Wednesday, February 28, 2007

What to do when your pulled over, People I have seen get out of tickets.



I ran across this great article for telling people what to do when they are getting pulled over for a traffic violation. I thought it would be great to pass this info on. It also reminded me of some ways which I have seen others get out of a ticket so after this article from "the car connection.com" I thought I would tell you some of the ways I have seen people get out of a ticket.



Sorry Officer,
What to do when you're pulled over
By BENGT HALVORSON, from www.thecarconnection.com

As you coast to a stop on the shoulder of the roadway, you know that sick feeling -- you've been busted. And now, it's time to pay.

We thought it might be a good idea to share with you some advice on how to behave once you're pulled over. So, we asked a few state troopers for their list of do's and don'ts. Here's what we gathered:

Pull over as soon as possible. As soon as you even think that you might be the one who the highway patrol car is after, pull over. This shows that you have proper respect for emergency vehicles' right of way, and doesn't necessarily mean to the officer that you're admitting guilt.

Always pull over to the right. Always pull over on the right side of the roadway. On divided highways, signal and safely move over to the far right lane, and then to the shoulder. When you come to a complete stop, choose a section of roadway that has a full shoulder, without guardrails if possible. Pulling over on the left may obstruct traffic, and pulling over next to a guardrail may make it difficult for the officer to safely approach your car. Both are mistakes that won't win favor.

Know where your paperwork is. Normally, when a police officer first pulls you over, he/she will ask for your license, registration and insurance. If you're not well organized and keep the officer waiting while you dig through your possessions, the officer may be less likely to sympathize.

Make the officer feel safe. Turn your dome light on at night. Always keep your hands in plain sight. Don't make any sudden movements. Roll your window down all the way. Stay in the car. Use common sense and don't put the officer in an uncomfortable situation.

Let the cop talk first. Don't blurt out things that could incriminate you. Keep your calm, even if you're upset about being stopped. Don't volunteer information, like how fast you thought you were going. The officer may not be pulling you over for what you think he is. Let him talk to you first. React kindly and you may have more of a chance to be sent on your way without a ticket.

Don't argue with the cop. Challenging the officer is a recipe for disaster, and likely means that you will be written up for the full offense and the officer will be less likely to opt for a compromise in court. So is asking to see the officer's radar-gun calibration records. If you are issued a ticket and wish to contest it, set a date in court.

So all great tips and as I stated earlier this reminded me of ways people have gotten out of tickets. The first and easiest is to be the nicest person you can be. I have had people apologize for their mistake, thank me for pulling them over and tell me how they really appreciate the work officers do. Unless the reason you pulled them over is really egregious it is hard to give someone a ticket or at least not cut them some slack when they start out the conversation like that.

One friend of mine told me how she got pulled over for speeding (just a little, she says) and when the officer walked up her young child in the back seat started crying and begging for the officer not to take her to jail. The officer got so freaked out he spent most of the time reassuring the kid her mom was not going to jail and sent them on their way with out a ticket.

I listen to comedy on XM radio a lot when I am in my car and I think it was Carlos Mencia who told a great story of how he was caught speeding and was recognized by the officer. The officer went back to his car to run his license and registration and he decided to make the officer laugh in hopes of getting out of a ticket. As the officer is walking back to his car he puts on the theme from COPS. Then he and the passengers start cracking jokes. One of them was " hey officer its cool you got a computer in your car, I got stopped in Mexico and the cop there had a Rolodex." They got the cop laughing and he sent them on their way, with out a ticket.

I have only seen this one work with male cops and female drivers, Cry. Males hate to see women cry and I not sure if it was real or not but in all my years I have always had a hard time giving tickets to crying women with minor infractions. Keep in mind many drunks cry when stopped and cops do not let anyone get away with driving drunk, not even other cops. So if you do cry don't look drunk when you do it!

Honesty can get you far. Officers will give some latitude to respectful, honest drivers. I can't tell you how many times we walk up to cars and people just go off on a screaming tangent. Do they really think that's going to help? Those people get every ticket the officer can give them and get no breaks.

Anyway, really did not intend to give a lesson on how to get out of a ticket, I just wanted to pass on some funny and other ways we often see people get out of minor traffic infractions. Keep in mind if you are committing a major infraction or say speeding in an area we have received numerous complaints or accidents you may get a ticket no matter what. Kids not in seat belts will pretty much always get a ticket. Automobile accidents require citations go to anyone at fault due to the litigation that can often occur.

One last tip, if an officer asks you if you have been drinking because your eyes look red don't answer with: " No officer, have you been eating donuts because your eyes look glazed ! "

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Greg. Nice. And thanks! :^) I'm amazed at people who think that it will be a good idea to argue with a cop. Mike.