Getting pulled over by the police stinks. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been having a good day, or if your day was already off to an iffy start, getting pulled over makes your heart accelerate, makes you late to where you’re going, and generally makes you feel like a child being sent to the principal’s office, whether you did anything wrong or not.
Here are five things you can keep in mind when you are pulled over. These things might help you avoid getting a ticket, or at least avoid paying a fine.
- 1. Be polite. No matter how bad your day is, no matter how big of a jerk the policeman is, it is incumbent upon you to be polite. If you take the attitude that the officer who stopped you is a civil servant and below your status, that civil servant will leave you with a ticket to remember your interaction.
- 2. Don’t lie and don’t be stubborn about your speed. “Do you know how fast you were going?” Don’t say you were going 55 when you know you weren’t. Don’t argue if you’re certain you were going 60 and the officer says you were hitting 70. Say that you didn’t think you were going that fast, then, without fawning or putting on an act, say you’re sorry. “Gee officer, I guess I spaced out for a second. I’m sorry.” Might get you further than, “I know I wasn’t speeding you jerk.”
- 3. Make the officer comfortable with the situation. No matter how nervous you might be, sit still, leave both hands on the wheel, don’t fidget, and turn the engine off. A lone officer who is trying to serve and protect their community deserves respect, and if they see that you understand how walking up to a vehicle alone can be dangerous. Show them understanding for how dangerous their job can be.
- 4. Does crying really work? It depends how much over the speed limit you are, whether you’re acting—and if you’re a good actor, and, to be fair, your gender. If you’re going 20 miles an hour over the speed limit when you’re pulled over, zip it and pay the ticket. If you’re going 10 miles an hour over the speed limit while you’re on the highway, waterworks might help. If you look like an NFL lineman, crying won’t do much to help. If you’re someone’s grandma, crying could be beneficial.
- 5. Finally, if you can afford to take the time from work, go to court. Often, officers don’t have time to make court appearances for speeding and other minor traffic violations. If you can afford to miss work, and if you can afford to lose the gamble (the officer may show up) then it can be worth it to go to court and contest the ticket.
The best thing to do is plan ahead, leave early, and don’t speed. It’s safer, less stressful, and ultimately much less expensive to not get a ticket in the first place.