{"id":475468,"date":"2010-03-26T12:30:09","date_gmt":"2010-03-26T16:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ridelust.com\/?p=41672"},"modified":"2010-03-26T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2010-03-26T16:30:09","slug":"want-to-avoid-a-traffic-ticket-here%e2%80%99s-some-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/475468","title":{"rendered":"Want To Avoid A Traffic Ticket? Here\u2019s Some Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We here at RideLust have previously presented video<\/a> on dealing with police, and I\u2019ve got to tell you that it\u2019s perhaps the worst advice I\u2019ve ever seen given. It\u2019s ACLU bullshit; while technically correct, it\u2019s guaranteed to get you a ticket, an ass kicking or a whole lot of trouble you don\u2019t really need. Consider this: you\u2019re at a traffic light that changes from red to green. You look left, and see a fully loaded dump truck steaming into the intersection at full speed; it’s your legal right to proceed, because it\u2019s his obligation to stop. Would you rather be right, or ground into pavement pizza?<\/p>\n

<\/span>I’m not a lawyer, I don’t play one on TV and this article will not give you a single piece of legal advice, but here are my credentials. I come from a law enforcement family, and know more than a few cops. I\u2019m a certified firearms instructor, which puts me in contact with cops and ex-cops on a regular basis. Think you need to know the law to drive a car? Try teaching a concealed carry class, where absolutely everything you say or do can bite you in the ass if one of your students is involved in a shooting.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re guilty of something, chances are better than average a cop is going to know. Think he can\u2019t smell that blunt you smoked an hour ago? Think that saying, \u201cI don\u2019t consent to a search\u201d is going to make any difference when he sees a pipe in your center console? Think that copping a \u201cI know my rights\u201d attitude is going to help your case? You\u2019d be wrong on all of the above.<\/p>\n

There is no way that you\u2019re going to avoid a ticket 100% of the time. If you get pulled over, chances are pretty damn good you\u2019re getting stopped for a reason. Cops are just like the rest of us; they have good days and bad days. Most just want to do their tour and go home at the end of the day; make it easy for them, and chances are they\u2019ll make it easy for you. Sure, there are asshole cops out there, but the vast majority I\u2019ve ever met are pretty cool; treat them with respect and they\u2019ll generally reciprocate.<\/p>\n

Here are my top ten tips on avoiding a ticket. Feel free to agree, disagree or send me the money you save on the next ticket you get out of.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Make sure your vehicle and its contents are legal<\/h3>\n
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Limo tint on front windows may look cool, but it may not be legal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sure, this may be obvious, but a lot of people don\u2019t pay any attention to the state of their ride. Just bought a new car, with badass limo tint on all your windows? Expect to get stopped regularly, since that\u2019s illegal in a lot of states (you can\u2019t tint the front windows that dark). Got a tail light, brake like or directional out? Give a cop a reason to eye you, and that\u2019s an excuse for a stop. Ditto for a cracked taillight or burned out headlight.<\/p>\n

If your car is in compliance with your state\u2019s vehicle code, you\u2019ve just eliminated one reason for a traffic stop.<\/p>\n

\u2022 When stopped, be courteous<\/h3>\n

The only good advice I witnessed in the first video (The Proper Way To Handle A Police Stop) was to keep your hands on the wheel. Look at the cop\u2019s perspective; when he pulls you over, he doesn\u2019t know that you\u2019re a decent person. For all he knows, you could be a serial killer looking to put another notch on your Glock. Make him uneasy (leaving the driver\u2019s window cracked and not fully open, for example) and he will make your life hell.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my sequence when stopped:
\n\u2022 Pull to the right shoulder as quickly as it\u2019s safe to do so.
\n\u2022 Stereo off (and end any cell phone conversations).
\n\u2022 Motor off, car in park, handbrake applied.
\n\u2022 Driver and passenger window fully down, hands on the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

When the cop asks you if you know why you were stopped, be honest. Bullshit does not get you bonus points; say, \u201cI have no idea\u201d when you were traveling 65 in a 35, and that\u2019s guaranteed to get you a ticket. Say, \u201cAh crap. I should have been paying more attention to my speed\u201d and you\u2019ve begun the process of negotiating for a reduced fine or no ticket at all. <\/p>\n

\u2022 Communicate, verbally and non-verbally<\/h3>\n
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Gun in glove box with registration = really bad idea<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cops like to see your hands. Why? Because hands are what kill. Reach quickly into the glove box for your registration and the cop may think you\u2019re going for a gun. Paranoid? Perhaps, but wouldn’t you be if people tried to kill you on a regular basis?<\/p>\n

I like to give the cop the following info: \u201cOfficer, my registration is in the glove box. Can I grab it?\u201d Of course he\u2019s going to say yes, and chances are you\u2019ve just put him a bit more at ease.<\/p>\n

