[Chewyjr15]

i was 16 and had a modded Volvo s40. I got a lot of tickets in that car. 3 speeding 2 of which i deserved 1 of which could have gone either way. I was always very polite to the officer but still got the ticket anyway. So it all depends local agency;s here in irvine really do not have much to do. It is one of the safest cities in the us and they love to pull people over! That being said i have not had a moving violation in almost 3 years and i hope to keep it that way once i get my 135 in march. last ticket i got was for disturbing the peace. Was playing my music rather loudly cop followed me for 3 miles and i didn't hear him didn't know he was their until he came up in front of me and stopped and got off his bike, man he was pissed.

[dmurray14]

Originally Posted by TiAg335i

Just luck on your part.

Being honest is only going to get you so far. If you clearly blow through a stop sign, you blew through a stop sign. Same goes for speeding.

Maybe to an extent. But I am sure if I was a dick to the cop he would have given me a ticket. A little courtesy can't hurt.

[jragan]

To add my fuel to the fire... Saturday night, I was just leaving my house, had gotten maybe a mile or two away when my passenger side motor mount snapped (becoming a fairly common item on E86 M Coupes). Limped the car home through back streets trying to keep as even a speed as possible (and coasting most of the time), including coasting through a 4-way stop with no cars in sight in any direction. So of course, this one time, there was a cop watching from somewhere and gave me a ticket for running the stop sign even though I explained what I was doing.

To say I was steamed is an understatement. Cops like this are the reason cops are labled the way they are. Yes there are a few decent ones around (most are family cops, their dad was a cop, and his dad before him was a cop), but most are PIGS. Punk douche bags with a major inferiority complex who get their jollies by wearing badges.

[nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

Here is a question. How many of you drive more carefully when you see a cop? I think they are just letting you know they are there.

[jragan]

Originally Posted by ferrari355fi

Here is a question. How many of you drive more carefully when you see a cop? I think they are just letting you know they are there.

Cops on the side of highways in medium to high traffic cause more accidents than if they weren't there at all because of just what you describe...people have a gut check reaction when they see a cop to slam on the brakes whether they're speeding or not...which, often times, ends in an "accident."

BTW, the NHTSA just released a report stating that speed is not a major factor in accidents.

[ramorendez]

Originally Posted by ferrari355fi

Here is a question. How many of you drive more carefully when you see a cop? I think they are just letting you know they are there.

I fall into the OPs 20-30 category and I drive the same way, whether or not cops are around. And I got pulled over for it the other night at around 4am. Passed him doing 70 in a 65 (he even tells me this) as I was approaching my exit, lights come on, pulls me over on suspicion of DUI. 15 min later, sobriety test and one breathalyzer later, they let me go ticket-free.

Bottom line? Don't give them a reason to pull you over and they won't. I was nice and courteous to them, as well as being honest and up-front. I'm sure there are asshole cops out there, but in my limited driving experience, I haven't crossed paths with one.

[mightyaa]

I've also found it a lot easier to walk away from a ticket (even big ones) by being mostly honest and never letting them see a radar detector. The other day I got clocked doing 90 or so in a 75 in my old 240z (no radar, as he was merging as I shot by). I told the cop I just don't get it out very often and wanted to stretch it's legs. I could tell he liked the car and was interested in it, so I just shot the breeze with him for 5 minutes or so about Z cars and walked with a warning. But I'm also an older guy... The best way to walk out with a warning is to be able to somehow get them to relate to you and cut you some slack. With some, it's all business... but others would much rather gab than fill out paperwork...

Cops in my area admit to specifically targeting younger drivers and regularly set up speed traps near high schools and such. Their reasoning they give the press is that it's better to curb bad habits before a young driver develops them. When I was a young driver, I got pulled over a lot... deal with it.. young drivers are profiled as being the least experienced, most prone to accident drivers out there.

[nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

I just think that their presents slow people down, and make them more aware of their surroundings. I am happy when I am pulled over for doing nothing and not getting a ticket because it shows that they care. If they can take one person off the road who shouldn't be driving, then they are doing a great job.

[MrHarris]

Cops in LA hate on people younger than 25 who drive a nice car for sure.

[ChineseGuy]

I got pulled over today too, I did not act more polite than ever, just being myself. He tried to make me admit I was speeding, but i did not admit anything. He had nothing on me, and was forced to let me go. I can see he was pissed.....

My point is...

Don't have to be extra polite or treat them like you're scared of them. As long as you answer the questions smartly, you'll be fine...

Speed isn't the biggest factor in car accidents...

