why you volunteer nothing to the police when you get pulled over
 

Lesson for all those other big mouthed idiots like myself who insist on chatting with the police officer. :D

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...2/ticket-1.jpg

Had a short conversation with the cop about my 89 van when he whacked me in NY state. Circumstances were I was traveling with traffic, but I had out of state plates on a bright green work van, which draws the eye. Out of cars to pull over, he chose me because I wasn't likely to dispute the ticket 300 miles from my home state. (not that he needed any help, since I put my foot in my mouth)

Actual conversation went something like this- (relevant part)

"do you know why I pulled you over?"
"I was probably going to fast?"
"I have you traveling at 75 with a radar gun. Are you aware this is a 55 zone?"
"Are you sure I was going 75? top speed of this van is only 70 something, its not very fast."

As you can see, he made my smart a$$ question into a statement, and reaffirmed it with another non relevant part of my further stupid statements. This information is handed back to you as a signed document with your ticket, (which in NY state requires you plead guilty before knowing the fine or punishment. Clever of them)

Never make statements, I should have said "I don't know" for every question, and volunteered nothing while being courteous and polite. Now I can't send the ticket to my lawyer and try and dispute it for reduced points or lower fine. Oops. :rolleyes:

name, rank and serial number....

Does RI share points with NY (NY doesn't assess points for out of state violations, from personal experience - other states may be similar)? If it doesn't, pay the ticket, and privately hope a truck whacks the lying ass of a cop during a traffic stop. Karma can be a b*tch.

As far as pleading guilty, you can always plead not guilty. Though the judge is more likely to believe a cop than a citizen, sadly.

At least you weren't picked up for murder . . .

Another prospective member of the ACLU! Why say anything? Just show them the card!

Or the Steven Wright routine:

Officer: Why were you going so fast?

Me: See this thing my foot is on? It's called an accelerator. When you push down on it, it sends more gas to the engine. The whole car just takes right off. And see this thing? This steers it.

George Carlin, on showing up late to traffic court, "The judge said I should have been there on time, I said, 'Judge, it's that kind of thinking that got me here in the first place.'"

Let me tell you about the beauty that is the RI point system. There is none. :D

AH HAHAHAHA

This would be a 4pt ticket in NY, I pay the 300 plus dollars fine it will be, and won't make a single difference on my RI license.

FWIW, I have two other tickets pending from the last month in RI based off my stupid purchase of a powerful fast car (now selling).

All added up would be 10 pts in NY, which has a limit of 11 before taking your license, and severe punishments after 6 I think. I am very lucky at the moment, and should be able to pay myself out of this hole ive dug and be safe. I am not exceeding 65 from now on, ill be driving my 86 1.6 diesel VW as my personal car.

I am actually a very safe driver, but speeding is a chronic problem, and is the very reason I first bought a MB diesel. Plenty fast to get you there, but won't be creeping up to 80+ without work.

yes, now that would be bad. I was once picked up for leaving the scene of an accident mistakenly. I was walking home drunk, and limping (old knee injury), so you can imagine how guilty I looked.

Had nothing to do with it, but definitely ruined my pleasant dream like walk home. Had me down at the station in a lineup and everything.

Guy had been driving drunk and hit a phone pole, caused a bunch of property damage, smashed some cars, closed off a busy street, and ran for it. I was two blocks away limping. Cops were pretty angry

And the cop knows it!!! Which is why he gave you an outrageous ticket -- he's perfectly aware that you won't fight it too hard. Call it the out-of-state driving tax and move on.

I got a ticket in NJ last year. The cop actually had the nerve to say - "I see you have a NY license, just send the fine here, pretty sure you won't get points."

You are probably correct, a cynically enterprising cop. RI awards higher penalties I believe, and no points means they often throw the book at people for things that other states might add points instead.

In my cirumstance, two tickets were 20 over midmorning events on sparsely populated highways. The NY thing was actually a 65 limit, but apparently there is a single section of 55 as you pass under a bridge. Road was straight as an arrow. The last ticket was a 10 over, 35 in a 25 down a grade high in 3rd gear on my other car.

I have been very lucky over the years. That's all I'm saying about that.

Enterprising? Nah, just doing his job as a tax collector. Being an actual cop is merely a hobby on his part.

of course hindsight is 20/20. When traveling out of state, best to stay 5 MPH BELOW the posted speed limit because it is exactly as you say, out of staters are more likely to receive a ticket. they know most out of state drivers won't fight it and will simply pay the fine.

