gettin out of tickets

if you're gonna try to fight the ticket in court, know the law! in new hampshire a traffic ticket becomes a criminal offense if you fight it...the $66 dollar speeding ticket i got became a $1200 and/or 30 day offense. the cops there knew all the tricks...came prepared with training and calibration records for the radar gun. i was driving a '78 caprice and unbelievably they had another one pulled over at the same time (this was in the mid-90s). the ONLY reason i got off was that the cops got the details of the incident wrong and they were honest about it.

 

1. No bald tires
2. working lights
3. quiet exhaust
4.drive slowly
If you doget pulled over keep yur hands were they can see them,dont give them any guff,and they might go away.
if you get a speeding ticket dont just pay it,take it to court,supoenea the calibration records and ask for continuances if you arent prepared eventually the cop will lose interest

 

Tell him you (or the kid/wife with you) has to take a piss really, really, REALLY bad (dance around a little), and that you were just trying to get to a gas station so you didn't have to stop on the side of the road...but unless he can write this ticket really quick, that's what's going to happen. Otherwise, here's my license, please follow me to that gas station over there and write me up in the parking lot.

That works in Kansas, Georgia and Ohio. It helps if you tell the person in the car with you to "explode out of the car just before it comes to a complete stop, and walk very quickly into the gas station."

no, I'm not kidding.
-Brad

 

+1 I've had that work too! (especially if ya have a kid in the car that can be squirmy on demand) Now I just use prepaid legal service to fight tickets....at least they know the rules and I don't have to. They don't make any promises,but can usually at least get the points kept off.

 

Hell, it's probably worth $200 to get out of a $100 ticket, by the time you add up the extra insurance for however many years points stay on the record in your state.

The seat belt fines just jumped from $101 to 124 here in the Peoples' Republic of Washington. And they're running commercials promising nighttime 'emphasis' patrols. Of course, when I wanted to get a homeless guy moved out from the car parked in front of the house, the cops aren't able to do too much (that was Seattle)... should have told 'em he was driving without a seat belt!

Don't you just feel the waves of safety washing over us all?

-bill

 

It feels more like when you are about to throw up from drinking too much and you're trying to fight it off. lmao.

 

Don't lie or BS. If they pull you over they have you dead to rights. Also don't drive around in something you know is going to attract attention and act stupid. Police are just like the rest of us in that they have a job that some days they hate and some days is OK.

Brief, respectful and do as the officer tells you. If you are in the wrong why on earth do you expect to get away with something?

Give the cops a break, after all how many of us are willing to do a job where you walk up to a car not knowing if a crack head has a pistol waiting for us?

Last time I was stopped was in an Aerostar minivan. When he came up to my door, he asked if I was in a hurry? I replied that I was but not now because I was obviously going to be late to work since being stopped. I told him the truth, no I didn't really know how fast I was going but probably at least 70. He replied 85 in a 40 before asking me how I would have felt if someone had pulled out in front of me? He was right, I had no business going that fast even though the road was straight and NOT in a residential area. Knowing I was screwed, I admitted he had a good point. He asked me if I thought I could drive a little smarter and I said yes. He then said have a good day Mr. Teel and let me go.

It could have been ugly but he gave me a break. We weren't so lucky last year when my 20 year old got a ticket for 1 - 5 miles over the speed limit by an officer who had some issue with young people in a 300 ZX.

 

Is it true you have to stay in the car in the US if pulled over??

I learned that playing the game, being honest and not a dick will get you places. I was pulled over on my first (Um, only) Harley in Sydney once. Had me for speeding 80 in a 60 zone, unlicensed, overpower bike (We have engine size laws) and a pillion passenger.
He asked me what I was doing so I told the truth, taking my mate to pick up his bike from the mechanics. He had a good look at the bike, a laugh at the "You wont take me alive filthy copper" sticker, then asked if my mate had a license. He did and the cop said, take him home (Pointing at me) then turned to me and said, don't let me catch you again, see ya' fellas.

