Moderator Warning
Isamu, you’ve been here long enough to know that professional jabs are not permitted in General Questions. This is jerkish enough that it deserves a warning instead of just a note. Do not do this again.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I always say: “No, sir, I don’t.” Since I have no mind reading ability this is always true.
one time I was asked where I was going. Is that a common question?
“Lack of anything better to do?”
Feh. The best answer to that never-asked question is “Junk.”
The answer to “Do you know why I pulled you over” is “because you’re behind on your quota” but it’s not one I’d ever say out loud.
“Yes.”
I get ‘pulled over’ 3-4 times a year, on average, and I’ve been driving for 35 years. So, I am well over 100 traffic stops.
Generally, just respond with ‘How can I help you officer?’ …and provide any documents after you’ve clearly asked if you can reach for them. Everything you do is with the officer’s concern in mind.
Just don’t answer the question. You can’t be seen in a bad light, because you are offering to help them.
Use general psychology and persuasion, don’t incriminate yourself, but show concern for the officer’s well being.
There are exceptions. Get a read on the situation. I made a U-Turn on the NJ Turnpike, and while the odds were super long, an officer saw and stopped me. I pulled over before the first photon of his lights hit me, and had my paperwork ready in record time, with both hands out the window.
He appreciated the honesty and cooperation, and I explained there were no cars in sight (I kept safety in mind).
I did not get a citation, but he explained that my penalty was the 11 dollar full toll charge I would have to pay, since I’d not have a ticket to exit from the other side of the Turnpike.
.
Obligatory Schrödinger/Heisenberg joke:
Heisenberg and Schrödinger are traveling in a car and are pulled over by a cop. The officer asks, ‘Do you know how fast you were going?’
Heisenberg replies ‘No, but I know where I am.’
This arouses the officers suspicion, so he asks to check their trunk. He looks inside and asks ‘Are you aware there’s a dead cat in your trunk?’
To which Schrödinger replies, 'I do now. :mad: ’
Moderator Note
Once again, keep the professional jabs out of this thread. Since these are mild, I’m making this a note instead of a warning. But further remarks of this kind may be subject to a warning.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I missed this one. Everybody cut it out.
Or the famous “Do you know how fast you were going?”
Yes: You knowingly violated the speed limit.
No: Then you can’t say in court you knew you were going the speed limit.
Well, there was the time I passed a cop car. I had been following a very slow car only driving 25 in a 35 zone in a rural area. The road straightened out and the yellow center line went away so I swung out and began passing him. I immediately noticed he had been following an equally slow police car. Crap! Oh well, I’m out here and legally passing. Sure enough he pulled me right over as soon as I got around him.
He began his talk by saying, “You know it is illegal to pass on a solid yellow line”? I replied, “But what about this dashed line”? He looked around, realized he had not been paying attention and let me go.
Dennis
I always only say that I need to see their license, insurance and registration and tell them briefly why they were pulled over when asked. Once they give me the documents I’ll give as long an explaination for the stop as needed. “Do you know why I stopped you” is a crutch of a conversation starter that gets picked up somewhere. I would much rather get the documents up front than hear the answer to that question.
It doesn’t matter. Very few motor vehicle statutes require intent. For the ones that do asking that question won’t help.
If you tell me that you are driving an unsafe car that shouldn’t be on the road I’ll be towing it for public safety. That’s not a good idea.
I did see someone in court try to tell a judge he shouldn’t be found guilty of speeding because his speedometer was inoperable. He had receipts from a mechanic. “So you are telling me that you have no proof you weren’t speeding and you are admitting you were purposely driving an unsafe vehicle?” It did not go well.
I agree with all of that. There is little to be gained by playing games with the driver. The case will hinge on my observations or in the case of speeding, qualifications and calibration of equipment. I guess it’s possible but I have never seen a case be made on the answer to “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
Only been pulled over twice in the last 10 years, once on a false accusation of drunk driving by a road raging driver and the second when I was 2 blocks from my apartment building after driving 620 miles that day (burned out tail light).
Neither asked me if I knew why they pulled me over.
I once kept asking an officer why he pulled me over, since I was at the tail end of a large pack of cars and just driving at traffic speeds. It was for speeding :rolleyes:, but the asshole never told me that, never answered my question and started to get a little too hot for comfort over my repeated asking. Honestly had no idea until he handed me the ticket. What a fucking asshole.
One or more of the times I went to traffic school, ‘prevailing rate’ was brought up. It’s been a couple/few decades, so I don’t recall the details. ISTR that a cop is unlikely to pull you over if you are driving the same speed as anyone else. Of course, this was in Southern California where the rule seems to be ‘Don’t be a jerk.’ i.e.; Speeding is tolerated if you’re keeping up with traffic and not doing a lot of maneuvering, driving too close, etc.
And speaking of traffic school, I recall there is a difference between ‘speed limit’ and ‘maximum speed’. Something along the lines of ‘speed limit’ means you can go faster than the posted speed, within reason, if conditions permit it. (See ‘prevailing rate’.) ‘Maximum speed’ means you may not exceed the posted limit.
Again: These are decades-old recollections from a region that has its own driving customs.
It’s amazing how often people have diarrhea of the mouth & incriminate themselves when not answering would be better. It’s not wise to say you were coming from your drug dealer’s, yet people do.
I was asked both where I was coming from, & going to, at a sobriety checkpoint recently.
Neither question you are obligated to answer, in that situation. Of course, refusing will likely get you pulled aside for “further testing.”
‘Where are you going?’
‘Down the road.’
‘Where are you coming from?’
‘Up the road.’
Once when I was young, I got pulled over and asked that question. I said I didn’t know. He then said, “You looked like you were going to weave.”
“What?”
“You looked like you were going to weave.”
“Did I weave?”
“You looked like you were going to.”
I waited, and he sent me on my way with a warning not to do so again.
To this day I try to look as if I am not going to weave. If I plan to weave, I will try to avoid the appearance of such intention, and do so suddenly, by surprise.
According to the CA DMV, all speed limits ARE maximums, and there is no such thing as a “prevailing rate”.