if you get pulled over for speeding, what should you say to the cop?

[RedCOMET]

See my username. See my avatar.

I'd laugh and let the person go with a warning. Unless it was some ungodly high speed. Then again, I admit I'm more laid back than others in my profession.

As for the OP, since every police officer is different, there's no answer I can give. As for me, honesty gets you a lot farther than "Gee officer, I have no clue why you stopped me" when you are doing 20+ over the limit. But again, that's me.

I actually got an warning this past July for doing 15-20+ mph over the speed limit. I was coming off an country access road in a rental pick up truck (2010 Chevy Silverado) and sped up. I caught up with the truck in front of me and slowed down and paced off the truck a good 2 (ish)-3 car lengths. Well. We were cresting a bridge that goes up and over rail road tracks.

Sheriff's deputy tags me and he pulls me over. I pull over and shut the truck off and wait for instructions on what to do next. In Louisiana, where i had a speeding ticket, the State Police request you exit the vehicle. The Sheriff's Deputy ask me do you know how fast you wree going etc. I honestly didn't realize i was accelerating so fast and going so fast on that stretch of road. Asked me where i was coming from.. I explained one of the local rigs.. Who do you work for, I explained my company and that I normally work in such and such state. I was planning on leaving next week... day unknown as my local office was booking the flight;. I told him i was in a rental truck and the rental agreement is all the truck documentation that I had. THe deputy verified truck rental and my driving record and gave me a warning.

I was ready to take the ticket.. since I had a ticket before in a company vehicle. Not sure what i really said or did to warrant a warning. But i'm thankful I got the warning and was embarrassed that I was pulled over.

 

[TridenT]

If you don't have a vagina and a nice rack you can't do really do anything to get out of the ticket. :/

It's truth.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Unless you really were accidentally speeding, admit guilt and move on.
My car is weird as hell and revs up and down on its own (it also stalls alot) so sometimes I don't automatically realize I'm speeding.

When I was driving the work van to and from Gurnee every day, it got tiring. Said work van also did not have cruise control. One time I had to drive back with it full garbage we had to be rid of ourselves, because they didn't want us to at the schools. It began falling on me and as I was trying to hold it from falling on me, and waking my coworker up to push it back, I realized I was going 20 over in front of a cop. I began shitting bricks but he didn't move. Whew.

I just try my best to not push the speeding much past 5-10 (15 on highway, if folks are riding my ass). I need to keep my license, I wouldn't be employed without it.

 

[JD50]

in all seriousness, how do you approach this while being polite and not incriminating yourself?

I don't understand why some of you are so hung up on "not incriminating yourself" We're talking about speeding here, not some undercover drug or prostitution sting. They don't have to wait for you to admit to speeding before they give you a ticket, "incriminating yourself" is irrelevant.

 

[Cogman]

I don't understand why some of you are so hung up on "not incriminating yourself" We're talking about speeding here, not some undercover drug or prostitution sting. They don't have to wait for you to admit to speeding before they give you a ticket, "incriminating yourself" is irrelevant.

My point exactly, by the time they pull you over, they have all the evidence they need to give you a fine. Unless you have 500kg of cocaine in your backseat, incriminating yourself won't change a thing.

 

[JD50]

Sorry, but I think my response might very well have been, "I wasn't in a hurry, officer. Were you in a hurry when you failed to yield the right of way to me at that side street stop sign?"

I'll talk respectfully to a cop, because of his position (and the fact he's armed), but I won't be cowed by them, especially if I'm in the right and he's in the wrong.

Last cop that pulled me over for speeding asked me if I knew how fast I was going (well, duh! of course I did!!). I paused, looked at my buddy riding shotgun, and then asked the cop, "I think the question is, do YOU know how fast I was going??" He had me dead to rights, there was no way I wasn't getting a ticket, and there was no way I was going to tell him I was probably doing 110-120 in a 55 zone.

 

[olds]

Tell him that your wife ran off with a police officer. When you saw him, you panicked and tried to speed away. You thought it was that police officer bringing her back.

 

[disappoint]

I don't understand why some of you are so hung up on "not incriminating yourself" We're talking about speeding here, not some undercover drug or prostitution sting. They don't have to wait for you to admit to speeding before they give you a ticket, "incriminating yourself" is irrelevant.

