How to Avoid Getting a Traffic Ticket

Clean Up Your car

• 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 draw a police officer's attention. Neon running lights, thumping bass, straightened exhaust pipes and glass packs might make you look cooler, but they also may translate to points on your license. Additionally, police dislike tinted windows because they can't see in the vehicle clearly. If you have tinted windows, immediately roll down all your windows if 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. A dented car has gotten into accidents, thus catching an officer's eye rather easily and making the police 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 rearview 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 an officer to make assumptions. If you choose to leave these stickers on your car, know that you might have to fight the assumptions they engender.