; they have good days and bad days. Most just want to do their tour and go home at the end of the day; make it easy for them, and chances are they’ll make it easy for you. Sure, there are asshole cops out there, but the vast majority I’ve ever met are pretty cool; treat them with respect and they’ll generally reciprocate.

Here are my top ten tips on avoiding a ticket. Feel free to agree, disagree or send me the money you save on the next ticket you get out of.

Make sure your vehicle and its contents are legal


Sure, this may be obvious, but a lot of people don’t pay any attention to the state of their ride. Just bought a new car, with badass limo tint on all your windows? Expect to get stopped regularly, since that’s illegal in a lot of states (you can’t tint the front windows that dark). Got a tail light, brake like or directional out? Give a cop a reason to eye you, and that’s an excuse for a stop. Ditto for a cracked taillight or burned out headlight.

If your car is in compliance with your state’s vehicle code, you’ve just eliminated one reason for a traffic stop.
• When stopped, be courteous

The only good advice I witnessed in the first video (The Proper Way To Handle A Police Stop) was to keep your hands on the wheel. Look at the cop’s perspective; when he pulls you over, he doesn’t know that you’re a decent person. For all he knows, you could be a serial killer looking to put another notch on your Glock. Make him uneasy (leaving the driver’s window cracked and not fully open, for example) and he will make your life hell.

Here’s my sequence when stopped:
• Pull to the right shoulder as quickly as it’s safe to do so.
• Stereo off (and end any cell phone conversations).
• Motor off, car in park, handbrake applied.
• Driver and passenger window fully down, hands on the steering wheel.


When the cop asks you if you know why you were stopped, be honest. Bullshit does not get you bonus points; say, “I have no idea” when you were traveling 65 in a 35, and that’s guaranteed to get you a ticket. Say, “Ah crap. I should have been paying more attention to my speed” and you’ve begun the process of negotiating for a reduced fine or no ticket at all.
• Communicate, verbally and non-verbally

   
Gun in glove box with registration = really bad idea

Cops like to see your hands. Why? Because hands are what kill. Reach quickly into the glove box for your registration and the cop may think you’re going for a gun. Paranoid? Perhaps, but wouldn’t you be if people tried to kill you on a regular basis?

I like to give the cop the following info: “Officer, my registration is in the glove box. Can I grab it?” Of course he’s going to say yes, and chances are you’ve just put him a bit more at ease.

If you carry a gun in the car (and a lot of people do these days), make sure you’re in compliance with any applicable state laws. Don’t keep your registration in the glove box if you carry a gun in there (which is a really, really bad idea, by the way). Don’t lie if the cop asks you directly, “Do you have any weapons in the car?”, because if he finds it later you will be in for a whole lot of grief. In most states you are required by law to immediately notify the officer upon first verbal contact that you are carrying a weapon.
• Recognize achievement

   
Check his badge for the rank if you can't tell from his sleeves

Cops like recognition as much as the rest of us. Pulled over by a state trooper? Call him “trooper” instead of “officer”. Stopped by a guy with two stripes on his sleeve? Call him “corporal”. Three stripes? Call him “sergeant”. You’ll get a lot more mileage out of this recognition than you will out of calling him sir; they know that you’re muttering ‘asshole’ under your breath, so the fake ‘sir’ doesn’t help your case in the least. When in doubt, stick to “officer”.
• Got any PBA or FOP cards? Use ‘em.

   
In my experience, a PBA/FOP card can often be the difference between a ticket and a warning. That said, make damn sure you know the cop whose name is on the card. You’ll get questions like “who is this” or “how do you know him”; if it’s a friend of a friend, be upfront. Cops know a lot of other cops, and they’ll pick up on bullshit in a heartbeat.

