" Busted! What Should I Do Now "

[Don]

From an article in Car & Driver:

" We asked state troopers what they most want drivers to do during a traffic stop "

Five Best Things To Do:

* Pull to the right at the first safe opportunity , then turn off your engine.
* Stay in your car with your seat belt fastened. Roll down your window. Turn off the radio. Don't even think about touching your cell phone.
* Place your hands on top of the steering wheel and sit quietly. Ask passengers to sit quietly
* Retrieve license, registration and proof of insurance only when asked to do so.
* Answer questions succinctly. Avoid arguing, cursing, or interrupting when the officer speaks to you

Five Worst Things To Do

* Don't slam on your brakes when you see the flashing lights and don't continue driving for an extended distance.
* Do not jump out of the vehicle, do not make any sudden movements, do not approach the officer
* You can complain, you can proffer wild explanations, but not for long
* Do not lie. If you were speeding, admit it, if you honestly have no clue why you were stopped, wait for the officer to tell you
* Do not show your contempt by peeling away after the stop

[Ron61]

Don,

Those are good points for sure.

Years ago in 1965 I was coming across what we call the Winters Cut Off from Vacaville to Dunnigan and a CHP car followed me almost the entire distance and finally turned on the red light. He came up to the car and asked me why I never slowed down as he saw me look in the rear view mirror several times and knew that I was aware of him following me. I told him the speed limit was 65 and that was what my speedometer read. Then I remembered that I had changed wheels and my speedometer was reading slow and I told the officer so. He asked if I could prove it and as luck would have it, I had the receipt for the new gear with me as I was going to pick it up in Redding on my way home. He then took me to the patrol car and showed me what his radar read and told me that he wasn't going to ticket me as obviously I wasn't trying to lie about it and I had looked and seen him several times. So I got off with a warning to remember that my speedometer was reading less than I was going. I got the gear as I came through Redding and came straight home and put it in. My last ticket was by a Redding cop for doing 37 in a 35 zone at 3 AM in 1969 as I had gone downtown to send a bad circuit pack back to the labs. I and the cop were the only cars on that mile long stretch they call Miracle Mile and the judge threw the ticket out.

Ron

[AMF]

This doesn't necessarily apply in all states/counties/jurisdictions.

Some police departments are smarter than others.

Why o why would you want to pull over on the side of the freeway with cars, tractor/trailers, buses, etc speeding by you at 70mph? Why not drive to the next exit and pull off at the onramp? Is there THAT big of a hurry to issue a speeding ticket? How many "craziest videos" have we seen where the officer or the squad car (or both) or some portion of the traffic stop are struck by passing vehicles?

Furthermore, this crap about staying in the vehicle. Most state police like you to remain in your vehicle. Why? Wouldn't you whole lot rather have someone standing in between the vehicles where your high beams can help show you just what the hell they're doing? I'd much rather have someone get out of the car and walk to the back of their vehicle so I can see that he's not armed (or at least I can see their hands). Furthermore, there's a better view for the camera that's installed in most cruisers now.

A lot of places now will approach the passenger side (to shield the officer from traffic) and obviously, if there's more than one person in the vehicle, it may or may not make sense to have them get out (either one or all).....

but it's probably much more likely for a criminal to start some shat if all of his buddies are in the vehicle than if one is outside the vehicle (to the rear)....unless he's just gonna drive off and leave him.

I think people need to understand that most seasoned officers are going to approach a traffic stop with a bit of caution and assume the worst, after all, even if your plates come up clean, one wrong assumption on the officer's part could mean his/her life. What seemed like a traffic stop could turn out to be an armed engagement.

For those of us who carry, it's always smart to simply remain still with your hands at 2 O'clock and 10 O'clock until the officer approaches or gives instructions. In my state, I'm not required by law to inform a law enforcement agent that I'm carrying, but if the gun is accessible to me, I always tell them..."I'm a licensed conceal carrier and I'm carrying a firearm" that way there are no surprises later on. (if it's in the console or packed away, obviously there's no need to offer that information).

As far as your response to a traffic stop....it doesn't matter. You could be doing 140mph or 85mph, whatever.....it all depends on what type of a guy the officer is (or gal) and what kind of a mood they're in....how busy they are...etc.

