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I would like to start this forum with some suggestions on how to handle yourself in the event you ever get pulled-over for a traffic violation. This comes from my own personal experiences and should not be taken as legal advice.
Wisdom
Over the years, I have learned to make this process as painless as possible for both myself and the officer. I realize, now, that police officers are like everyone else - in that they are often married and have children, have good work days and bad work days, and, especially today, are sometimes confronted with life-threatening situations when engaged in traffic stops.
If you keep this in mind, the steps you take during a pull-over can go a long way in keeping tensions down to a minimum.
Moral - Make the situation as least confrontational as possible.
When initially pulled-over, keep both of your hands [and your passengers'] in plain view. In the driver's case either place them high on-top of the steering wheel or outside of your window.
This serves to let the approaching officer that you are not a potential threat. A number of officers have expressed sincere gratitude for taking
their feelings into consideration.
If you are pulled over at night, turn on the interior lights so that officer can clearly see inside your vehicle. This will also server to lesson tensions.
Be prepared with appropriate ID - you know its coming.
Do NOT be argumentative in your tone. You know you were likely speeding.
If asked why you were pulled over, don't lie or make up some excuse - they hear this all the time; don't be a whiner. Since answering in the affirmative to speeding is paramount to self incrimination - that's why they ask you - kindly reply to the question with something like "with all do respect, doesn't answering your question open me up to self incrimination?" I have found that officers appreciate savvy drivers and you will find that you have shifted the burden back to the officer and have begun a dialogue!
Once you have been told what you already know, it pays to be familiar with the state/local statutes.
Ask if the officer would be willing to cite you with a reduced statute. In PA, for example, a PA3111A is a catch-all moving violation that carries no points.
Remember that you are not asking to be given a "break" - they hear this all the time too. You are just asking for his/her consideration of citing a different statute.
When my speeds have been higher, I have offered to accept on the spot a citation for a PA3111A and a seat-belt violation [which carries no points is PA] even though I wear one. This way, everybody gets what they want. The officer has violations/fines he/she can take back to the barracks and you have a reduced fine/penalty and no points.
Some states have jurisprudence in abeyance, which is a fancy way for saying that your citation will be dropped if you don't receive another moving violation in some period thereafter.
They key to all of this is to avoid the points and subsequent insurance surcharges you would otherwise receive. Accept any fine, in and of itself, as the tax for having the privilege to drive faster.
I am
not saying you'll get off of all of your speeding tickets; but I am suggesting that you will fare much
better. And most importantly, you'll be acting as a more responsible citizen to boot.
If you look at it this way, you'll get through all of this much easier.
Happy and safe motoring! 8)
The
VEIL Guy