Drove my Torch Red C4 from San Diego to Central Kansas last week. Much of the time, on the nearly deserted and smooth roads from Albuquerque to Great Bend, Kansas, I was keeping it between 85 and 90...my faithful V-1 on alert.
Zero issues until I got within 40 miles of my destination. Coming out of a small Kansas town, I'm back up to 85 when a moment's inattention and some curves in the road allows a Kansas patrol car, with instant-on radar, to close within about 40 yds before I realize it's there . No warning from the V-1, and I reflexively lift.

In my rearview, I see his brake lights come on, and he pulls onto the shoulder preparatory to making a U-turn. I'm had, no question about it....so I pull over on the shoulder, roll the windows down, turn off the car, put both hands on the top of the steering wheel...and wait for him to pull up behind me and turn on the flashing red-and-blues in the white Charger's grill. After a few minutes, he gets out of the car and walks up, stopping well back of my drivers door.
"I guess you know why I stopped you?" he asks.
"Oh, yeah." was my sheepish reply.

At that point, you could see/hear/sense his entire demeanor change; his face and voice just...relaxed.


"I didn't get the radar turned on until you were right in front of me" he says, "but I got you at 78 in a 65." he says.
"That sounds about right." was my response.

With a big smile (!), he says, "Show me your DL and proof of insurance, and if they are in order, I'll give you a written warning."
"Fair enough." I said, exhaling noticeably.
"Pretty windy today...this car handle the wind okay?" he asked while I was getting the paperwork out.
"Surprisingly well, except for when I meet those eighteen-wheelers." I said.
"Where ya' headed?" was his next question and I told him. He nods.

He took the DL and ins. card, went back to the car, returned a few minutes later, and said "Okay, try to keep it at the speed limit, okay? Have a good day".

My day was GREAT, after that!!!

I've found, since getting my Corvette, that admitting guilt to an officer who stops you, will produce the best results. I drive fast, and have been stopped for it several times, but have never gotten a ticket (in the Vette!). I attribute this to, in effect, saying "ya got me, officer, fair and square"

Treat the officer with decency, not like he's an idiot with an agenda, and he/she will treat you the same way...in MOST cases.

Drive safely.

PS He didn't say a word about the radar detector sitting in plain sight on the dash............ :o

Larry
code5coupe

__________
not easily impressed....

 

They got a tough job and deal with attitudes all day. Treat them like a normal person and most of them appreciate it.

 

Attitude is everything. If you get arrogant or try to lie your way out of it, you will get a ticket, or worse. Remember, the cops and judges eat off the same plate. If anything 'unfortunate' happens, the judge takes the cops side.

 

Well...the best ticket avoidance is to not speed....but barring that....



Most of us can't imagine the degree of crap LEO's put up with daily.

 

Perfect response-and that, along with not giving him a bunch of saved you the ticket. Yea, that's what makes a great day!

 

My 3 adulthood tickets have been earned out of state. My experience in that case is that they show no mercy. All the courtesy & honesty in the world simply resulted in courteously issued citations.

Maybe next time it will work out.

 

Like Wayne88 said "attitude is everything"

When I am working speed enforcement and pull over a car, you know you did it, I know you did it, most who admit it 8 out of 10 get written or verbal warning. The ones who flat out will not own up to it or have some lame response are the 2% who I ticket.

 

Hey Larry, be safe and well out there in the heartland!

 

I just keep a watchful eye and just careful. I do the same if I get pulled over also. Just be honest. Lying isn't going to change the outcome.

Plus I saw this sign in a DMV once and it has stuck in my mind...

"If you think you received a ticket you didn't deserve, think of all the tickets you deserved that you didn't get"

I would probably qualify for a couple

 

Thanks, Tim!! I went back there to buy a house; found a great one with not only a two-car attached (to a six-bedroom house) garage, but a six-car garage on the adjoining lot, all on an acre in the country. The six-car is finished inside, 220v, heated, air-conditioned, phone, cable, and water/sink. It is fabulous!! Now, the Vette AND the VW AND the Jeep AND the boat will be garaged!!! Ya-hoo!!!
As soon as I get moved and settled in, all my CF buddies are invited out for riding lawn mower races (the two back yards are huge) and a BBQ!!

Larry
code5coupe

___________
not easily impressed....

 

It works the other way around for me. I could speed all I want in my DD and they wouldnt stop me, but if i'm doing 5-10 over in the vette they're all over me and no I have never gotten a warning

 

Funny, I never feel the gust of wind when an eighteen wheeler zooms by in the opposite direction. Been on flat roads in Kansas and Texas panhandle, man its easy to ignore the speed limit when there is nothing to gauge your momentum by. I got warned by a cop for going 51 in a 45 because I was passing an old truck towing a broken down van. He drove around 3 other vehicles behind me, stopped next to me in the left turn lane and said "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE SPEED LIMIT IS ?" All I said was " YES SIR.." Then he speed off ahead of me, and he definitely didn't know what the speed limit was.

 

Absolutely. If you're a dik you can expect (and probably deserve) a ticket

 

Some years ago I was given a book by a friend called, "How To Avoid a Ticket" (or something like that), written by a retired highway patrolman. It has been 15 years since I read it from cover to cover, but the one thing I carried away was to do exactly what you did: Honesty, respect, no hassles/attitude - goes a long way to possibly getting off with just a warning. (Sometimes having gray hair helps too, I like to think!)

P.

PS

Something to think about... GM has their "Onstar" (sp?) system which has already demonstrated ability to report the speed and location of equipped vehicles...to whomever might be interested. One of the "advantages" of such systems includes active control of the vehicle's ignition: something to think about when buying such systems as "options". Chances are they won't be "options" for much longer - the power to control "to save the children" will be too much for authorities to leave alone for long. They send drivers tickets in the mail now for running red lights or running tolling stations. With the "Onstar" technology it isn't too much of a leap of imagination to see drivers one day getting tickets for speeding too.

Wait and watch!! (In the mean time, I'm making me a tin-foil hat to keep da bastards from mind controlling me! )

P.

 

Good story Larry. Seems like the V1 failed you.


You should sell it to me cheap so I can find out whats wrong with it

 

Thats more like the reality of it all. The OP was very lucky.

 

I did skate with a warning in Wyoming once, and that guy was pretty cool. He had a lot of questions, though (AK license, SD plates, explanation included school in IN & moving to CO), so I think a ticket would have been in the offing if he had gotten me on radar.


Maybe I should get some temporary Cornhuskers decals for my road trips to SD. Colorado plates in Nebraska may just be asking for trouble.

 

BINGO, Paul!
"A Speeder's Guide to Avoiding Tickets" by Sgt. James M. Eagan, NYSP (Ret.).
I keep it in my library and read it about once a year, just to stay sharp.
It's not only informative (I tried to follow his advice on this stop, missing only "turn on the emergency flashers"), but very entertaining as well.

PS. My gray beard sure didn't hurt, either.

Larry
code5coupe

__________
not easily impressed....

 

I was talking to an FBI agent and he said no way would he ever be a cop. He said way to dangerous. I was like what are you talking about your FBI. He told me that when he arrests somebody he knows everything about them, and the best and safest time to make the arrest. A cop has to deal with everyone at a moments notice. Not a lot of prep time goes into it. So they never know what the situation might be. Hey if your speeding and get caught deal with it. I do. Not that I don't have the V1 on the lookout. But you do have to give these guys a break.

 

I was just about to ask. It sounds like you got real lucky.