The only speeding ticket I ever received was for doing 40 in a 25mph school zone. I went to court and politely explained to the judge that the sign in that area was 25 when children are present, not between the hours of 8-4 but when present. It was 10am and I believed children are in school at that time and it no longer applied. Got a reduced fine and no points.
Well, in my part of Ohio, I have never heard of this and I have an uncle who is a lieutenant on a city force. And if he happened to pull me over, I would get a ticket. And he doesn’t fix tickets for the family. As my nephew found out the hard way. 
No, it is almost impossible to get a ticket fixed in Ohio. Once the ticket is written, that’s it. The courtesy card/badge is to keep the ticket from being written.
And it may not be the case in your part of Ohio, I was speaking strictly of my experience in the Cleveland area. Ask your uncle, he may have heard of this even if it isn’t used or honored in your area. I have no idea if it would work anywhere outside the Cleveland area.
I think it is basically unfair, everyone should be treated the same under the law. But it does happen.
Oh, and we have the “FOP (fraternal order of police) support” sticker also, but I don’t know if it does any good or not.
I always heard that the best way to avoid a ticket was to shove your finger deep inside your nostril and dig like a 49’r at an imaginary booger, just as the officer was approaching your window. Psychologically this seems sound. Would you want the person touching your pen to sign the ticket?
Paula Poundstone had a good bit on this. Her idea was to “fall asleep” before the cop got your window. Then you’d look so peaceful he wouldn’t want to wake you.
MAD magazine also had some good ideas. Cop pulls you over walks up to your window and asks “Where’s the fire?” and you reply “In your eyes.” Boy early 80s MAD magazine was funny.
I have found that late at night when there is no other traffic around (excepting the occasional drunk) is just the time to OBEY ALL TRAFFIC LAWS! Let’s face it, the late shift cops are looking for something to do. If they don’t have anyone else to choose from, they’ll a VERY close look at whatever comes along. The lack of adequate decoys around you makes you an exceptionally easy target.
It’s kind of like being a herd animal on the Serengeti. When you are in the middle of the herd there’s a good chance that the hungry lion will catch someone else and leave you alone. But venture out there all by your lonesome and you’d best not do anything to attract attention to yourself.
Pulled over 25+ times.
Tickets: 6 …all reduced from actual speeds. One from 98 MPH to 68…some from 75+ MPH to 65 or less.
Want advice from me?
Night: lights on in car when pulled over.
Pull over well to a nice spot and wave acknowledgement to officer, hazzard lights on, car OFF, hands clearly on wheel…I put my hands on the door!!! My licencse is always realitvely handy (never strew about with other papers, and I never attempt to give it to the officer unless it is removed from wallet.
Before getting my ID/Reg/insurance, I tell officer where it is (‘it’s in my briefcase, can I reach in there for it?’)
Always “Sir”.
Do you know why I pulled you over: If you do, it’s okay to admit it…even best to be apologetic and admit it. No excuses - Never sound right.
Cop WILL ask you: Why did you out your hands on the door ?(since they never see this) reply: I have alot of friends and family in law enforcement, and I know they appreciate it when they can see hands as they approach a vehicle.
Tickets that couldn’t be weasled out of by me: 2 in Maryland (and that says all you need to know. MD cuts littles slack) One in Delaware, and the rest in NJ when I had PA tags) All speeds were quite excessive, to the point that my Passport radar detector couldn’t save me. All tickets received in sports car with tinted windows.
If I can beat over 20 tickets and get the others reduced, you can certainly succeed.
I wasn’t trying to find a way to break the law. Getting an officer to “forgive” you is not illegal (though I guess speeding is). Anyway, thank you all for your contributions. Keep the hits coming.
I have a couple of comments, having had contact with many police officers in my former life, having a parent who worked directly for the chief of a police agency, and having a family friend who was a New York State Trooper before 20+ years and wrote a book on his tips for beating tickets.
Every cop is different. But in general, unless you’re in the military, the repeated “sirs” begin to sound phony. Take a moment and identify the agency for whom the police officer works, and any rank insignia he has. Three stripes on the sleeve? As my author friend said, he worked hard to become a sergeant, and it never hurt to hear it recognized. Two stripes, you’re probably safe in calling him Corporal.
With no rank… if you’ve been pulled over by the Sheriff’s department, “Deputy.” The state police are usually “Trooper.” All others - and in case of any doubt - “Officer” works fine, and is better than “sir, sir, sir”.
The tips about keeping your hands in sight and rolling down windows (especially if tinted) are good. Don’t anticipate the officer’s request for your license and registration. Just pull over and wait, hands on wheel. If it’s dark, turning on the interior light is good. After the officers asks for your registration and license, say, “It’s in the glove box,” and only then reach over. Don’t, in other words, reach anywhere without saying what you’re doing first.
All of this is in the name of reducing the fear and tension that accompany an officer for any traffic stop. The calmer the officer is, the better your chances of a warning are.
Crying is a good approach, especially from a female to a male officer. Many officers’ self-image is being a strong, stalwart protector of society. Especially in these times, DO NOT try flirting or any sort of “Isn’t there any way we can work this out…” lines. In order to protect from later charges of inappropriate behavior, the wise officer will issue a ticket.
My friend tells the story of how typical excuses used to fly with him: he once pulled over a couple, and the husband claimed he was speeding because his wife didn’t feel well, and he wanted her to get to the emergency room. He asked if he should call for an ambulance; the driver started to backpedal. As my friend expressed concern that maybe she needed help, the driver was now put in the position of arguing that she wasn’t really that sick after all.
