# Speeding ticket - how to answer cop questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237 "2009-05-13T01:09:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/1 "2009-05-13T01:09:49Z")
Cop pulls me today and I get a ticket for 65 in a 50. It was an unmarked car and I went right by her. So she asks me “Why were you speeding?” What answer am I supposed to give to that? I said something like “Didn’t realize I was speeding” There was no way I was avoiding this ticket since the first words out of her mouth to me were “You were pulled for 65 in a 50.” So I don’t think it matters what I said after that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/2 "2009-05-13T01:12:46Z")
Were you in labor? Had you been shot in the stomach? Was _American Idol_ about to come on? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/3 "2009-05-13T01:15:49Z")
Now that I think about it, I think she asked me about “why” after she went back to her car to write the ticket up. If I had a decent reason to speed, I would have said it without her asking. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/4 "2009-05-13T01:18:15Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Cop pulls me today and I get a ticket for 65 in a 50. It was an unmarked car and I went right by her. So she asks me “Why were you speeding?” What answer am I supposed to give to that? I said something like “Didn’t realize I was speeding” > > There was no way I was avoiding this ticket since the first words out of her mouth to me were “You were pulled for 65 in a 50.” So I don’t think it matters what I said after that. “I really have to pee.” ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/5 "2009-05-13T01:21:36Z")
Possibly a rhetorical question designed to make you realize that there was no good reason to be going so fast. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/6 "2009-05-13T01:23:08Z")
I also got asked where I was going, not sure the reason for that either. Guess I should have said “Emergency room” ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/7 "2009-05-13T01:24:42Z")
“I was trying to get it up to 88. Is it 1955 yet?” ---
**Author:** ![MarcinCiez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b38774/32.png) [@MarcinCiez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcinCiez)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/8 "2009-05-13T01:36:34Z")
I’ve always wandered if my excuse of “(gasping) Thank god, can you please take me home/hospital… I’m having an asthma attack!” will one day spare me of paying a speeding fine. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/9 "2009-05-13T01:37:43Z")
Not once they get you home and wait for you to make with the inhaler. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/10 "2009-05-13T01:55:39Z")
When ever I got that question, I just tell them I’m sorry and that I was being stupid and should have realized. I’ve gotten out of tickets with just a warning saying this, but not everytime. But if there’s any chance you walk, it will be with those words. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/11 "2009-05-13T02:00:45Z")
Turns out they started a big campaign today to target speeders, no way was I getting off. [http://www.townofcary.org/news/news2009/police-patientpayoff9.htm](http://www.townofcary.org/news/news2009/police-patientpayoff9.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Thalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@Thalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thalion)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/12 "2009-05-13T02:07:07Z")
> [@j666](#): > > “I really have to pee.” I’m a cop, and had one elderly man use that excuse. The look on his face made me believe him. I quickly wrote down his information and let him go. To the OP: The way I was trained to ask that question is, “Is there a legal reason for your speed”? That way, if you really do have an excuse (and there are some valid ones), you can give it. But by asking for a legal reason we hope to cut off the stupid excuses. However, it doesn’t make sense to ask that after writing the ticket. Maybe she just forgot to ask earlier. As for asking where you’re going, that was probably just doing a little fishing. If you gave an answer that didn’t make sense based on the direction you were travelling, she might follow up with more questions. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/13 "2009-05-13T02:16:14Z")
Fishing for what? Try to find out if I am running drugs or something? I told her I was headed to a local small college but she may not even know where it is so she would not know if I was headed in the right direction or not. (the school is a small town 30 miles south of here) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/14 "2009-05-13T02:21:34Z")
Usually when cops ask questions like that (“Do you know why I stopped you?” is a very common one) is to see if they can get you to confess to the offense. That makes things easier if you try to plead not guilty later. Never admit to anything. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/15 "2009-05-13T02:24:04Z")
As I said the first words out of her mouth were why she stopped me, maybe she’s a rookie and doesn’t know the drill. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/16 "2009-05-13T02:37:31Z")
> [@MarcinCiez](#): > > I’ve always wandered if my excuse of “(gasping) Thank god, can you please take me home/hospital… I’m having an asthma attack!” will one day spare me of paying a speeding fine. 😃 Worked for my wife, actually. They called an ambulance, she wound up getting nebulizer treatment for a little bit, then she was permitted to drive off. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/17 "2009-05-13T02:48:11Z")
Traffic stops are often fishing expeditions for other crimes. Aside from getting your confession about the traffic offense, the cop is probably just trying to size you up and see if you’re otherwise suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/18 "2009-05-13T02:53:11Z")
> [@Thalion](#): > > … if you really do have an excuse (and there are some valid ones), you can give it. But by asking for a legal reason we hope to cut off the stupid excuses. I’m really curious to learn what valid legal reasons there are for speeding. I suppose rushing a very injured person to the hospital might be one, and maybe a police officer on the way to a crime in progress might be another, but what are others? ---
**Author:** ![hroark2112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hroark2112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hroark2112)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/19 "2009-05-13T04:02:33Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Turns out they started a big campaign today to target speeders, no way was I getting off. > > [http://www.townofcary.org/news/news2009/police-patientpayoff9.htm](http://www.townofcary.org/news/news2009/police-patientpayoff9.htm) Thanks for that link!!! I will slow down on my way to work tomorrow now. I hate that we don’t have a location visible, would be nice to know where people are from…wonder how many Cary people we have here! ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237/20 "2009-05-13T06:12:41Z")
A cop once told me you can give a ticket or give a lecture, but never both. So I would have just shrugged. You write me a ticket, there’s not going to be any chit-chat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speeding-ticket-how-to-answer-cop-questions/496237.md?page=2)