Another item of interest I have noticed is they will make rapid speed limit changes on the same stretch of road which makes it more difficult to keep up with. Also makes it more dangerous for the drivers who have one more thing to worry about.

the thing is I feel like I know this guy. I got a ticket a couple years ago in the same area of that county of NY, and his name rings a bell.

I have to check my files, I still have the other documentation.

It would be amusing to discover that the same cop got me twice with about 4 years separating the events

I speed more out of state:
(a) it's kind of hard to drive fast in NYC
(b) no points transfer to a NY license even if you do get pinched
(c) don't crap where you eat!

that sounds like a good deal for new yorkers. another item of interest I've noticed is speeding fines are going UP everywhere. What used to be a $50 fine is now $200. I've seen speed trap areas with ten cops on a three mile stretch of road looking for anyone and everyone but especially looking for out of state drivers going 5 MPH over......

The other popular thing is to add a multiplier if you are in a construction zone, doubled or tripled. Even if no one is working, they're all home snug in their beds (other than the cop and the three drivers on the lonely stretch of road), drift over the number on that orange posted sign and it's not $200, it's $400 or $600. In the west these can go on for miles of coned-lane interstate, and at 40 or 45 it is no fun.

Don't get me wrong, you SHOULD slow down in a construction zone, and particularly so when you're actually in the area where they are working, but 45 for 6 miles when they are working in a 200-yard area? Ugh. In that case it's revenue enhancement.

for sure, when faced with a budget crisis, most city council's solution is to order the cops to "write more traffic citations". It must be the shortest route to bringing in more $$$$$$. what, exactly they do with the extra $$$$$ is anyone's guess.......

"Mandatory Court Appearance" for one that I received here in Kalifornia.

So the SHO is all GO?!?! :)

Yes and no, because most NJ cops are aware of the fact and will pick on NY'ers preferentially because they're less likely to argue the ticket. (Fines in NJ are also pretty low, and it's not worth arguing a $100 speeding ticket if your insurance doesn't hear about it.)

"do you know why I pulled you over?"
The answer to that should have been "how could I possibly know why YOU did something?"
Sure, that'll get you the ticket, but you're not going to talk your way out of it anyway. He or she is just looking for anything to use against you. That's their job.

You should only provide them with your documentation and answer questions related to the same.

Do you know why I pulled you over??

Is it because you're all baked on weed and forgot where the donut shop is?

a legal beagle once told me that unlike most states, New York is a civil law state and never was based on common law. Kinda like Napoleanic (french) law is the basis for Louisiana.

It's actually based on pre-Napoleon French law with some influence from Spanish law. The Code Napoleon wasn't enacted until after Louisiana became a US territory.

Count yourself as lucky that you don't have a 107. My darling, sweet wife has a lead foot and a driving record to prove it. She was pulled over in UT for doing 110 in an 85...TWICE!! She then proceeded to grab another one in my Lincoln in Ohio. Because of her points, I pay roughly $350 a month for insurance coverage on 4 vehicles, one of which has full coverage.

And to think...I gave her a SUV with a powerful V-8 instead of going the pedal car idea I had.

I've gotten out of several tickets by running my mouth. :D:D:D The funniest one was when I was moving from Fla. to Ky. I was doing 75mph in a 55mph zone on I-75 in northern Ga. The hwy patrol officer pulled me over, and walked up to the car and asked me to step out. After he checked everything, he asked me why I was driving so fast. I told him that I was tired of being the only English speaking person in the state of Florida, and that I loaded up my wife, three children, two dogs and a cat and am heading back to Korntucky where I belong. He started laughing and said slow down and have a nice day. :D

DAMN!! I think it's time for someone to get a 240D:D

There's a documentary called Never Talk to the Police or something close to that - worth seeing.

I was thinking about this lately 'cause of some other stuff that came to my attention. Who do you think is the enemy in the war on drugs? You are. Same with the war on terrorism, war on poverty, etc.

I like fried chicken.

Well, what I've heard through the grapevine is Louisiana is not a good place to receive a traffic citation. I've heard that if the traffic citation is for something serious, people have been known to wind up in jail and never heard from again.

yeah, something about that car brings out the inner 17 year old $hithead. Better off I sell it. When im driving that car, im a kid revving and trying to be the fastest car on the road. When I get out, im my father, asking what in the hell I think Im doing acting like a dam fool.

