Have you ever been given a break by the cops?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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The “break” was when I got caught doing 103 kph in a 50. 50 Over is auto dangerous driving (court appearance). When I saw the car cross the median I pulled over - they didn’t even turn on the lights.

I got written up for 99 (fine and points only)

There was the time I went to the liquor store and was driving home at night with no lights - got pulled over, questioned and when I told the officer was going home to drink he let me go.

The most memorable is the time I got caught doing 160kph in a 60 area. It was the main avenue from the airport to the city, three lanes, very straight and well surfaced. I saw the brake lights of the car in front go on for no reason, so I slow down a bit, they come on again, I slow down more, eventually when I got close to him, I saw the lights. Drive past at the limit, he pulls in behind and lights me up.

First words out of his mouth?
“I didn’t get you locked in, but I think you were doing at least 100” I didn’t argue, accepted the scolding and went on my way.

Then there was the time I was rushing from one job to the next, illegally driving barefoot (as I was changing clothes in the car) with no seatbelt. A car (from what I thought) wouldn’t allow me to merge. I flip the bird out the window. Whereupon there’s a badge hanging out the window out me. Turns out he was also on his way to work - in uniform.

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A few times, for simple traffic offenses.

The back way into the apartment complex where I lived was a two lane, flat, straight road for about a 1/2 mile, nothing but a few houses set back on one side and a ditch along the other. Technically a residential area marked at 25 mph, but very low traffic with high visibility if there was anything or anyone along the way. I picked up a couple tickets there on mornings avoiding the high traffic main entrance at a school zone - 2 tickets in ~ 12 years is a good ratio.

One evening I was driving in around 9 pm at about 40 mph, came up that back route and saw the lights flash as I entered the parking lot. I pulled up and waited, a female cop walks up and asks me where I’m going. I say “Home, right around that corner.” She gives me a verbal warning.

Another time, I’m traveling with my brother, his wife, and my sister, in 2 cars. They’re in the car in front of me, I’m following. We’re going cross-country on a shared route to split directions at some point, cruising through Oklahoma, maybe 70 mph. I think my radar detector lit up and I backed off, and the cop pulls my brother over up ahead of me. Not knowing what to do, I pull over some distance behind. Finally the cop motions me up, so I do. He asks me what’s up, so I say I’m following my brother. We both got verbal warnings.

Another time, I’m driving home from a class at around 9:30 pm, I come up to a traffic light that has a somewhat short time cycle at that time of night. I’m rolling up a little fast only to find the car in front of me decide to take his own sweet pokey time getting up to speed to go through the light, so I have to make something of an aggressive brake job - no squealing tires or anything, just pushing in tight on the guy. As I pass through the light, there’s a Subway on the left where I’m stopping off for dinner. Flashing lights hit up before I get into the parking lot, I pull in. Cop asks me where I’m going in a hurry, I mention I’m on my way home from a long day, just stopping for a sandwich. He mentions I was being a bit too aggressive on that light, and I politely agree. Verbal warning.

Then I go into the shop and get shit from the two guys behind the counter - to Mexican guys.

Another time I was driving home doing 60 in a 45, I see a cop and start dropping speed, he pulls in behind me and pulls me over. We pull over on a side street. He asks how fast I was going, I say “too fast”, not wanting to pin a number on it. He lets me off with a verbal warning.

I suppose one time that kinda counts, kinda not. Some time back (~15 years), I was out one evening and wanted to stretch my tires, so I went cruising on a back road and pushing some speed - 85 - 90 in a 70 zone. Thing is, that was a back country road with light to no traffic, but I rolled into a more populated zone and turned onto a different highway, I kinda didn’t modify my driving habits. So I’m still rolling heavy on a road that drops down to 45 mph. I’m being cognizant of traffic, and watching lights and all, but exceeding the speed dramatically. I get lit up, and pull over. Guy sees the armband from a bar, asks if I’d been drinking. No. He tells me at the speed he pulled me over it could be reckless driving and be just like a DUI, including arrest. He doesn’t arrest me, just writes a ticket. But he writes it up as two separate speeding incidents, because he clocked me at one spot, then followed me for several miles before pulling me over. That annoyed me a bit, not that I said anything to him about it. No use arguing with the cop. I did, however, go to the courthouse for my first court date and talk to the DA, who waived one if I pled to the other. Thing is, at that speed I don’t qualify for Defensive Driving, so I pretty much had to pay that one.

Another time, I was driving a loaner car with my car in the shop. I got pulled over for doing 50 in a 45, but I honestly didn’t realize I was too fast. I explained that it wasn’t my car so I wasn’t used to the feel, and the speedometer settings were slightly different so where 45 was on my car was a different spot. He also noted I didn’t have proof of insurance (in my car) and that my driver’s license address was incorrect. I hadn’t updated it from when I had moved a couple years before. Technically it was a Texas address, but my work address instead of my home one. He gave me a warning on the speed but wrote the ticket on the change of address and proof of insurance. Then told me if I got them fixed and went to the courthouse, I could show proof and get them cleared. So I did.

I haven’t gotten out of all my tickets. I’ve picked up 3 or 4 that I had to take DD to cover. And one more I think I paid.

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Not exactly a break, since I did get tickets for elapsed licenses, but I do remember the state trooper’s last words to me one time:

You can’t drive, and that car can’t be driven, but I have places to be. I’m going that way. I hope I don’t see you again today. Bye!

I’m sure there are other times I’ve been given a warning.

One other time I was driving too fast in downtown Ann Arbor, East on Washington towards campus. I got in the right lane to turn on Division, a south-bound one-way with timed lights. But just as I was about to turn, I saw a cop car on the side of the road facing towards me! I figured I picked the wrong road; this must be the one way going North, so I zipped through the intersection (had to jocky a bit around traffic) and expected the next one to be Division going South but … it wasn’t.

