It seems every couple days there's a post about "I got a ticket. How do I get out of it?" or something similar...
And usually the guy who got the ticket wasn't doing anything the rest of traffic was doing.
So let's look at how the fine folks in ATOT can avoid getting pulled over in the first place. Feel free to contribute. These came from a discussion I had with a local traffic cop last week when he struck up a conversation with me at a gas station. (He liked my bus.)
Captain Obvious: "Don't speed"
Too obvious. And if you're trying to stay with the flow of traffic, you have to speed since the rest of the world is doing 10 or more over the speed limit. So this may not help.
Don't look like a boy racer
Stickers, fart cans, neon lights, etc, on an econobox are like driving around with a big sign, "Pull me over". Go for the "sleeper" look. Keep your car looking as stock as possible. I'm not saying to not make performance upgrades. I'm just saying keep the look toned down.
Cop magent colors
Red, yellow, black, etc, are colors designed to attract attention to you and your car. But it works with cops too. Go with white, silver, gray, etc.
4-door sedans and mini vans are nearly invisible
Cops don't look twice at what they consider cars for older people or families. Unless you're being blatantly obvious you're speeding, you'll go unnoticed. And BTW: I pass cops all the time in my VW bus. Busses have a reputation of not being able to move out of their own way. But mine can, and does. Passing a cop while doing 85 in a 45 is fun when you know he'll never think you can actually move that fast.
Keep your tags current
Many cops will notice dead tags before they notice you or your car. Keep them current.
Don't drive like an idiot
Playing musical lanes, dodging traffic, especially without signalling, is a huge red flag to a traffic cop. So is tailgating. And if you're going to talk on the phone, use a headset. They're starting to look for people with phones shoved in their ears.
Loud stereos
If the cop can hear your stereo, he's going to look for a reason to pull you over. Especially if he heard your stereo while in his car with the windows rolled up.
You get the idea.
You can be picked out of a line of cars all driving the same speed just because you looked like "trouble" to a cop. And don't ever EVER ask, "Why did you pull me over when all these other people did the same thing?" You have just admitted guilt, and he WILL write it down.
And usually the guy who got the ticket wasn't doing anything the rest of traffic was doing.
So let's look at how the fine folks in ATOT can avoid getting pulled over in the first place. Feel free to contribute. These came from a discussion I had with a local traffic cop last week when he struck up a conversation with me at a gas station. (He liked my bus.)
Captain Obvious: "Don't speed"
Too obvious. And if you're trying to stay with the flow of traffic, you have to speed since the rest of the world is doing 10 or more over the speed limit. So this may not help.
Don't look like a boy racer
Stickers, fart cans, neon lights, etc, on an econobox are like driving around with a big sign, "Pull me over". Go for the "sleeper" look. Keep your car looking as stock as possible. I'm not saying to not make performance upgrades. I'm just saying keep the look toned down.
Cop magent colors
Red, yellow, black, etc, are colors designed to attract attention to you and your car. But it works with cops too. Go with white, silver, gray, etc.
4-door sedans and mini vans are nearly invisible
Cops don't look twice at what they consider cars for older people or families. Unless you're being blatantly obvious you're speeding, you'll go unnoticed. And BTW: I pass cops all the time in my VW bus. Busses have a reputation of not being able to move out of their own way. But mine can, and does. Passing a cop while doing 85 in a 45 is fun when you know he'll never think you can actually move that fast.
Keep your tags current
Many cops will notice dead tags before they notice you or your car. Keep them current.
Don't drive like an idiot
Playing musical lanes, dodging traffic, especially without signalling, is a huge red flag to a traffic cop. So is tailgating. And if you're going to talk on the phone, use a headset. They're starting to look for people with phones shoved in their ears.
Loud stereos
If the cop can hear your stereo, he's going to look for a reason to pull you over. Especially if he heard your stereo while in his car with the windows rolled up.
You get the idea.
You can be picked out of a line of cars all driving the same speed just because you looked like "trouble" to a cop. And don't ever EVER ask, "Why did you pull me over when all these other people did the same thing?" You have just admitted guilt, and he WILL write it down.
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