Im doing this with a car that was a performance sedan back in the early 90s, but now can get beat by pretty much every new car base model. Imagine what would happen if I had a NEW car with plenty of power?

Id be like Jplinville's wife, one foot almost in jail. Back to diesels for me. over 100 hp, im not interested. (well, maybe 140 hp, that way i can count 617s) :D

Why do you think I'm looking for a Yugo??!!??

get her one of these with the 4 speed.

This is my punishment car (with the 5-speed, so it will go 70). 50hp, slow, unbreakable, easy to repair when it does. Customizable, tons of aftermarket fun can be had. This particular car came STOCK with "essence de rodent" Makes you keep the trips short

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...a/running2.jpg

Both my speeding tickets have been when I was out of state. One was for 5 miles over in Arizona. The other was less than 10 over in Colorado on a downhill stretch of I70 that they turned into 1 massive speed trap by lowering it to 55. If I were to follow the speed limit there I would likely cause an accident, as everyone is going at least 10 over.

I was nice, both cops were a-holes getting their quota.

We call it "DWT" = "Driving While Texan." A road tax on our big-hatted neighbors to the west.

Here on OZZ, most states have a quota system. If the cop doesnt make his quoya of tickets for the month he is stuck behind the counter of the local station for the next month. The only time he goes out is to get the Sargent's morning tea or lunch.

last time is was in louisiana, the roads were so rough that I watching my mirrors for minor parts (AKA engine, transmission, diff, driveshaft, etc) to fall off of my truck. Had to replace an airbag, and the u-joints in it after that trip...

They were pretty decent cars in reality, they got killed by a horrible parts and service network. Not to mention American penchant for the latest and greatest sled(like the pompous pos Escalade pimped by GM).

Yeah, try a car with 500HP on tap.


Its hard to to open that thing up. :(

In the last two years I have gotten 4 tickets in my mazda. That little car makes it difficult to realize how fast you are really going. I was cruising to the valley once and I came up on some traffic pretty fast. I looked down and I was doing 100 mph. I didnt even realize it. We do have a points system here in Texas but I have yet to see my insurance go up or any extra fines placed on me. I am not sure why. I always request defensive driving at court and pay $115. I then never take the course and never go back to court. A warrant is issued and I drive around flirting with the possibility of being arrested until I finally decide to pay the $200 or so and clear my name for a few months until I get another one. I did buy a radar detector after the last ticket and I believe it has helped a few times. It never gets used any more though as I hard wired it into the mazda and I never drive it any more.

so what your saying is when the cop asks"do you know why i pulled you over"you can say "no comprende"

When I test drove a Mazdaspeed3 this summer the sales guy had me take it down an industrial road (wide, no traffic, straight, etc) to "test" it a bit from a stop. After a few whiteknuckle runs (holy **** the torquesteer!) I was on my way back, looked down and I was going 85 in a 35 :eek::eek:. Glad a cop wasn't there. Fun car too, unfortunately hideous.

Best not state such speeds on here, your local leo may be reading.

Good news: No ticket.

Bad news: You'll be deported.

Let the them read all they want. He didn't say which state he test drove the car in -- it would basically be impossible to prosecute under American law without additional evidence. And hardly worth the money to do so.

they have no shortage of people they can write traffic citations on. the insurance companies and city governments remain the main beneficiaries of traffic citations while the rest of us take it in the shorts.

I like the looks of the new sedan (which I have) but I hate the hatchback. I also happen to think the hood scoop is fugly. I wish Mazda would put that engine into the sedan, or more so, a turbo diesel.

I agree with all of that assessment. I could live with the sedan, though I still don't like the smiling front end. The MS3 was just too weird...interior was speckled red upholstery with matching plastic trim. Both the scoop and entire back end of the hatchback just look too styled and a bit frumpy IMO. Too bad too, I liked that car but I wouldn't want to look out at it and realize I spent $25k on a car that I didn't think was pretty. Way I see it, looks are not a good reason TO buy a car but a great reason NOT to buy one, if that makes sense :freak:

I could live with the Mazda3 ... ... ... IF IT WERE RWD as "performence" cars are ordained to be!!!