How To Do Just About Everything
How To Do Just About Everything
Find this article at: http://www.ehow.com/how-to_4845370_avoid-getting-traffic-ticket.html
Every year, over 34 million people receive a traffic ticket from a police officer. Even if you're a law-abiding citizen, the odds are that you have been pulled over for some sort of traffic violation or will be in the future.
There are two major types of traffic tickets: tickets for moving violations and tickets for non-moving violations. Moving violations include speeding, failing to obey traffic signs or lights, making illegal turns or doing anything else that is illegal while your vehicle is in motion. Non-moving violations are for offenses like parking your car illegally.
While there is no way to guarantee that you will never get a ticket again, following a few pointers will improve your odds of avoiding one.
The best way to avoid a traffic ticket is to make sure that nothing about your car draws an officer's attention. Flashy and bright colors (particularly red) stand out, but light, pastel colors have a tendency to blend in with the environment, and dark colors like black and navy not only blend in, but look serious. If you have chosen a brightly colored vehicle, your chances of getting pulled over are a bit higher than those of someone in a black car.
Any additional sound or light modifications can also draw a cop's attention. Neon running lights, thumping bass, straightened exhaust pipes and glass packs might make you look cooler, but may also translate to points on your license. Additionally, police dislike tinted windows as they can't see in the vehicle clearly. If you have tinted windows, immediately roll down all of your windows the minute you get pulled over. This allows the office better vision into your car, giving him more confidence about the situation. When the officer is relaxed, your chances of avoiding the ticket are better.
The condition of your car can make a good or bad impression. Clean it up, and maybe even give it a fresh coat of wax. People who take care of their cars look like they're responsible drivers. But a dented car is one that has gotten into accidents before, thus catching an officer's eye rather easily and making her prone to fine you. If your car has rust spots or dents, get them taken care of before you hit the road.
Don't hang anything on your rear view mirror. Clean out the inside of your car from clutter. Make sure your glove box is fairly clean so you don't have to search for your registration. Above all, clean out your ashtrays. They almost always draw an officer's attention, and he starts looking for things other than cigarette butts.
Finally, even if you're taking a long trip, the stickers on the back of your car can pose potential problems. There are two kinds of stickers to avoid. The first have anti-cop or pro-violence slogans such as "Bad Cop...No Donut," "DARE to keep cops away from donuts" and "This Car Is Insured by Smith & Wesson." The second kind support bands that may provoke a cop to make assumptions. If you choose to leave these stickers on your car, know that you might have to fight the assumptions they engender.
Most police departments treat traffic tickets according to a quota system; some even reward the officers who give out the most tickets in a month. This means there are some times of the month when you are more likely to get a ticket. Be wary during the first week of a month, when the most aggressive cops give out the most tickets, and the last week of the month, when those who haven't given many tickets are under the pressure to give out more. The safest day of the month to travel is around the 15th.
When pulled over, your natural inclination is to not say anything at all, for fear of saying the wrong thing. But silence is often an indication of something to hide.
First, know what to call the cop who pulls you over. Try to guess the officer's proper title:
* If his uniform has three or more stripes, chances are, she is a sergeant.
* One or two stripes usually indicates a corporal.
* An officer with no stripes but who is in a state police car is a trooper.
* No stripes and a county car indicates a deputy.
* If you aren't sure, stick with "Officer."
Do not treat a female cop differently. Don't say anything to her that you would not say to a policeman. She is not a Miss or Ma'am. Use the same honorifics as with any other officer.
Often, the officer will ask you something like, "Do you know how fast you were going" or "that you just ran a red light" or "that U-turns are illegal here?" Never say yes. Stumble something like, "How fast was I going? Did I run a stop light? Are U-turns illegal here?" When the cop replies to your claim of no knowledge, say something along the lines of "I had no idea." This response requires no admittance of guilt, and may make you seem a bit clueless, but it usually lightens the serious tone of the situation.
If the cop seems intent on writing you a ticket, and you can't afford the fine associated with it, tell her. She may at least charge you with a lesser offense than what she had planned. Tell the officer that a ticket on your record could impact your job. Or mention that you might get in huge trouble at home for a ticket. Occasionally, begging actually works--not often, but it has happened.
Never claim to be a cop. State police associations are pretty tight-knit, and most cops know one another. Plus, police work is jargon-heavy, and it's easy to trip someone up.
Never say, "What's the problem, Officer?" This immediate response has become a cliché to officers. They hate it.
Never say, "Was I ________?" (fill in with whatever traffic rule you were violating). It serves as an acknowledgment from you that you knew you were doing something wrong.
Never say, "I'm sorry" unless you really mean it. It's trite, and usually stands for, "I'm so sorry... that you caught me."
Never say, "Do you know so-and so?" Name-dropping usually has no effect on the officer's decision to ticket you, and it might tick him off that you're even trying.
Never say, "You just stopped me because I'm ..." and fill in a stereotype. If the cop is racist or sexist or phobic, this remark isn't going to help your situation, and might serve to anger the officer. And if the officer is not racist or sexist or phobic, you've just accused him of it.
Never say, "I'll see you in court," "Let me see the radar gun" or "Give me your badge number." These remarks place the officer on the defensive, and a defensive cop is more likely to give you a ticket. As for the radar gun, the officer can make it read whatever she wants it to, from 00 to 135.
Never get out of the car unless instructed to do so.
Never reach for your pockets or under the seat without first explaining why.
Never open your glove box if it has inside it a concealed weapon, unless you have warned the cop that it is there and that you have a license to carry it.
Never allow your passengers to talk to the officers unless they are instructed to do so.
Never consent to a search of your car without first asking for probable cause.
If you get a ticket anyway, you can go to traffic court and fight it. Over 95 percent of traffic tickets are not contested, but If you feel you were actually wronged, feel free to fight. But remember, if you don't do illegal things when you drive, you generally won't get tickets.