I've gotten out of tickets that I probably shouldn't have and I've gotten tickets that were complete bull$hit. I've admitted it, denied it, played dumb, all of the above...and the one thing I've learned is....there's no science to it. It's a roll of the dice.

The only bit of advice I can offer is if you're pulled over and it's something serious (like 20mph+) and you think you might fight it in court....then do NOT admit anything. Everything is on tape these days.

It's always better to fight every traffic violation, cause at a minimum you can get them knocked down, reclassified (to non-moving violations) etc and it all helps keep your insurance reasonable. And trust me, if you don't fight the ticket that you could have and just pay it, the next time you get pulled over for a ticket that's solid, you're going to wish you had.

[trularin]

When asked, "why were you going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit?"

I said, "My wife ran off with a police officer and I thought...maybe...you were bringing her back."

[Excaliber]

tru,

I got off on a speeding ticket years ago, but I had to go to court over it. I explained to the Judge that I had recently installed over large tires and it threw off my speedo, which was true, except I knew it worked that way. Anyway, he dismissed the ticket.

[imagine2frolic]

TRU,

I would havd doubled the limit if that was true. A month in jail would be better than a night with my ex................

[Ron61]

John,

Tru was just exaggerating. Actually the cop chased him to try and get Tru to take his wife.

Ron

[AMF]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

tru,

I got off on a speeding ticket years ago, but I had to go to court over it. I explained to the Judge that I had recently installed over large tires and it threw off my speedo, which was true, except I knew it worked that way. Anyway, he dismissed the ticket.

If you know the right people, you can go down to a dealership and get an invoice showing where your speedo is off.

It will work for anything less than 10mph over and get it reduced to an "improper equipment" ticket, which you still pay a small fee, but it's not a moving violation and you can generally get out of the court fees.

Judges tend to be like cops though, if they got laid the nigh before, you could walk in with a dead body and leave without a word.....if they haven't had a shot of arse in awhile.....you could walk in with Chuck Norris as your counsel and regardless if you're righteous or not, you're paying the man

[trularin]

Actually, I have been married for 28 years and would not trade my wife. She's the one that gets me to do all these Cobra rides.

[Ron61]

What rides? All I hear about is snow and shoveling. Warren will be jealous if you start taking rides.

Ron

[Jamo]

AMF...do you notice how you're being ignored on this thread?

Take note of the message from these folks.

[Joe Wicked]

Hell, I have just been respectful and nice about the whole deal. I just look at it as the cop is just doing his job. I save it till later to ***** about it. This attitude has gotten me out of more tickets than anything else. In the past 8 years I have gotten 3 tickets. 1 for 11 over and I was not going that fast. I was passed by another Mustang just like mine, who as soon as we crested the hill, slammed on his brakes and cut from the middle lane to make a right turn. About 1 1/2 blocks later a motorcycle cop came flying up the road and pulled me over. He didn't believe me and gave me a ticket. I just chalked it up to the fact that I was doing that speed yesterday and didn't get caught, and moved on. I just got another one for speeding 16 over. It was a speed trap where the speed limit dropped 15MPH for about 1 block and then back up. I didn't see the sign, but I was speeding. The 3rd one was a cop who thought he would find something so he pulled me over. He ended up doing a complete roadside inspection on my car (less than a week old) and wrote me a ticket for no license plate lights. The ticket was dismissed by the judge because it was written at about noon. I showed the judge that the car was just bought and where I took the car to a shop who verified that the lights were functioning properly. In this case, it was just an asshole who thought he could do as he wished behind the badge.

My uncle is a cop and he told me that most cops that he has worked with are just like him. He told me that if he has it set that this person is getting a ticket, then nothing that is done will change that. If he does not have it set in his head, it will depend on how the person behaves that makes the determining factor. I have been pulled over for doing almost 20 over, and been entirely respectful and not telling lies more than 1 time and left with nothing more than a verbal "Please slow it down". I have earned way more tickets than I have gotten, so I don't feel the need to complain about the speed trap. Just paying back for all the times I should have gotten a ticket.

