We’ve all seen the tips and tricks that others give you. Personally I laugh hard when I read those tips; because for my home-town none of them work. So, here are my 5 tips, tricks, and guaranteed 100%, no ifs, ands, or buts, way to beat the system.
***Note, I’m from Colorado, so most of the fines, laws, and penalties I note here are based on Colorado State Patrol.
For all those wonderful female police officers out there – if I say he instead of S/he, he or she, he/she, or they – it is simply a slip of the tongue…er…fingers – absolutely no inference to the sex of a police officer is indicated (although, to be fair, females are a lot more fair and strict about their enforcement of the law, just my opinion!)***
5. Don’t speed!
I know this sounds pretty obvious but when the State of Colorado gets thousands of dollars every year (more like tens-of-thousands) just from speeding tickets alone (no other violations, just speeding) you’d think people would learn to obey this one rule! Some tipsters will tell you that they won’t pull you over for going less than 5MPH over-the-limit – guess what they’re wrong. Especially if there is another violation they can hit you with that 5MPH helps the DA that will prosecute your case to know that more was going on than just “whatever the major violation was.” So, if you don’t have insurance on your car – besides getting something cheap and fast – I’d suggest you watch your speedometer very carefully! Speedometer – an instrument which indicates speed – you know that big circle with the single clock hand in the middle of your dash?
4. Admit when you are guilty
Nothing shows trust like admitting you were wrong. Not only to the actual officer that pulled you over, but also to the legal system itself. If you are caught speeding and you know you were in the wrong, my first suggestion is to PAY THE FINE. Even if you can tell yourself, “Well, the card was hidden, I didn’t see it” or “That’s not fair because it was by speed camera, not a real cop” or the dreaded “I was going the same as everyone else, why did they pick on me?” These are excuses, not proof that you didn’t break the law.
Also, don’t wait for your court date and hope that the officer doesn’t show up – believe me, in smaller cities and towns they have nothing better to do. They will show up and you WILL LOSE! Of all the tickets handed out for speeding maybe half will try to get to court. Of those that show up in court 90% will plead guilty realizing their case is hopeless to fight – some just couldn’t pay the fine and needed a payment plan, others were told by an attorney their case was hopeless and just plea guilty. Of the remaining 10%, at least 95% of the time the officer will show up in court. And, yes, the courts are going to trust their word over yours. I have only seen 1 speeding case that was thrown – it was a Geo Metro going up Monument hill – there was no way that car was even going the speed limit at the top, much less 20MPH over!
Many law enforcement systems offer a deal to pay the fine and be done with it. CSP if you pay the fine often they won’t add any points to your license. If you show up in court they automatically tack on $200+ just for wasting the court’s time….so, don’t speed, but if you do get caught, just pay the fine and quit wasting time! Yes, your insurance will go up, but given the odds above, you have less than 1% chance of beating the ticket – so save that $200+, your time, the court’s time, and the officer’s time – just pay the ticket!
3. Read the Driver’s Manual!
How far away from the car in front of you are you supposed to be when you stop at a light? How about distance from a railroad crossing? Who has the right-of-way between a bicycle and a car? If you don’t know the answers then read the book. Can’t read? The DMV offers audio copy of the book as well. Get the book, read the book, AND FOLLOW THE RULES. Most you do without thinking, mostly because it is what everyone around you is going. Many of these laws don’t really matter until you are in an accident. If you are ticketed because the person in front of you rolled backward at a stoplight and hit you – then you were less than a full car length from them. Guess what – yep – that’s a legal violation! Just like there is no excuse for not understanding Miranda Rights when an arrest is given, there is no excuse for not knowing the rules of the road. All DMVs have to give a free copy of the rules to every licensed, or potentially licensed, individual. Read it, listen to it, follow it. It’s not that difficult, if you can stay on the correct side of that yellow line, you can follow all the other rules as well.
2. Learn your car inside and out
Guess what? That’s right, more reading. Get a repair manual or do a search for basic vehicle maintenance. Even if you don’t know exactly what a Serpentine belt is or does, know that it is in your car and it must work. If you arrive at a repair shop and something doesn’t work – beyond what you brought it in for in the first place – the shop will suggest you fix it right there. Find out what it is, how much, and how long you have until it goes. Why? Because if the repaid is a hazard on the road, your local Police Department is going to receive an anonymous tip – they have your home information, license plate number, VIN, and telephone numbers. Consider it the Good Samaritan law…if you know someone is doing something wrong and you don’t stop or report it to be corrected – you are just as guilty. So, know what you have to do to keep your car running safely. Seatbelts fall in this category as well. Officers can now pull you over, nationwide, for not wearing a seatbelt. How embarrassing to be stopped for seatbelt infraction and finding out all kinds of other things are wrong too! “Shucks, if I’d only put on my belt they never would have found…those baggies!” Too bad – so sad.
1. Obey the Law
Amazingly, if you obey the law you don’t get into trouble! Gee…a concept we have trouble accepting as Americans. You might say that the laws violate your constitutional rights – but really you not obeying them is violating EVERYONE ELSE’S constitutional rights. Much like the peeping tom who is suing his victims because installing curtains and shutters violates his constitutional rights to look at them IN THEIR OWN HOME! So, if you really want to beat a bad reputation, just obey the law! Quit stomping on my constitutional right to a safe roadway to travel on!
Think the police pick on you because you get pulled over for “stupid stuff”? You are probably right. If you’ve been cited for something minor (not signing the back of your registration papers?) then there is a good chance you will be picked on for awhile – especially if you act suspicious in any way. Police talk to each other; they tell each other when they have a funny, interesting, or scary event. They also do what they have to in order to make their jobs more tolerable when dealing with stupid people. When you get pulled over don’t start attitude, don’t act stupid which will just make the officer more upset and more likely to cite you for something else – you’d be surprised what is legally in their arsenal when it comes to moving and vehicle violations!
So, if you read this article thinking you were going to be able to get out of that speeding ticket you got this morning – well, you read this far so maybe you at least learned your lesson (which is the point of a ticket, duh!!!). If not, then your citing officer will see you in court and go back laughing to his buddies – “Can you believe this kid? He actually thought I wouldn’t show up!”
Good Luck and Happy Driving!
