How to Talk Your Way Out of A Speeding Ticket
This is an outline taken directly from the chapter "How to
Talk Your Way Out of A Speeding Ticket" from the book "Car
Secrets Revealed".
OK, so you did not read the section on avoiding Police
Radar and now you are talking to a Police Officer. Not
the most pleasant experience for you, and they are not going
to be very happy about it either. They are just doing
their job and have the same problems you have. He or she
may have just finished telling a mother that her daughter is
dead because somebody was driving drunk, or speeding to get to
a movie on time. The Police Officer is trying to be
polite with you but may be very upset inside.
Confrontation is not in your best interest right now.
Be polite, no matter how wrong you think the Police
Officer may be. They may just be pulling you over to
give you a warning about your speed, yes it happens a lot, or
they may have spotted a problem with your vehicle and they are
going out of their way to let you know about it before it
becomes serious. Be polite and enjoy the experience.
Even if you get a ticket, it could be a lot worse, and the
polite drivers get off with a warning far, far more often than
the jerks ever will. As the t-shirt says, "Been there,
done that". I have been both a jerk and very polite to
the Police Officers that have pulled me over. When I
acted like a jerk I still got the ticket, and the Police
Officer remembered me. Because he remembered me so well,
he took very careful notes of the traffic stop. When I
got to court to dispute the ticket I was confronted by very
carefully prepared notes and testimony and I lost. When
I followed the information in this chapter I generally got off
with a warning, or was given a lesser ticket and a smaller
fine.
If I did dispute the ticket I found that in several cases
the Police Officer never showed and I got off. Because I
was polite it was not personal. The Police Officer just
went about his day and if he had time to get to court he went.
When I acted like a jerk it was personal the Police Officer
made the time to get even.
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What you should do when you see the police pull in behind
you with the party lights on. No, it is not step on
the gas, it is very hard to outrun a police radio. |
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What to say to the police officer when they have you
stopped |
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What not to say to a police officer - some comments do not
go over very well and can be very expensive if you are
driving an older car that may have mechanical defects. |
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How to act with the police officer so you can both be on
your way as quickly as possible |
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How to answer the officers questions without giving too
much incriminating information away. |
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How much you can ask the officer about the offense and how
to ask for the information so you do not get "remembered"
by the officer if you choose to dispute the traffic
ticket. |
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What you should never say to the police officer. |
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How your body language and your reactions to the police
officer can get you into even more trouble. |
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How to avoid being "remembered" in traffic court by the
police officer. Some police officers take challenges
personally. |
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Police officers are trained observers and note takers.
If you give them a reason they will happily write a whole
book about you for the judge with your entire driving
history included. You could be looking at more fines
or even a long suspension if you are a habitual traffic
offender. |
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The ways to talk with the police officer so you both come
away happy |
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The excuses that will not work with the police officer.
They have been around since the first Model T and they did
not work very well back then either. |
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Ways you can "work" with the police officer to give a
reasonable excuse that may get you off with a warning. |
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Several excuses that do work very well if you use them
properly. Make sure that you are telling the truth
because they can backfire if you are caught lying to the
police officer. |
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What to do if you know you are in serious trouble. |
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Why sports cars and teenagers get more than average
attention from the police and what can be done about it if
you are pulled over. |
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What to do if you are in an accident. What you can
and cannot say. |
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How to avoid being an unforgettable person to the police
officer during the traffic stop. |
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What you should never say during the traffic stop and why
this will keep you out of trouble. |
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Why you have to prepare for traffic court and what the
judge will want to see |
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How to prepare for your day in traffic court and the
evidence will you need to collect to support your
position. |
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How to take your own notes and what to write down after
the traffic stop for traffic court and why this is so
important to gathering your evidence at a later date. |
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How a traffic court operates. When are you allowed
to speak and what you can and cannot say. |
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How to cross examine the police officer and when to point
out the inaccuracies in his testimony. |
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Several questions you can ask the police officer in
traffic court to help your case. |
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What to say when it is your turn to speak in court. |
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How to answer the police officer when he cross examines
you. |
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The odds are in your favor when you dispute a speeding
ticket, as long as you prepare properly for your day in
traffic court. |
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If you do not have time to go to traffic court you do have
an alternative. |
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In some states and provinces you have may have an
alternative to paying your traffic fine if you loose your
case in traffic court. |