If you carry a gun in the car (and a lot of people do these days), make sure you\u2019re in compliance with any applicable state laws. Don\u2019t keep your registration in the glove box if you carry a gun in there (which is a really, really bad idea, by the way). Don\u2019t lie if the cop asks you directly, \u201cDo you have any weapons in the car?\u201d, because if he finds it later you will be in for a whole lot of grief.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Recognize achievement<\/h3>\n
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Check his badge for the rank if you can’t tell from his sleeves<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cops like recognition as much as the rest of us. Pulled over by a state trooper? Call him \u201ctrooper\u201d instead of \u201cofficer\u201d. Stopped by a guy with two stripes on his sleeve? Call him \u201ccorporal\u201d. Three stripes? Call him \u201csergeant\u201d. You\u2019ll get a lot more mileage out of this recognition than you will out of calling him sir; they know that you\u2019re muttering \u2018asshole\u2019 under your breath, so the fake \u2018sir\u2019 doesn\u2019t help your case in the least. When in doubt, stick to “officer”.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Got any PBA or FOP cards? Use \u2018em.<\/h3>\n

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In my experience, a PBA\/FOP card can often be the difference between a ticket and a warning. That said, make damn sure you know the cop whose name is on the card. You\u2019ll get questions like \u201cwho is this\u201d or \u201chow do you know him\u201d; if it\u2019s a friend of a friend, be upfront. Cops know a lot of other cops, and they\u2019ll pick up on bullshit in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n

Hand the officer your driver\u2019s license, insurance, registration and PBA card, but make sure the PBA\/FOP card is on top of the pile so he sees it first.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Be patient<\/h3>\n
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Just sit tight, no matter how long the stop takes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I once got stopped in a small mountain town in Colorado, in the middle of the night. The cop alleged that I ran a stop sign, but I didn\u2019t remember seeing one. I waited for 25 minutes while he ran my license and registration; when he came back to the car, he handed over my documents and apologized for the wait. No ticket, no warning, no nothing. Why? Because he was waiting me out. If I\u2019d appeared nervous or anxious, he\u2019d have found probable cause to search the car. My information came back clean and I wasn\u2019t pacing back and forth, so he figured a ticket wasn\u2019t worth the paperwork (or there really wasn’t a stop sign after all).<\/p>\n

\u2022 Never argue with the cop<\/h3>\n
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Yelling ‘Nice legs, jack-off’ ensures the cops presence at your court date<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You can not win an argument with a cop. Piss him off, and the only thing I guarantee is that he\u2019ll make your court date and remember every last detail of the stop. Make his life easy, and make your traffic stop forgettable, and you\u2019ve just reduced the likelihood that he\u2019ll remember the relevant details if you do need to go to court.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s rude, or if you believe you were treated unfairly, get his name and badge number. Try to do this discreetly, because saying, \u201cI want your name and badge number\u201d isn\u2019t going to help your case. You can report him to his supervisor, generally a patrol sergeant. If that doesn\u2019t work, don\u2019t be afraid to bounce it up the food chain to the tour commander.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t drop names<\/h3>\n

You\u2019re the brother in law of the chief of police? If that\u2019s really the case, chances are good your stop would already be over. Know the mayor personally? So do 10,000 other people. Unless you can back it up, don\u2019t even try this angle, because the cop has heard every story in the book a few thousand times. If you really are politically hooked up, the cop will realize this soon enough.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t party and drive<\/h3>\n
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Don’t roll the dice. Photo: Bill Lavallie, Ledger Dispatch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Drive drunk? Drive high? You\u2019re living on borrowed time, and sooner or later you will get busted. And rightly so. Get your freak on at your local watering hole, or in the privacy of someone\u2019s home. Call a sober friend, call a cab or walk home; whatever you do, don\u2019t get behind the wheel or drive with someone else who\u2019s wrecked.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Don\u2019t drive like an asshole<\/h3>\n

I love speed as much as the next guy (probably more than most), but there\u2019s a time and a place for everything. Think it\u2019s cool to drive 65 in a 25 every time you pick up your buddy for classes? Believe me, people notice, and sooner or later you\u2019re going to get popped. Think you\u2019re getting out of a ticket when Mrs. Suburban Homeowner is yelling at the cop, \u201cThat\u2019s the driver I called you about, officer\u201d?<\/p>\n

Likewise, if you weave in and out of slower traffic, pass on the shoulder, roll through stop signs and generally ignore red lights, you\u2019re going to get stopped. And you will get ticketed, no matter what kind of pull you\u2019ve got. <\/p>\n

So that\u2019s about it for the advice I\u2019ve got. Feel free to hit me with any questions on the topic, and I\u2019ll give you some real-world wisdom, not the ACLU bullshit we previously put up.<\/p>\n

<\/img><\/a>
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We here at RideLust have previously presented video on dealing with police, and I\u2019ve got to tell you that it\u2019s perhaps the worst advice I\u2019ve ever seen given. It\u2019s ACLU bullshit; while technically correct, it\u2019s guaranteed to get you a ticket, an ass kicking or a whole lot of trouble you don\u2019t really need. Consider […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2161,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-475468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475468\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=475468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}