(flame suit activated)

[endofanera7]

I got pulled over during the weekend for a no front plate...ahole, i wasnt even speeding or anything...

[135i_TT]

Talkin bout stories and speeding tickets...

I got pulled over twice in two wks in December of 07 and one night was on christmas eve lol.. Got pulled over for driving with Blue LEDs on... cop was real cool, he loved my VW (in my garage pics), he was asking me bout price and stuff that he wanted to buy one to... he even told me I could leave the LED's on when I drive off but if another cop pulls me over to not mention he had let me go lol.

Another time I got realllllllly lucky... was illegally racing an Integra, I was in the left lane (wrong lane) driving about 110 mph and my friend was in the right.. Suddenly a mile down the road a cop is coming head on towards my car cuz im in the wrong lane... he did a uturn behind my friend and we pulled over, the cop went to my friends car and I took off... I guess I got lucky cuz the cop didnt get in his car to chase me nor did he call the other 2 cop cars that were waitn for us where we began... maybe he let me go cuz i had the nicer lookn car idk lol but neither of my friends got tickets cuz it was a 2 mile road that was rarley used but they did get on their record that theyre racers which does affect their insurance....

Another time I got pulled over for speeding,not wearing my glasses,driving with the blue led's.... cop was pissed cuz i was going like 70 in a 40 so he came running up to my car and said "You know why im not pulling you out of your car right now?!" he said because as soon as he turned on the Lights I stopped and turned off the Blue LED's when I pulled over.... he let me go and didnt even give me a warning either..

I guess Im lucky... or maybe its cuz I have a clean record or maybe Texas is just an awesome state

[jragan]

Originally Posted by 135i_TT

I guess Im lucky... or maybe its cuz I have a clean record or maybe Texas is just an awesome state

Get out on the open road around SA and see how you fare with a Texas State Trooper

[135i_TT]

Originally Posted by jragan

Get out on the open road around SA and see how you fare with a Texas State Trooper

Never had a prblm with that, I used to haul down 410 and San Pedro and there would always be one waitin by the entrance to 410 coming from san pedro would push the brakes and go by..

I even raced some Audi on 410 and an undercover G6 tried to keep up n didnt find me on 410 till like 10 mins later after I slowed down, he wasnt able to get my speed cuz I vanished but he was tailgating me for a while thinkn he was kool wen i could see his Cop lights on his dash lol.

And its actually rare to see state troopers here in SA or at least IMO...

Driving from SA to Houston theres a pretty nice amt... thank God for radar detectors...

[Scimitar335i]

we will pull you over because you have something wrong with your car ie vehicle code violations etc for example..
No front plate, white or blue turning signals, car is too low, no rear license plate lights (my favorite), exhaust is too loud, you're bumping some loud ass music, and hell we can even pull you over for bald ass tires ( i did that once, saw some metal showing on a old nissan maxima)..
My point is:
-Don't stand out in traffic speeding or revving on people etc
-Don't be a dick when you get pulled over. For me attitude goes a long way whether or not someone is getting a ticket.
-If you must speed get a rabbit car " follow a jack-ass who is already speeding" it works 90% of the time. The idiot ahead of you will get pulled over instead of you.
Cops just don't pull you over because they think you look young or you drive a nice car. I don't know WHO I am pulling over until I actually see them in the driver's seat! If you get pulled over for a mechanical violation then its your fault. No matter how you try and justify it. Now if he pulled you over for no reason at all well, thats violating your civil rights.
If anything most cops look for the hoopties with the possibility of taking a gang banger w/ guns and drugs off the streets.

[NYSPEM3]

Originally Posted by Scimitar335i

-If you must speed get a rabbit car " follow a jack-ass who is already speeding" it works 90% of the time. The idiot ahead of you will get pulled over instead of you.

+1. That rule is so simple I can't believe people still get pulled over by going solo in the left lane. It works even better if you have a good radar detector. The cop will target the rabbit and you can pick up the scattered signal and slow down in time.
This time in upstate NY I was cruising along at 74 (65 PSL) when a Prius blew past me at 95+ without even a detector. There was no rabbit in front of him and he stuck out like a sore thumb. Needless to say I saw him again 2 miles down the road, having a roadside transaction with a trooper.

[JME]

Like many others have said, attitude seems to be the real killer. There are also other factors that play into it, and every situation is different.

