Reduce The Odds Of Being Ticketed When Pulled Over - The Podcast

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto) 11/17/2016 at 08:00 • Filed to: None

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I’ve written quite a bit about traffic tickets and one of the most-read pieces I ever put up here was how to reduce the odds of being ticketed during a traffic stop. It is the subject of this week’s podcast.

I have written about this a few times and even did an audio podcast of it a couple of years ago. But, the other night I had a conversation with a Michigan State Trooper by the side of the road. Turns out, my driving had caught his attention.

Did I follow my own advice? Yes, I did. But I thought it would be a good time to go over this all again. And this is information I have gleaned from 25 years of handing traffic tickets. I’ve spoken to police officers, prosecutors, and judges - as well as all of my clients who’ve gotten tickets.

And yes, there are things you can do to better your chances at the roadside. There are no guarantees here but, in life, are there ever? So here is the audio.

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And the video:

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DipodomysDeserti > SteveLehto 11/17/2016 at 08:48

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I hear that questioning the validity of the stop, citing the constitution, then refusing to hand over your license is a good way to avoid a ticket...

DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU AREN’T A WHITE GUY!

I haven’t been pulled over in years, but got nabbed a few weeks ago by a motorcycle cop going 12 over around the corner from a school ( was making a left into traffic and trying to beat a car coming my way). He first asked me if I had any weapons in the car. I told him there was a handgun in the center consul. He told me not to touch it, asked me when the last time I received a ticket and to hand over my license. Told me to slow down and let me go. Didn’t ask for registration, didn’t ask for insurance, didn’t even run my license. It was strange. Maybe he was a fellow Jeep owner?

SteveLehto > DipodomysDeserti 11/17/2016 at 09:12

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You never know. But I have had people tell me that they tried dumb stuff like that. It won’t work. “But the Constitution guarantees my right to travel freely among the states!”

Yes, and it created the form of government that brought you the police officer too.

Urambo Tauro > SteveLehto 11/17/2016 at 09:54

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Great advice! Much cleaner than this technique:

Justin Hughes > SteveLehto 11/17/2016 at 10:15

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Great advice! I did pretty much all this a few months ago when I got legitimately bagged while “enjoying” a back road. I got a warning, and even an apology from the officer for taking so long running my info. He had some trouble entering my special plate (amateur radio operator) correctly to run my plate. We then spent more time talking about ham radio than the entire rest of the traffic stop took. Talk about being put at ease. :)

osucycler > SteveLehto 11/17/2016 at 13:58

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Announcing my intent to reach and move my hands really helped the whole situation. Pulled over in Oklahoma, both instances. Pulling over quickly (not running) on my motorcycle got me a thank you and a reduced ticket.

Die-Trying > SteveLehto 11/17/2016 at 16:39

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during night time stops, when they light you up with the spotlights, they REALLY dont like it when you cover your mirror with a hat, or turn out the mirror so the light is not in your eyes anymore. they have always asked me out of the truck at that point........i also asked them, when asked about weapons “do you consider a machete a weapon?” “well then yes, yes i do” i explained that i use it for yard work. i got told to not keep it inside the truck with me any more. if you are not sure ask them .i have also told them that i MIGHT have a weapon, and that i wasnt sure if it was still in there. so long as you dont reach for anything they wont muss with you too hard. they just want to know the what and where.......

i have the REST of the routine DOWN

SOLID advice steve.....

jimz > SteveLehto 11/18/2016 at 09:46

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Ah, sovereign citizens. Ever defended/been asked to defend one?

SteveLehto > jimz 11/18/2016 at 10:54

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I’ve spoken with a few but when they realize I am a non-believer, they don’t ask. I’ve seen a few try it in court and get nowhere. I find it fascinating in an odd way.

ateamfan42 > osucycler 11/18/2016 at 14:36

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Pulling over quickly (not running) on my motorcycle got me a thank you and a reduced ticket.

Running from the cops has always seemed like a pretty bad risk/reward ratio to me.