Then why do they bother asking you those questions? Why don't they just write you a ticket and be on their way? You think they get paid to sit and chat with you a while?

Here I'll spell it out for you geniuses since I can already smell the idiotic response on it's way from your feeble minds. IT'S TO GET YOU TO ADMIT TO STUFF NUMNUTS!

 

[olds]

Then why do they bother asking you those questions? Why don't they just write you a ticket and be on their way? You think they get paid to sit and chat with you a while?

Here I'll spell it out for you geniuses since I can already smell the idiotic response on it's way from your feeble minds. IT'S TO GET YOU TO ADMIT TO STUFF NUMNUTS!

What if we don't stuff numnuts and instead stuff your mom?

 

[Rage187]

I use the "sorry, I was being stupid" and they have always let me go.

 

[disappoint]

If you are speeding, and a cop pulls you over, do you really think that avoiding the words "Yes, I was speeding." will somehow magically prevent the cop from writing you a ticket?

Do you really think admitting it will?

 

[disappoint]

What if we don't stuff numnuts and instead stuff your mom?

Oh look a "your mom" joke. I haven't seen that since grade school. Quiet child the adults are talking.

 

[alkemyst]

"so which warrant came up in the piggy PC?"

 

[ebaycj]

EDIT: oh and when they ask for ID, should I hand my military ID with my license?

Always hand them your military id with your license.

 

[ebaycj]

play the gotta poo card. If he doesn't believe you, just poop your pants and start crying. That will make him back away and leave.

A well timed nasty smelling fart, and a "I was in a hurry because I really have to shit, I'm on antibiotics and have bad diarrhea." excuse goes pretty far. Especially if you are close to home.

 

[alkemyst]

Always hand them your military id with your license.

give them a couple winks too.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Officer, I was just keeping up with traffic.

But there were no cars even near you!

I know! Thats how fast they were going!

 

[dpodblood]

#1 Sounds like the cop you were dealing with was a total dick.
#2 Never admit guilt. If they don't have a radar gun they don't have shit.

 

[ebaycj]

I usually hand the officer my license, registration, and a $100 bill.

Sometimes they ask, what it's for, sometimes they don't.

If he asks, it is my bond for the ticket he is about to write me (so they don't take my physical drivers license card as bond). A lot of times this deters them because they don't have $5 - $25 in change to give me, so they give me a warning instead (Apparently it's a hassle / lot of paperwork to get the courts to refund the remainder).

Sometimes they will take the hassle, and the cash, and write you a ticket.

Sometimes they don't ask, and they just take the money and you get a verbal warning. This is preferable to having an actual ticket on your record, even if you still "paid" the fine.

 

[Blackjack200]

What do you say? I don't say anything. I just grab the cop by the face and throw him over the nearest set of mountains. No ticket for me.

What if he pulls you over on the plains?

 

[IronWing]

"My dog ate a condom and I'm taking the poor beast to the vet."

"But sir, I already bought a ticket from the last officer who stopped me, see?"

 

[Gibson486]

What do you say? I don't say anything. I just grab the cop by the face and throw him over the nearest set of mountains. No ticket for me.

make that pig fly?

 

[Wheezer]

mmm!....mmm!...I smell bacon!

 

[JD50]

Then why do they bother asking you those questions? Why don't they just write you a ticket and be on their way? You think they get paid to sit and chat with you a while?

Here I'll spell it out for you geniuses since I can already smell the idiotic response on it's way from your feeble minds. IT'S TO GET YOU TO ADMIT TO STUFF NUMNUTS!

I know why they ask you that, I used to be a police officer you dipshit. The point is, dancing around the fact that you were speeding won't get you out of a ticket. If I was on the fence and some moron was acting like some of you think is the proper way to act then I'd write you a ticket for speeding and any other violation I could think of.

And yes, they are trying to chat with you for a while, it's the perfect way to see if you're on drugs, drunk, acting suspicious, etc... Get a clue.

 

[JD50]

Do you really think admitting it will?

Depends on the cop. If you're polite and don't play games you have a much better chance of getting a warning.