How to Avoid Getting a Traffic Ticket
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Instructions
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Don't Do Anything Stupid
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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.
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 0 to 135.
Never get out of the car unless instructed to do so.
Never reach for your pockets or under the seat without explaining why.
Never open your glove box if it has inside it a concealed weapon, unless you have told 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, you can go to traffic court and fight it. More than 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.
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- Photo Credit traffic light image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