Unless you have a fast and maneuverable car (or motorcycle) AND intimate knowledge of the immediate area which can give you a planned route and hiding place, the odds do not seem very good to me. As Elwood Blues said, “You can’t outrun a Motorola”. Backup is going to get called and now you are trying to elude more than one chase car.

Getting caught after running leads to consequences far worse than just a speeding ticket and fine. There are going to have to be circumstances leading to very high probability of successful evasion for me to consider accepting the risk of not being successful.

ateamfan42 > Die-Trying 11/18/2016 at 14:40

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they just want to know the what and where.......

This is the key part. The police car less about you having (legal) weapons than they do about just being able to know you aren’t trying to use them.

I was questioned once about why I was keeping my hands on the wheel, and told they usually only see that from people with a concealed carry permit. I explained I was just keeping my hands where they could be seen, and that I had no weapons. (I did let the officer know at that point I had a knife in my pocket, but he didn’t care.)

ateamfan42 > Justin Hughes 11/18/2016 at 14:49

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We then spent more time talking about ham radio than the entire rest of the traffic stop took.

Like any group, there are always a few bad individuals that give everyone a bad reputation, and police are no different. Most cops are genuinely good guys and gals, and willing to engage like any ordinary human being. Sadly, the bad ones are the ones responsible for the stories we all hear.

We all need to do better about giving others the benefit of the doubt. I’ve had a cop walk up to my car with a serious attitude, ready for a fight. After it became clear I wasn’t going to give him one and instead be polite and courteous, his attitude changed dramatically. What possible benefit can there be in trying to argue or be angry with an officer? If there was even the slightest possibility of any leniency, you’ve just thrown that right out the window. 

jimz > SteveLehto 11/18/2016 at 19:17

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It’s like the people who went around claiming you could improve the sound quality of CDs by coloring their outside edges with a green marker. No, hear me out. This was actually a thing. the claim was that since CD players used an infra red laser, tinting the edge of the disc green would absorb reflected light from the edge of the disc and prevent it from causing problems like jitter. they didn’t realize that light travels so quickly that any reflected light from the edge of the disc would arrive at about the same time as the original light reflected from the track the player was reading. they just assumed that since green is a contrasting color from red, then it must help when dealing with infrared.

why am I talking about this? because “sovereign citizens” and “freemen on the land” are doing the same thing. they’re taking a tiny bit of information and blowing it up as though they’ve found some huge loophole, and they truly believe they’ve “out-smarted” the corporations and the government. It’s an ego thing.

jimz > SteveLehto 11/18/2016 at 19:23

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and while I’m squawking, can I ask you a topical question? When/where exactly does a speed limit change take effect? in the fall I regularly drive up north and back down because reasons. between Richmond, Memphis, and Emmett the speed limit on M-19 is 55 mph, then as you approach each it drops to 40 mph, then 30 or 35 mph. so is the new (lower) limit in effect as you cross the sign, or is it one of those things where they could tag you as “you saw the sign and should have slowed down?”

SteveLehto > jimz 11/19/2016 at 18:15

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Theoretically it is at the sign. But I have seen a cop parked at the sign, shooting upstream and ticketing people for how fast they were going before they got to the sign. And I’ve seen a judge buy it.

A lot of what I have seen in court scares me.

Hoy! Lip buddy pawnch! > SteveLehto 11/20/2016 at 00:00

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How to get out of speeding tickets?
1) Being a woman helps
2) Being white helps even more
3) Being minority? “Officer down...”

Justin Hughes > ateamfan42 11/21/2016 at 19:03

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I completely agree. I had a situation like you once. I was hanging out with some friends in a gazebo when we were suddenly surrounded by cops on all sides. It was a case of mistaken identity - they were after some kids who were causing trouble there earlier. They were confrontational at first, but quickly figured out that we weren’t the droids they were looking for, and quickly de-escalated and defused the situation. They even joked about calling off the snipers. :)

They were right to come in with the attitude they did based on the info they had. They also were right to analyze the situation as they did and stand down. No hard feelings on either side.