 

I agree with not acting stupid, but this board wouldn't exist if we all drove cars that didn't attract attention.

Yep it's true. Generally speaking you're more likely to get shot or roughed up if you get out of the car.

 

I think everybody agrees its all about the $$$ In North Carolina young kids can go to a 6hr school and pay about $300 and get off no points.Local police give out the schools business cards with the ticket.I guess everybody gets their cut.

 

the good thing about the experience of getting tickets is learning and gaining experience of your local courts to get out of tickets.

 

We are emissaries, each decision as to driving, yields outcomes. Decide what would be best, and stick to it. Every kid in a rice burner will test your reserve, so keep a bowl-of-Goldfish on the seat next to you. Record is: 100K miles, w/one ticket in a speed trap where the limit dropped to 55mph on the interstate. while enroute to Memphis '71.

 

In all seriousness, yes, stay in the car. I've been pulled over several dozen times in 20 years. Probably coming up on 100 (I stopped counting several years ago when I hit 70 times). One ticket at 16, One at 17, one last year in the speed trap town just down the road from me.

Aside from needing to take a whiz (which, as I said, really does work), here's what I do:
Signal that you're going to pull off the road. I like to give him a lot of room, so he isn't worried about getting hit--either pull all four tires off the road, or pull onto a side street or signal that I'm going into a parking lot.
Shut the car off, roll down the driver's side window...if the vehicle has power windows, roll them all down.
Turn on the dome light so he can easily see into your car (at night).
Put BOTH hands onto the steering wheel, in plain sight. Tell anyone in the car to put their hands in plain sight as well.

At this point, I've had more than one officer approach the car and smile, and visibly relax a little. ANYTHING that will make the cop more relaxed is good for you.

When he gets to you, be respectful.

When he asks for your license and registration, tell him your license is in your wallet, your registration is in the glove box, and "I'm going to reach for my wallet now" and then do it WITH ONE HAND. Pull the license out, lay the wallet on the dash, the announce that you're going to reach into the glove box for the registration.

I've had officers tell me they aren't worried about a gun, and thank me for being courteous.

And, on more than one occaision, when I haven't been able to find my license, insurance card, or vehicle registration, it's never been an issue.

The town I got the traffic ticket in? Town literally has no stop lights. 4-lane divided county highway runs along the outside of it. 55mph going into town, 45mph in town, 55mph other side of town. When I went to court on Tuesday night, there were over 200 people there for traffic tickets. And the prosecutor meets with EVERY ONE OF THEM and says "If you plead down to 9mph over the speed limit, it's a $143 fine, the points don't go against your license, and by law we're not required to report the ticket to the state, so your insurance rates won't go up." It sounds like something out of a movie, but it's absolutely how it went. And a year later, the insurance has never said a thing, and I got pulled over once since then and the officer said I had a clean record according to his computer.

So sometimes, no matter what you do, you're still gonna get the ticket.
-Brad

 

Well, perhaps this isn't the place to admit it, but I was a local Criminal Court Judge for 11 years. I could write a book about the stupid things I have seen people do. If you screw up, be man enough to take the heat for it. Be courteous to the officer and almost always he/she will be fair with you. There are dickheads in every job but 99% of the cops I knew were decent people.

 

Don't you just feel the waves of safety washing over us all?

-bill[/QUOTE]

Welcome to Australia, the "Let the Govt Protect you" country where "safety" is another word for Big Business....

Rat

 

So how do you guys (judges) keep a straight face when you get the idiots in there telling you stories. I don't think I could of kept a straight face and would of been laughing at them.

 

True story. Officer goes into court with a female fighting a red light ticket. Officer gives his story and said the female defendent was upset. Judge asks how the defendent was upset. Officer said, "Well, she called me an a**hole". The judge asks the defendent if she really said that as the officer pulls out his tape recorder. Defendent looks at the tape recorder and saids, "Yes, but I was upset! I have a witness".

