Wednesday, June 6, 2012

PART6: YOU CAN'T RUN AND ONLY THE POLICE CAN HIDE: HOW TO AVOID A TRAFFIC TICKET


Happy Belated Birthday Golden Gate Bridge!

Today in Part 6 I discuss the idea of slowing down and high speed police pursuits, SO brace yourself, here I go:


KNOW WHERE THE COPS ARE: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SLOW DOWN; WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS SLOW DOWN: Slowing down is the greatest guarantee in preventing a speeding ticket if you think about it. It is the safest way out of a ticket, and it doesn’t cost you any money, in fact slowing down can save you money, in gas, insurance, maintenance costs, and in other areas of your monthly budget, not to mention aggravation. You won’t have to pay a fine or spend an additional $200-$1000 in legal fees fighting a ticket. Slowing down also reduces stress. We should all get used to slowing down. If you are in the middle of nowhere and see or pass ANY vehicle on the shoulder you’re not sure of, SLOW DOWN. 

Pass through that area often? Shame on you if you already know the cops hang out there and you got caught speeding! Your radar detector may or may not help you avoid getting ticketed, but how come you don’t have your Trapster app in your iPhone or Android on, and front and center? Having a constant vigil to remind you to slow down is a more effective tool; as opposed to a radar detector that will maybe or maybe not tell you where the police might or might not be hiding.




If it is the police, no matter how fast you’re going, please, SLOW DOWN. Not only is it a sign of respect, it also is about making the officer’s job easier if or when he goes after you or someone near you, to pull you or them over. NOW, YOU DON’T REALLY WANT TO PISS ME OFF, DO YOU? In fact if you know you were speeding, slow way down and get ready to pull over right away, and way over to the right, completely off the highway. Give the officer some room to pull you over and get out without the danger of being hit by another speed demon while he or she is talking to you. It is not a sign or admission of guilt, it is about making a situation less dangerous by you going much slower and pulling you over more safely.




Above all else, do not run from the cops; instead of say, a $150 fine for what you were initially being stopped, evading the police (or resisting/evading arrest depending what the jurisdiction concerned calls it) now becomes a silly, dangerous, selfish, and unnecessary felony for which you jeopardize people’s and officers' lives and could spend more than a year in jail, possibly hundreds in fines, and the loss of your license. Make no mistake: regardless of your economic or social status or political connections in life, YOU WILL GO TO JAIL AND YOU WILL DESERVE IT. I could tell you the stories of the countless times people of different walks of life have run from me over the years, and the silly stupid and most importantly unnecessary reasons why they did; each time was really ridiculous and 99% of the time I stopped and caught them anyway. 
No, sorry this is a parolee, not OJ, but it seems guys who like to run from the cops do like using White Ford Broncos (which BTW is a horrible car to get chased in since they easily tip over at high speeds).
FUTURE POTENTIAL POLICE EVADERS AND LEAVING THE SCENE OF ACCIDENT PERPETRATORS: READ THIS CAREFULLY: If your license is not suspended/revoked, you have no contraband, no weapons, or no warrants, you are not drunk or not high or not doing anything intentional, then REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU DID BEHIND THE WHEEL you should have nothing to worry about if you have a license, a registration, and proof of insurance recorded in the police computer, other than what or why you are being stopped, or for the accident you had the sense enough for which you stopped and identified yourself, and for which probably the consequences at worse will be an expensive ticket or a massive tort, but probably no jail.

SOOO, do yourself, and the officer a favor, and pull over right away to a safe spot off the road to the right, or where the officer tells you on his loud speaker. Cut all the interior lights on (if at night), roll down all the windows (always), CUT THE RADIO AND THE MOTOR OFF (every time), tell everyone with you to keep their mouths SHUT (only the driver should talk, and like a child, passengers should speak only when spoken to), KEEP ALL HANDS VISIBLE ON THE WHEEL, DASH, OR HEAD RESTS, AND DO WHAT THE OFFICER TELLS YOU TO DO.  No back talk. If the officer proves to be a jerk, BE POLITE ANYWAY, and address his or her inappropriate conduct at a later appropriate time. If you panicked and left the scene of the accident, gather yourself together, make sure you're well enough and the car you're driving is still drivable, and return to the scene of the accident (or go to the hospital or police station house), or call the police to give them your location, and stand by for a police report. In most instances and jurisdictions, doing any of these actions will relieve you of any allegation of the crime of leaving the scene of an accident. But you must do all of this within hours at the very most, and not days. Do all this, and you might increase the chance of being let go ALIVE, UNINJURED, and maybe with a warning (but not always a certainty), and if ticketed, an easier time fighting it when you go to court.

COMING UP NEXT IN THIS SERIES LATER IN THE WEEK: Now that we have discussed the six things you should do to avoid getting a traffic ticket, we will discuss the six things you should do in case you do get a ticket.

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3 comments:

Sgt. Al here. I welcome your comments, ideas, and suggestions. You have questions about the police, and I'm interested in hearing what you have to say as a citizen. Thanks!

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