Only once did I give the officer an attitude, and he rightfully deserved it. I ended up not getting a ticket that time. I was one of those lucky kids in high school who had a mechanically inclined father who had a lot of free time in the winter months, so I drove a nice classic with a rumbling exhaust and more horsepower than I had a right to. I was pulled over repeatedly by local deputy's who most (admittedly) just wanted to look at the car. The one guy who pulled me over with the intention of giving me a ticket got his supervisor called, who decided I did not deserve a ticket. I do not recommend asking to speak with their supervisor unless you are certain you were in the right. In this case the cop had been tailgating me at 3 in the morning without his lights on, so all I saw was a pair of taillights following me. For a kid in a nice car this can be scary, so as I rounded the corner to my house I took off like a bandit and he pulled me over. I explained the situation to the supervisor and he agreed that it was not a ticketable offense. That particular deputy was known for being a dick and actually was fired about a year later for lying about a couple of kids "racing" when they weren't. That was great.

Anyways, to all those other officers who pulled me over, I just answered their questions. For a while there my exhaust was VERY illegal, but between being nice to the officers and living on the outskirts of the city I never got a ticket. As the California suburban development continued I decided to actually put mufflers on the car.

Fast forward to college and I am driving a different car in a different state. After getting my car shipped across country the first thing I do, at 7 in the morning, is drive a little faster than I should have. I get pulled over and the cop walks up to my window and asks me how fast I was going. I reply with, "Honestly? probably about 110 at the end of the off-ramp, maybe a little faster on the highway, but I dropped it to 90 pretty quick." He replied with, "Thanks for slowing down, so I could catch up with you. I was following you on the off-ramp and you took off like a rocket. Why you driving so fast?" I explained to him that I hadn't driven the car in 2 months and just had it shipped across country and he gave me a warning with the promise I would never speed again. Of course I had to talk with him about the car for 5 minutes.

Then again, 2 weeks later I get a ticket for driving 53 in a 50, but the cop was going to "do me a favor" and let me off with a cheaper ticket for "driving too fast for the conditions" since it had rained that morning (the roads were already dry.) Turns out that according to USAA that is a worse offense than speeding. Fuck that cop. Please cops, never tell people you "are going to do them a favor." It is patronizing and offensive.

I then switched from USAA to Geico and saved 1200 dollars a year on insurance.

A few months later I had just got back from visiting my parents and had been driving on California highways for a few weeks. I got back and on the way nack from the airport I got pulled over for 73 in a 55 (I completely forgot that the raods around here had ridiculous speed limits). I didn't even get to talk to the officer, he just walked up, said he got me at 73 in a 55 and hand over my license and registration.

6 years later I was doing 75 on a 55 mph country road near where my parents grew up, the cop pulled me over, saw my name, asked me how my grandmother was liking her retirement, told me to say hi, and gave me a warning.

And lastly, I was driving the 1 across country and got pulled over in Oklahoma. It was actually a pretty awesome experience. Terrifying, but awesome. There was about a dozen of us all pacing each other and I though I was safe in the middle of the pack; turns out a airborne cop (never saw him) clocked us all at 86 in a 70 and a ground unit pulled us all over, lined us up and went from car to car giving us tickets. When he got to me I pulled out my license, registration and proof of insurance. Of course my insurance card is tucked underneath my military ID. He asked me where I was going, and I told him I was PCSing from California to Maryland, and I was in a hurry to get there. I also mentioned how I thought I was safe by being in the middle of the pack. His reply was "not in oklahoma." He said it with a smile, though. By being honest and nice, not to mention being in the military probably helped, he gave me a no-points ticket so my insurance wouldn't go up.


So, in my experience, there are MANY different situations and different factors involved when a cop walks up. From what I can gather from this limited data set:

-Never lie to a cop.
-Make sure he knows you aren't dangerous, like others have mentioned before.
-Be courteous.
-Keep your military ID in a place he is likely to see it, but don't hand it to him.
-If you think the cop is in the wrong, ask to speak with his supervisor and explain your situation to him. Never, ever argue with the cop trying to issue the ticket. I'm not sure if the "talk to a supervisor" thing is exclusive to the area I grew up. If all else fails, you can fight it in court. Just never, ever argue with a cop.

Also, every ticket I have received, besides the latest one in Oklahoma, was issued in Maryland. I have lived, and been pulled over in, many other states, but that state is the absolute worst for getting a ticket (compared to California, Virginia, Florida and Washington.) Add to that the insane undercover traffic cars they have. I saw someone get pulled over by a danged mini-van once. You'd never know looking at the car that it was a cop.

[e92leon]

Originally Posted by MrHarris

Cops in LA hate on people younger than 25 who drive a nice car for sure.

yepp, I 2nd that from personal experiences