# getting pulled over for speeding, on the freeway - better to pull off on the shoulder, or exit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729 "2011-05-13T00:43:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729/21 "2011-05-13T22:47:51Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I got pulled over in the middle of the night once where there was nowhere to pull over to unless we would be blocking one of two lanes of traffic. Instead I rolled about 50 feet to a stoplight, stopped, took a right, drove 25 feet, and took another right into an empty parking lot and stopped. > The officer immediately laid into me with “WHY DIDN’T YOU STOP!” > I told him I wanted to get out of traffic that late at night. > Wasn’t good enough for him. He went on with “WHEN I TURN ON MY LIGHTS THAT MEANS STOP NOW!!!” > I didn’t go well from there. I had something somewhat similar happen to me the first time I got pulled over, although the copper was nicer about it. I had just crested a hill, speeding, when a cop in the opposite directly clocked me at like 20 over. I saw him put his lights on as he passed me, but I just thought (hopefully) he was on his way to another call. Anyhow, I laid off the gas, looked in the rearview mirror, and saw him pull a U-turn just about when he was out of my line of sight. So I just kept my speed, now at the actual speed limit (65 at the time). At this point it was clear he was most likely after me, as there was nobody else in my stretch of highway, but he sure seemed to be taking his time getting to me. Anyhow, when he finally gets behind me, I pull over on the shoulder. Next thing I know, there’s three squad cars on top of me. Then a fourth. And a fifth. And a bit later, a sixth, sheriff’s car turns up. The cop asks me “Didn’t you see me turn my lights on?! Why didn’t you slow down and pull over immediately!?” To which I answer, honestly, “Yes, I saw the lights, but you were in the opposite lane. How was I supposed to know you wanted to pull me over? When you showed up behind me and it became obvious that you wanted me to pull over, I did so immediately.” At any rate, he was cool with it, and actually bumped me down to the lowest speeding infraction (0-15 mph over the limit). Turns out what had happened is they recently had a chase and were a bit overly cautious. What did strike me as odd was when the sheriff showed up, he asked my passengers for ID (I was in the ticketing officer’s squad car at the time), which they dutifully obliged. WTF does he need my passengers ID for? Anyhow, “pull off on the shoulder” is my advice for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729/22 "2011-05-14T03:50:28Z")
Apparently, it’s OK to stop in the middle of the freeway in California. I was driving and noticed traffic slowed down. The reason, CHP had stopped someone in the gap where an on-ramp merged with the freeway. :eek: The nearest exit was 3/4 miles away, but come on. ---
**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729/23 "2011-05-14T04:06:51Z")
Remember that if the officer thinks an area isn’t safe to stop in, he is free to follow you and not turn the lights on until its safe to pull over. I’ve never been pulled over knock on wood, but I would operate under the assumption that the officer decided it’s ok for me to pull over wherever he decided to light me up, so I would stop as soon as reasonably possible. He’s the professional, not me. ---
**Author:** ![blk81](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@blk81](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blk81)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729/24 "2012-04-30T14:15:39Z")
I have a side question to this thread. i was recently pulled over for speeding (Baltimore city), yes i pulled over right away on the main highway into the city. the LEO never told me how fast he clocked me or even that he did figure my speed. never asked if i knew why i was pulled over or if i knew how fast i was going. He just came up accused me of doing double the limit. Tried to say i was doing 80 thru a S turn (totally imposible in Corrolla) and gave me a ticket for “speed greater that reasonable”. so my question is Dont i have the right to know how fast i was clocked (not just accused of) and is this still a “valid” ticket? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729/25 "2012-04-30T16:20:15Z")
> [@blk81](#): > > so my question is Dont i have the right to know how fast i was clocked (not just accused of) and is this still a “valid” ticket? Perhaps you’d be better off creating a new thread, since your question has nothing to do with this year old thread. It would save people from having to read through this whole thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-pulled-over-for-speeding-on-the-freeway-better-to-pull-off-on-the-shoulder-or-exit/581729.md?page=1)