Help me learn to drive, or, why do cops hate me?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Some background info.

I don’t consider myself to be a bad driver. (I know, people will say no one does.) However, keeping that in mind, I don’t tailgate. I don’t get impatient, in fact, my SO and friends will tell you I really don’t get upset at much on the road. I don’t let myself get distracted, use a cell phone while driving, etc. I know the rules of the road, who has the right of way, etc.

I am not a big speeder. Now here’s where I need to qualify my remarks. Yes, I know that technically, going even one mile over the limit is enough to give me a ticket. Yes, I know that the limits are there for a reason. Like I said, I am not a big speeder. I don’t go zooming past people on the road, try to pass, like I said , I don’t really get impatient. In fact, my SO doesn’t like me to drive because I will happily follow a slow car and not think anything of it, and he is thinking “pass! Pass!” and getting tense, so he has to interrupt my conversation and say “sorry, but can you just pass this car?”

Anyway. This morning I got my 4th, yes, count them, 4th speeding ticket in 3 years. They are all for going less than 10mph over the limit. Never in a school or construction zone, each time I have been (I thought) keeping up with general traffic. This morning Igot passed by a school bus just before I got pulled over. The point is…am I doing something to attract cops? It seems like, if I ever speed, I will get pulled over, and will get a ticket. (I also cannot get pulled over and get a warning, if I get pulled over, the ticket is as good as mine. I don’t try to make excuses to the cop, and am always polite, have info ready and updated, etc.). I know the answer to never get another ticket is to never speed. I swear, I am almost always the slowest one on the road!

I have come to believe that I cannot speed, ever. Others can zoom past me on a road, running red lights and hitting old ladies, but if I am going 5 over, it’s a ticket for me. My husband, who will admit he is an aggressive, speeding, impatient driver, has a better record than me, although he will admit he is not the better driver. (He got his license suspended as a teenager, but has been able to talk his way out of every ticket since.) I have tickets for going 4 miles over the limit.

Yes, I know I can get a ticket for going 4 over. But what can I do, other than really becoming the most anal driver ever? I am starting to get paranoid. (Velma’s inner monologue as she drives: “did I forget to use a turn signal on that last lane change? I just passed a car…did the speed limit change without me noticing? ohgodohgodohgod…that light turned yellow as I went through.”) Once I got pulled over for not using a turn signal on a lane change on an empty road at 2am.

I’m sure the residents of my neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief that I got that ticket. One more and I’ll be off the streets. That’s me, a menace, I tells ya!:frowning:

do I just need to learn how to look out for cops? Or should I give up and ride a bike?

2

Ouch, Velma, that’s a bum deal. The only thing I can think of is maybe it’s just a string of unlucky coincidences. Or perhaps you fit the profile of a reckless driver-- red sports car, etc-- but I didn’t really get that vibe from your OP. Have you tried flirting with the cop? :wink:

3

red sports car guy, here! not to be a dick, or anything, but i figure you are just unlucky. i drive the red sports car like my ass is on fire! very rarely anywhere even close to the speed limit, always looking for places to pass (double yellow be damned!) and generally a menace to society!

haven’t had a ticket in years!! Get yourself a radar detector or develop a “sense” to the coppers! For some reason, I just know when they are around.

of course, it helps to live in the middle of nowhere, also. a while back i was cruising home at about 90 mph, crested a slight rise to see Mr. NHP coming my way. I didn’t even bother to try to slow down, figureing i was nicked! He didn’t give me a second look! Was actually stopped a few weeks ago (was going 80) and the cop asked a few questions while he looked over the license/registration/insurance. I told him i would slow down if he gave me a warning. It worked!! He sent me on my way, sans ticket!

i’m a damn lucky guy! (better than being good!) :smiley:

4

Do you drive at night more than in the day? If so, have most of your speeding tickets been issued at night? Most of my speeding tickets have taken place at night, when not only can I not see where the cops are from a distance, but there is usually less traffic out at that time, and more cops are out looking for drunk drivers. My last two speeding violations occurred at night. The most recent one was on a very low-traffic road out in the middle of nowhere where I was not expecting to see a policeman. Before that I had one who had been following behind me without knowing that it was a cop. Needless to say, I obey the speed limit at night more than I used to.

5

I think your personalized KILLPIGS license plate may have something to do with it…

6

Wow. Thats really unlucky. I was actually quite fortunate today - I was in a passing lane going about 100 (km people, not miles!) in an 80 zone, and really not paying attention until I glance at my rearview out of habit and realize that the car right behind me was an unmarked OPP car (the “unmarked” ones with the battering ram on the fron :rolleyes:). I was so worried he was going to pull me over, but I just waited til I got past the van I was passing, and got into the slow lane, hoping he’d take it as a “speeding to get around something, but then slowing down” type thing. The guy just kept on driving (and actually sped up to about 110-120, by my guess. F***ing hypocrite cops, speeding when they feel like it but then ticketing people for next-to-nothing speeding).

I was SO relieved. I don’t know if he just didn’t care, or had somewhere to go, or figured my out-of-province licence wasn’t worth ticketing since there was a good chance they’d never see the money anyways, or what, but I was still SO lucky.

Sorry. That wasn’t very sympathetic, but I am still amazed that I didn’t get pulled over tonight. :slight_smile:

7

I think you all are right about the unlucky bit. My SO is trying to teach me how to talk my way out more, he thinks by not saying anything it looks like I don’t care…maybe.

I am getting a new car this fall and it will not be red! I will never drive a red car again, esp. not a 2 door, anything sporty.

I saw him on the way home, figured out where he was hiding. He was still sitting there…in someone’s driveway!?

I have one of those “I support the police” stickers, or whatever you get when you donate money to the force. I usually don’t like putting stickers on my car, but I think I’m going to locate that one and put it on. Anything that might help.

Thanks for the info. I’ve always thought it was just random, it never seems like the people who deserve it are the ones getting the tickets.:wink:

8

You should definatly talk to the officer. Be nice. Ask how his/her day is going. That sort of thing.

I’m told by many women that a good crying fit will get you out of a ticket.

9

Certain cars & certain appearances attract cops attention from what I gather from talking to
those who got tickets. Cool book right for you is “Beat That Ticket” (there are others like it)
They Show speeding laws & how to beat the tickets legally. e.g. the famous Speed Zone Surveys.