He never let the “I had to go to the bathroom” people off, especially if he had followed them PAST an exit, reasoning they would have taken the exit if they had to go that badly.
The people that claimed to know other officers were also given short shrift. In fact, he had a standard line, no matter whose name they said:
MOTORIST: “I’m very good friends with Sergeant Jones. Do you know him?”
MY FRIEND: (With a scowl) “Yeah, I know that officer real well. He cost me a promotion.”
He says that not once did any officer contact him to ask what the hell he had been talking about.
Blustering about important political connections you have is also useless. His experience was that people who truly had the connections to get tickets fixed didn’t bother explaining anything to the roadside cop; they simply had it taken care of later.
- Rick
Check out A Speeder’s Guide to Avoiding Tickets , by James M. Eagan. Written by a former state trooper, it’s a collection of common sense suggestions along the lines of those Philster and Bricker listed above, along with explanations of why little things like this make a big difference.
Something that will ensure that you get a ticket is not having your license and/or insurance card in the vehicle (even if it’s an honest “I left it in my messenger bag” mistake). I think this is because while someone might feel all right in letting you off of one ticket, if you’re going to get two or more, they probably aren’t going to stick their necks out that far.
Interesting side note: one time I got a ticket. I really did have to go to the bathroom (w/monthly!), and that was why I was speeding, but I didn’t want to use that as an excuse, so I was polite and sucked it up. As he left to write the ticket, though, I explained the situation (“Um…I really have to go [sub]and I kinda have my period…[/sub]”) and asked if I could go to the bathroom at the Big Apple Bagel we were parked in front of.
He wouldn’t let me. I nearly pissed my pants.
Moral? If you need to go, don’t speed. Because the officer won’t let you go. And you’ll end up doing the unhappy pee dance while he’s writing you the ticket.
Fumble around looking for the registration & insurance papers. If you bring them out right away he might think you get this alot & be more likely to give you a ticket (?)
Read from amazon.com, bn.com, Borders, your library: ‘Beat that Ticket’ (lots of books like this) also search the board, there are hundreds if not thousands of posts on this, if you need more reading…
I just jump out really quick & run up to his car before he barely gets out & I say ‘Im deaf’ & ‘What can I do for you’ & they let me go. Hmmmm. These things are legal, although I don’t suggest you jump out like that, I just get nervous, see?
Angel of the Lord
The only time I got pulled over for speeding was when I was doing 50 on a county road where the limit was 35. I had left my license in a pair of pants at home (my birthday had been a couple days before and I had gone out to celebrate).
I was very polite and honest. I admitted that I had been going too fast. When the state trooper asked for my license, I admitted I didn’t have it (I had been told that because of computer systems, it’s no longer mandatory), and offered to show other photo ID. He then asked me to write down my address (as it appears on my license) and my social security number.
He gave me a written warning, and told me to pay better attention.
Oh, you asked for stories, too.
In one instance when I did get a ticket, the officer said, “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
Being apologetic, I admitted it was likely due to speeding.
He said, “… yep, do you know how fast?”
I said, “90?”
He said, “I was doing 90 and you were still pulling away from me”.
He bumped it down to 69 and we had a chuckle.
So, any truth that if you’re a cop that other cops let you out of a ticket? Wouldn’t that be the best way to avoid a ticket?
Wow, I’ve never gotten out of a ticket. Every time I’ve been pulled over, I’ve gotten a ticket.
They weren’t particularly extremed (or particularly borderline): 80 in a 65
85 in a 65, 45 in a 35. I’m always polite, I always answered, that I was probably speeding, because he knew and I knew I was speeding and I’d rather keep my dignity than try some stupid lie. I don’t care if this works or not, I refuse to lie to get out of a 150$ ticket, when it doesn’t seem to work most of the time anyway.
I’ve also been ticketed for having tags 3 days expired.
And doing a rolling stop at a stop sign.
Like I said, every time I’ve been pulled over for anything, I’ve been promptly ticketed. The only time I was very annoyed was that I got a lecture from the cop when I did the rolling stop about how it was for my own safety (it was a veeerrry slow rolling stop, into a deserted street, clearly, visibly, deserted, which is why I did it), and that he failed to ask me for proof of insurance.
So a week later I received a a semi threatening letter that I hadn’t shown proof of insurance and therefore had a week to mail it to Columbus or lose my license. That pissed me off since I had had my insurance card in my glovebox like always, suddenly it was my fault I wasn’t asked to show it by Sparky the Disorganized Cop.
I’ve also had a cop change a tire for me, push my car to a service station, and call a tow for me in the past.
That said, all but one of my tickets were by Fairborn police who are known for tickets in this area. I would suggest that you don’t speed in Fairborn/Greene County OH. That’s been working for me lately.
From a comedian:
“What’s your hurry?”
“I’m going to meet your wife.”
Quasi
The only time I’ve been pulled over and not received a ticket, it was the second time that cop had pulled me over that night. (He wrote me a ticket the first time.)
Ok, I know it is unfair. Getting a ticket “taken care of” is totally avoiding responsibility when you know you have broken the law. Even if some speed limits are utterly ridiculous. My problem is this, I don’t mind paying the fine if I know I’m in the wrong. However, I don’t how it works in other states, but here in corrupt Louisiana, the ticket stays on your insurance record for 3 or 5 years or something. I don’t mind paying the original fine but to be fined monthly on insurance rates is insane. That’s why people do what they do here to get rid of a ticket or get it reduced to a seatbelt fine which is $25. I don’t have any advice if you get stopped, I just know how it works here after the fact.