Well, I kept driving like a bat out of hell, way over the speed limit (probably 20 mph over), and forgot about it. A couple miles later, lights in my rear view, so I pull over. The cop asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I assumed it was speeding, but I played dumb. It was the cop at the intersection; I’d not turned in a turn only lane. I was gobsmacked, and didn’t think fast enough to say “That’s YOUR fault! You must have been facing the wrong direction! Would you want me to turn down a one way with traffic facing me?” Ah well. I later realized that he took my “get the heck outta here” reaction to be one of guilt, but as it was, I had no warrants out!

Another time a cop caused my infraction, I was driving just a tad over the speed limit (55) North on US23. A cop in an unmarked but obvious police car pulled up RIGHT on my tail. I could see the lights under the grille. I knew it was a cop and figured he was in a hurry, so I sped up a bit and pulled into the right lane ahead of the other traffic, to get out of his way.

He pulled me over, for driving 71 in a 55 (for all of 10 seconds, to get out of HIS way!) Again, I didn’t mention I’d done it for his benefit, and that I could see he was a cop, and why the hell did he zoom way up my tailpipe if he didn’t want me to get out of the way? No, I play the “Yes, Officer, No Officer” routine showing respect. No doubt that’s helped more than it’s hurt, over those years when I was foolish enough to do things to get me pulled over. Lesson learned: if a cop in a hurry pulls right up behind me, go not one mile over the speed limit, and only pull into the right lane when there’s plenty of room. If that’s a problem for the officer, well, that’s his problem.

Meanwhile, I now drive a minivan. If you ever decide to be a criminal, drive a minivan. Before, driving older but perhaps sportier cars, whenever I had a light out or the least bit wrong, I’d get pulled over and notified. Now that I’m “of a certain age”, with short hair, and driving a minivan, I practically have to scream to get a cop’s attention. I’ve driven for months with a light out and I never get notified for it. Yep, for would-be criminals, minivans rock!

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Driving up to MN for Thanksgiving in the early 80’s. It’s probably 11:00 pm, two lane road, I’m doing 70 or so in a 55 zone, and go by a trooper with a car pulled over. Safe, I think.

A few minutes later, lights in my mirror. I pull over. The trooper comes up, tells me to come back to his car. He asks if I knew I was speeding when I went by him, I say yes, and he shows me that I was clocked at 72. Then he hits the ‘clear’ button.

Turns out, he was finishing up the ticket for the other guy he’d stopped, who asked him how the radar worked. He flipped it on and got me. He said he felt he had to pull me over, and we waited a minute or two for the previous guy to go by. Told me he didn’t want to write me a ticket for bad luck, to slow down, and have a nice day.

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Way back in the mid-'60s, my then-boyfriend and I drove way the hell out into the country, then pulled over and started having sex . . . which was illegal at that time. Before either of us could finish, a bright light appeared, which was a cop’s flash light. We made up some lame excuse for being half-undressed, and the cop told us to get dressed and drive home. It could have been a whole lot worse.

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A coupla times. But background first: I was a NYS E.M.T. for a bunch of years. While I was both a driver and then an EMT, I used a green colored rotating light on the roof of my minivan. When responding to a call, it would indicate to other drivers that if they wished, and had room, they might pull over to let me by. Common enough in suburban and rural communities that have mostly volunteer EMS and Fire departments.

I never got a speeding ticket while that light was on the roof of my van. Never. Ever. I tend to be lead-footed. I wasn’t consciously abusing the courtesy light. But I was aware that I simply never got pulled over. If you’re going more than 20 mph over the posted limit, you get a ticket and points. Never me. Lucky I say !!

I made a right turn on red onto Dyer Avenue in NYC once. It is the road leading down into the Lincoln Tunnel in Manhattan heading to Jersey. Now, in the City of New York, all right on reds are illegal. There are a few very precious exceptions to that law, and they are clearly posted. I’ve seen two in my 33 years living in NYC. Can only recall the exact location of one of them. ( On the downstroke of the upper level of the 59th Street Bridge, 21st St ramp. After stopping, Right On Red is permitted ). Anyway, I was living upstate in Orange County at the time. Had been for years. Just… forgot, that I was in the city and not upstate. I did the right on red and got pulled over by NYPD. The officer came over and asked if I knew why I’d been pulled over. I handed over my license and registration and insurance and said, " Yes I do. I live upstate, I did a right on red without thinking about it. " He examined my license and insurance, which confirmed where I lived and did most of my driving. He let me go with a verbal warning.

When I was in film school at School of Visual Arts in NYC, I was working on a student film. We were shooting at the southwest corner of Madison Square Park. There used to be ( and still may be ) several payphones at that corner. Our genny kept blowing the lights we had for our night scene. I had no driver’s license and only an expired Pennsylvania learner’s permit. I had the idea of using the car’s headlights. So… I got into the car, turned it sideways on 23rd Street and slowly drove it up onto the sidewalk and put the high beams on to light the actors. The NYPD officers who watched me do this and then came over to stop me were pretty nonplussed by my explanation that we needed the light to shoot by. They ticketed me for driving without a license and for driving on the sidewalk. The second infraction was an offense that should have gotten me arrested, so they told me. They let me go with the tickets and a pretty harsh warning… :eek:

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Is this a common concern for you? :eek:

Well, that is technically why they have those flashing light dealies and the siren thingamabobs. They want your attention to get out of the way, they will tell you. You pull over to get out of the way and they pull over behind you, you continue pulling over.

Sex was illegal? Man, that’s harsh.