NOTICE
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO WEASEL OUT OF A TICKET Are you on a first-name basis with highway patrol officers? If you're smart about speeding, it doesn't have to be that way.
You're speeding down K-10, oblivious to your surroundings, with the stereo blaring and the speedometer inching to the right. And then you see the flashing lights in your rearview mirror. For a moment you think they're after another car, but the police cruiser continues to advance your way.
Every year, more than 34 million people receive a traffic ticket from a police officer, according to the National Motorists Association. Chances are you're one of them. Getting pulled over for speeding ranks right up there with 8 a.m. classes, but if you're smart about it (e.g. driving no more than 10 miles over the speed limit, not riding someone's ass like a sketchy guy at a nightclub, etc.) and familiarize yourself with some of the basics, you could get out of a future speeding ticket.
Only you can prevent tickets
Only you can prevent tickets
Make your car as stealth as Knight Rider. That means the obvious avoidance of vanity license plates
Always remain alert for patrol cars. Don't think you're in the clear when one parked on the side doesn't pull you over. That officer could radio his partner stationed a few miles ahead to look out for your car and pull you over. If a patrol car pulls off an exit ramp, it's not entirely over either. They might re-enter the highway from a nearby on-ramp soon
after. Police cars coming from the other direction are just as dangerous. They have a better aim at you with their radar and can pull a U-turn quickly. These tips will help the most in not getting pulled over. Short of driving the speed limit, that is.
THINGS YOU
SHOULD NEVER SAY
TO A COP
→What's the problem
officer?
→I'm sorry
→I'll see you in court
→I know where the
jail is
→I'm a bad person
→i swear I don't have
any donuts
→Can you hold my
beer while I get my
license?
with sayings like "SPD DMN," to the more subtle, like making sure to have nothing hanging from the rear view mirror and that your ash tray is clean. (Otherwise, it just invites the officer to speculate there might be something other than cigarette butts in there.) Stay in the right lane and don't weave in and out of lanes. That way you'll blend with traffic. Radar can't tell which car is speeding in a group.
Desperate measures
So, you're already pulled over. Believe it or not, this situation can be just as stressful for the police
"Just follow the officer's instructions. That's the most important thing," says Kim Murphree, a Lawrence Police spokeswoman. She advises pulling over as far as you can to give them room, placing your hands in clear view and taking off your sunglasses.
The cop will ask loaded questions and you need to be ready. For example, let's say they ask if you knew you were going 75 mph in a 65 mph zone and you say, "No," I was only going 70."You've just admitted guilt and confirmed you exceeded
the speed limit.
"Be vague in all of your answers and don't admit to anything," says Mel Leiding, attorney and author of How to Fight Your Traffic Ticket & Win!!
At this point, having a flair for the dramatic and no shame can really help your cause. Christine Mello, Plano, Texas senior, was prepared when she got pulled over, thanks to the advice of her brother. He told her to keep ketchup packets in the glove compartment, just in case.“When the officer came up to the window all he saw was red on the seat and in my lap,” Mello says.“I told him I was having woman problems”and he let me go immediately.”
Guys can do a version of this by telling the officer first thing, in an urgent voice,"I really need to go to the bathroom...bad. Could you follow me to the
nearest rest area? The cop may be too disgusted to want to give you a ticket.
what the condition of your car says to an officer
For those who balk at referring to their bodily functions, yellow-bellied sobbing could do the trick. If the officer asks you if you are okay, say no. Be sure to actually produce some tears, because if you act meek and start shaking, they might think you're going through withdrawal. Things to say in this situation include "I'm scared because this is my first time being pulled over" (if your record is clean) or "I just broke up with my boyfriend/girlfriend and I'm really vulnerable right now." Dignity is not priority number one.
Cutting your losses
If all else fails, go down to the Douglas County
Covered in a coat of dirt $ \Rightarrow $ Give me a ticket, I live in my own filth.
Covered in bumper stickers $ \Rightarrow $ I probably have pot in my car too.
Tinted windows $ \Rightarrow $ Have your gun ready.
Brightly colored paint job $ \Rightarrow $ You don't want the other cars, pull me over.
Rust spots or dents $ \Rightarrow $ You might get me on lack of insurance too.
Pro-cop stickers $ \Rightarrow $ I'm a kiss ass and I deserve a ticket.
All baseless legal advice aside, just be a defensive driver. You're not the only one who's been reading this article intently.
courthouse, check "guilty" on the ticket and pay double the fine anytime before your court date. It gets removed completely from your record. However, attorney Leiding says it is well worth the effort to go for the court appearance, plead "non-guilty" and be ready to defend your case. Remember, the officer has to prove your guilt and to do so, they have to establish that the radar was in working order and used appropriately. Sometimes they forget to do this. He also says half the time the officer doesn't even show up, because they are too busy to go to court. In both cases, your ticket will be thrown out and you don't have to pay a thing.
GREG GRIESENAUER
02. 23.2006 JAYPLAY <07