Hand the officer your driver’s license, insurance
, registration and PBA card, but make sure the PBA/FOP card is on top of the pile so he sees it first.
• Be patient

   
Just sit tight, no matter how long the stop takes

I once got stopped in a small mountain town in Colorado, in the middle of the night. The cop alleged that I ran a stop sign, but I didn’t remember seeing one. I waited for 25 minutes while he ran my license and registration; when he came back to the car, he handed over my documents and apologized for the wait. No ticket, no warning, no nothing. Why? Because he was waiting me out. If I’d appeared nervous or anxious, he’d have found probable cause to search the car. My information came back clean and I wasn’t pacing back and forth, so he figured a ticket wasn’t worth the paperwork (or there really wasn’t a stop sign after all).
• Never argue with the cop
Yelling 'Nice legs, jack-off' ensures the cops presence at your court date

You can not win an argument with a cop. Piss him off, and the only thing I guarantee is that he’ll make your court date and remember every last detail of the stop. Make his life easy, and make your traffic stop forgettable, and you’ve just reduced the likelihood that he’ll remember the relevant details if you do need to go to court.

If he’s rude, or if you believe you were treated unfairly, get his name and badge number. Try to do this discreetly, because saying, “I want your name and badge number” isn’t going to help your case. You can report him to his supervisor, generally a patrol sergeant. If that doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to bounce it up the food chain to the tour commander.
• Don’t drop names

You’re the brother in law of the chief of police? If that’s really the case, chances are good your stop would already be over. Know the mayor personally? So do 10,000 other people. Unless you can back it up, don’t even try this angle, because the cop has heard every story in the book a few thousand times. If you really are politically hooked up, the cop will realize this soon enough.
• Don’t party and drive

   
Don't roll the dice.
TAKE A CAB OR CALL SOMEONE IT WILL SO MUCH CHEAPER AND SAFER FOR YOU IF YOU USE COMMON SENSE. YOU KILL SOMEONE WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND YOUR LIFE IS OVER!!!!
Be Safe - Be Smart - Don't drink and drive!!! Pray

Drive drunk? Drive high? You’re living on borrowed time, and sooner or later you will get busted. And rightly so. Get your freak on at your local watering hole, or in the privacy of someone’s home. Call a sober friend, call a cab or walk home; whatever you do, don’t get behind the wheel or drive with someone else who’s wrecked. You deserve every single bad thing that can happen if you do!
• Don’t drive like an asshole

I love speed as much as the next guy (probably more than most), but there’s a time and a place for everything. Think it’s cool to drive 65 in a 25 every time you pick up your buddy for classes? Believe me, people notice, and sooner or later you’re going to get popped. Think you’re getting out of a ticket when Mrs. Suburban Homeowner
is yelling at the cop, “That’s the driver I called you about, officer”?

Likewise, if you weave in and out of slower traffic, pass on the shoulder, roll through stop signs and generally ignore red lights, you’re going to get stopped. And you will get ticketed, no matter what kind of pull you’ve got.

Ten ways to avoid a ticket

AOL Autos have put together some great tips which will enable drivers to avoid getting that dreaded speeding ticket, these are not illegal tips or anything like that, they are just some good common sense tips that will make you aware of those little things that you could be doing wrong.

1. Stay within five or ten mph of the traffic around you, otherwise you will stand out and get noticed by the police.

2. Get into the middle of the pack; the first car will get the first view of anything ahead.

3. No Pack? Find a single car ahead, stay within 100 yards of it, when he spots the police or speed camera, he will brake and that is your warning signal.

4. Avoiding switching lanes, tailgating and aggressive driving, you will be either reported or spotted by the police.

5. Don't hog the fast lane; it is a giveaway to the police, only use it for overtaking if necessary.

6. Look ahead; on highways you can normally see a parked police car, which is your signal to lift off the gas.

7. Never speed when you are the only car on the road, this is just plain stupid, being the only car on the road is going to get you noticed, if you are only slightly speeding, you could be in trouble.

8. Get yourself a legal radar detector, you get advance warning of speed traps and therefore can take the appropriate action.

9. Do not stand out from the crowd, having a modified, unusual or brightly colored car will get you noticed, are the police going to stop the family sedan or brightly painted customized street racing car?

10. Your appearance matters, if you look like you have just escaped from jail, then you are more likely to be stopped than the respectable family man.