The judge calls the witness. The witness looks at the tape recorder and saids, "We really didn't see the red light". The judge finds the defendent guilty. The judge asks the officer if the stop was on tape. The officer saids, "No, but they didn't know that". The judge and audience got a big kick out of that.

 

this is a good question and gotta say i love this challange. i have put alot of work into this. when i see 1 cop or even a pack of them i drive by and wave or pull up and park close to them. when i get out and walk by i always say whats up guys? ha ya doing? they always respond with something positive about the car. fact is i get to know them and fact is i have never been an asshole to them nor them to me. now when i pass them i rev it up and wave. i was at a public show shooting flames and i did i 20 feet from the cops. not being a dick! but every one loved it and i was being safe. cops like cars! just ask them...if you find one showing interest, let him get in it and rev it up! kinda like i "gone in 60 seconds" when they blew the coke off the floor.

 

A little off topic cause it was on my harley but when i wrecked it this june i got a failure to maintain control ticket! Wet on ramp and deisel fuel = ambulance ride. The cop came to the hospital to give me the fucking ticket then tells me boss says he has to do this ? just to call the court and go see the magistrate and they will throw it out. Well we get to court and the toss about 8 tickets cause the cop isnt there. Then the magistrate tell the rest of us with an 8:30 appointment who had been there since 7:30 that he would give the cop another 15 minutes.. What the fuck i was early screw the cop.. So we wait and guess what.. 30 seconds to go and in walks the cop.. I go up first and tell my story. Just as the cop told me.. Sorry the roads were wet and the fuel got me and no kidding im sorry but no one in that position could have control.. Oh ya the cop told me just show up and it would get dismissed.. Prick says well he coulda wrote me for more??? Like what fucking bleeding in public??? Scraping the fucking on ramp with my elbow and helmet ? Cost me like a 110.00 but he did drop the points.. Dressing nice helps but i wonder if then they think you have more money ????
Dave
Oh ya then at the pay here window they have balls enuff to ask me if i wanna pay in full... Today ...Ha Ha

 

Hey Brad-how come you have so many posts in this thread? LOL

 

I think my favorite funny one was the 4 guys that came in, each with a ticket for having an open container in a motor vehicle and one of them also had a ticket for littering. These were just average guys in their 40's who seemed very embarrassed about being in court.
I always asked people to tell their side of the story so that I could assess the situation and render a fair judgement.
It turns out these guys car pool to work about an hour each way. The day they got their appearance tickets was a hot summer day and, even though they knew it was wrong, they stopped to get a 6-pack for the ride home. Somehow during the ride the question came up as to whether an electric window would crush a beer can. Just as they were trying to answer this weighty question with a practical experiment, a Deputy Sheriff approached in the other lane. Not wanting to have the Deputy see the can in the window, they hit the down button on the window but, unfortunately, couldn't grab the can in time. It fell out on the road directly in front of the Deputy's car and bounced up to hit his grille. He obviously couldn't let this go unnoticed, and pulled them over and wrote the tickets.
While the guys are telling me their story the Deputy is standing off to one side trying VERY hard not to laugh and the gallery is openly chuckling. With all the dignity I could muster after this tale, I asked the deputy if he had any recommendations for the Court. The Deputy said he felt that, in this case, the mere fact of having to come to court and tell the story was sufficient punishment and he would recommend an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal. A recommendation the Court was willing to follow. Don't even get me started about the lady who kept her dead cat wrapped in Aluminum Foil in her freezer as "evidence" in a small claims case.
Unfortunately, there were many more really sad cases than there were humorus ones.

 

My daughter married the local county judge about 14 years ago. I don't get many tickets.

 

The cops around here are very nice when they stop you. No ticket, and they'll sometimes buy you dinner, take you to a motel to get better acquainted, and occasionally buy you breakfast the next morning. Hasn't actually happened to me, but my sister told me about it.

 

Your sister must be hot cause all i ever got was the fucking without the dinner
Dave