[427 S/O]

Been stopped a few times, ticketed once, the others just wanted to look.
A few years back when I was almost finished with the build, a GHP (Georgia highway Patrol) pulled in my driveway when he saw it. We talked and he said he patrolled a stretch of I-85 south of Atlanta, and if I would take him for a ride, I could open her up for two or three exits!. Never saw him again, but still think about it once in a while.

[SPF2245]

One thing they forgot, which is my personal pet peeve...end the cell phone call. I hate walking up to a motorist and having the person sit there and discuss the weather to the person on the other end of the line. A close second is only rolling the window down about three inches...roll it all the way down. As for the rest of it, if only people could seperate themselves from there opinions and follow the above list...my life (and every other cops) would be alot easier and safer.

Ooops, did I just let my secret out. Oh well...

[Excaliber]

Cops are 'gear heads', there are a surprising number of them as members here on CC. Then again, Cops are 'gear heads', I guess it aint so surprising after all.

[fsstnotch]

I am soon to be! I can't wait!

Anyways, I've been pretty lucky. I've been given tickets for complete BS and I've been given tickets that i deserved. I have 0 tickets on my record. Because I at a minimum, go to court and plea out. I don't get the insurance hike, and they get their money. On one trip from OKC to Erie PA, i was pulled over 2 times. One was TOTAL bs. The officer claimed I was going 98mph in a 65. it was winter and i was in a car with hydraulics. 30wt oil for suspension would be VERY stiff at 20*!! i went to court and got failure to equip with a muffler. I am certain that the officer clocked the older accord that passed me in the right lane. Later that night my wife had to pee. I went to get off an exit to find her a bathroom when at the last minute I realized I was getting off one highway and onto another which was a toll rd. I sped up on the off ramp to get ahead of the car next to me and cut in front of him. Only to find out he was highway patrol in an unmarked Z28! haha That guy scared the crap out of my wife! I pulled waaay off the highway as I alwasy do. I see the flashlight shining in my rear view, my window is all the way down, and hten he taps on the passenger window! My wife screamed! I explained why I did what I did and he let me off with a warning. I know he was rolling in laughter back in the cruiser because my wife screamed so loud and nearly jumped into the drivers seat! haha

I think on the highway, it's safer, for the driver, to stay in the car. Putting an officer with his back to the traffic, and a driver between 2 cars is just asking for someone to lose some legs when the idiot in traffic is drawn to the lights like a bug and slams into the back of the cruiser.

Please, if you are driving past a traffic stop, MOVE to the left (far) lane and give them plenty of room!!! That is law in some states, but not all.

[jams]

How about when the cop says....I have been waiting for you all day.....and you say, I got here as quick as I could!

[meat]

Originally Posted by Don

If you were speeding, admit it

Oh yeah ... there's a good idea. Try to go to court after admitting that on camera to the police officer.

Until that officer tells you why he pulled you over, you have no idea what his reason may have been. He might have been pulling you over for a busted taillight.

Or, if you're in the mood, admit what you did. When the police pulled Thomas Athans over and asked if he knew why he'd been pulled over, he is said to have asked if it was because he'd just paid a prostitute $150 for sex.

Doesn't seem very bright ... but whatever floats your boat.

Your pal,
Meat.

[AMF]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Cops are 'gear heads', there are a surprising number of them as members here on CC. Then again, Cops are 'gear heads', I guess it aint so surprising after all.

I actually had a cop who wanted to inquire about my car and what I'd done to it (after writing me a ticket) as if to chum around and talk cars He was giving everyone tickets for rolling through a stop sign at the end of an offramp and I guess he thought it was no big deal (or at least I should have thought the same).

[Commodore]

Never forget that the policeman has home court advantage. If you challenge it things will go down hill quickly. If asked, "do you know why I pulled you over?" say, no sir I don't. You do not need to write your own infraction so volunteer nothing. Follow his instructions to a tee, no matter how unnecessary you may think they are at the time. Most people (police included) respond to someone that is courteous so leave the tough guy attitude on the TV where you learned it. Like it or not we all profile people. Don't give the office the opportunity to verify his. Try wearing his shoes for a day or two.