These points are self explanatory, but you can tell, by doing one or more of the above can increase your chances of being noticed and getting a ticket.
Reply
#2
Goodpost

I may post on our local site!
Reply
#3
Interesting advice. I try to avoid cops :)
Reply
#4
I did re-post this on our local Mustang site and it is getting some interesting comments. The LEO's (That's Law Enforcement Officer for those out of the country) in the forum like the advice.
Reply
#5
All good except for #9 :-(


9. Do not stand out from the crowd, having a modified, unusual or brightly colored car (Torch RED Mach1) will get you noticed, are the police going to stop the family sedan or brightly painted customized street racing car?
Reply
#6
(04-16-2010, 08:12 AM)vamach1 Wrote: All good except for #9 :-(


9. Do not stand out from the crowd, having a modified, unusual or brightly colored car (Torch RED Mach1) will get you noticed, are the police going to stop the family sedan or brightly painted customized street racing car?

Yeah good thing I got a nice subdued color on mine . . . Attn
Reply
#7
Our Bullitt is a bit of a sleeper, but both the White and Blue Mach 1 stand out in a crowd!
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  How to beat a speeding ticket (or at least better your chances) Mach 1 Club 7 18,404 06-16-2011, 11:48 AM
Last Post: gvervoren
  Trigger Green Traffic Lights Mach 1 Club 0 7,723 03-31-2011, 02:24 AM
Last Post: Mach 1 Club
  Top 10 ways to avoid a tax audit Mach 1 Club 3 11,929 02-27-2011, 01:37 AM
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
  NHTSA: Traffic Deaths Fall To 1950 Levels Mach 1 Club 0 7,559 09-16-2010, 09:06 AM
Last Post: Mach 1 Club
  What States Are You Most Likely To Get A Speeding Ticket In? Mach 1 Club 5 18,070 07-09-2010, 03:47 AM
Last Post: Mach 1 Club
  The Wrong Way To Handle A Traffic Stop Mach 1 Club 3 13,547 04-21-2010, 10:52 AM
Last Post: gvervoren

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
[-]
Latest Threads
What's One More Iron In The Fire!
Last Post: fram lee666
03-18-2024 06:21 PM
» Replies: 125
» Views: 238154
"Jacobra"
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
06-30-2023 11:13 PM
» Replies: 86
» Views: 150936
My old Queensland Ambulance
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
06-30-2023 11:08 PM
» Replies: 5
» Views: 1708
New member from San Jose, CA
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
05-09-2023 08:39 AM
» Replies: 12
» Views: 3969
Saving Seatbelts
Last Post: Jim
02-19-2023 10:23 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 9115
Sourcing new wheels
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
01-25-2023 02:34 PM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 2004
Shaker Air Filter
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
01-08-2023 02:24 AM
» Replies: 3
» Views: 1468
1971 Mach 1 parting out interior parts -...
Last Post: ylwhrse
12-22-2022 01:38 PM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 641
Painting
Last Post: Rare Pony
12-14-2022 06:24 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 1971
WELCOME ALL NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCE YOURSE...
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-31-2022 01:36 PM
» Replies: 82
» Views: 157090
1970 mach 1 matching numbers
Last Post: Kstweeter
08-31-2022 10:31 AM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 1087
Brake booster/servo hose length
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-23-2022 09:40 AM
» Replies: 7
» Views: 3009
New Member
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-20-2022 11:18 AM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 1501
smooth window operation on 70 Mach
Last Post: CUSTOMMISER
08-15-2022 12:10 PM
» Replies: 2
» Views: 1482
Blinkers on solid
Last Post: busted21
08-09-2022 03:58 AM
» Replies: 14
» Views: 8730
Blinkers on solid when lights on.
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
08-08-2022 12:06 PM
» Replies: 1
» Views: 1722
351 cj running hot
Last Post: busted21
08-08-2022 12:13 AM
» Replies: 5
» Views: 3411
Major Winter projects
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
07-09-2022 05:12 AM
» Replies: 49
» Views: 21305
Happy Fathers Day!!!
Last Post: JTS71 Mach1
06-20-2022 02:34 AM
» Replies: 0
» Views: 1686
1969 Raven Black 390 Looking For
Last Post: mason1958
06-11-2022 09:48 AM
» Replies: 10
» Views: 15091

>