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There are some pretty hilarious and down right insane stories on this thread. I love it.
Yesterday I almost got pulled over. It was near midnight and I was driving down the road when I saw a cop parked in a church parking lot. I was going about 58-60 in a 40mph and I knew I was speeding but since there was hardly anyone on the road I dozed off a little bit. I saw the cop turn on his headlights when I passed him and I went down a steep hill so I was out of his sight so I quickly turned on a side street and pulled in front of a car that was parked. I turned off my lights like I was just a random car being parked. He went by really fast and missed me. I'm happy my insurance didn't go up since I didn't get a ticket because I know I would've gotten one. Cops in my city can be d-bags.
Good thinking and some good luck. That was a nice break, similar to my story. Would this have.been your first ticket, or are you a repeat customer like me?
Good thinking and some good luck. That was a nice break, similar to my story. Would this have.been your first ticket, or are you a repeat customer like me?
I've been pulled over twice in my 30 years of driving. I got pulled over by the CT State Police in the late 70's as soon as I got my license. I should've known better and I decided to speed 20mph over the posted limit. I can still remember how mad my parents were . The last time I got pulled over was 7-8 years ago by a Hartford PD cop because I didn't come to a complete stop when making a right turn on red. Being late to work was already bad but getting a ticket as well made my day even worse. I've narrowly missed being pulled over hundreds of times. Mostly on the highways because I tend to speed a little. I'm a king at identifying unmarked cop cars. I know what they drive because I was involved with law enforcement for nearly a decade when I was younger so I'm aware of the equipment they use. When I'm traveling on the highway, the key is to look farther out on the road than you normally would so if you see a car parked on the shoulder from a mile away I always think it's a speed trap. Whenever I go past an overpass I tend to look at the on ramp to see if a cop is getting on the highway. Being aware of your surroundings 24/7 is your only way to prevent a ticket. Are you a speeder like me? Do you have tips or tricks whenever you think a cop sees you speeding?
I've been pulled over twice in my 30 years of driving. I got pulled over by the CT State Police in the late 70's as soon as I got my license. I should've known better and I decided to speed 20mph over the posted limit. I can still remember how mad my parents were . The last time I got pulled over was 7-8 years ago by a Hartford PD cop because I didn't come to a complete stop when making a right turn on red. Being late to work was already bad but getting a ticket as well made my day even worse. I've narrowly missed being pulled over hundreds of times. Mostly on the highways because I tend to speed a little. I'm a king at identifying unmarked cop cars. I know what they drive because I was involved with law enforcement for nearly a decade when I was younger so I'm aware of the equipment they use. When I'm traveling on the highway, the key is to look farther out on the road than you normally would so if you see a car parked on the shoulder from a mile away I always think it's a speed trap. Whenever I go past an overpass I tend to look at the on ramp to see if a cop is getting on the highway. Being aware of your surroundings 24/7 is your only way to prevent a ticket. Are you a speeder like me? Do you have tips or tricks whenever you think a cop sees you speeding?
HumpDay, thanks for the response, man. You've been driving about the same amount of time as I have. I got my license in 1978. Hard to believe I've been driving 38 years.
I am definitely a speeder on the highway. I have been able to make it from Boston back to Fairfield in 2 hours and 5 minutes. . I have tried to get it under 2 hours, as a matter of principle, but so far I have failed.
I agree that when speeding, you always have to be fully aware of your surroundings. I have narrowly avoided many impromptu roadside meetings with Johnny Law this way. The behavior of cars a bit ahead is a big clue. People often reflexively tap the brakes when they see a cop, so if you see cars ahead of you tap the brakes for no apparent reason, it could mean they saw a cop hidden. Of course, you have to look well down the road, watch out for overpasses, hills, curves, etc.
For a while, I used a radar detector, but there were too many false alarms, and it took all the fun out of speeding. I was constantly having to slow down and investigate and it was ruining the driving experience. Then I was riding with my buddy on I-84 in Newtown, on the way to Boston (this was before I lived in Fairfield) and he got nailed for 78 in a 55 while using his radar detector. This was back when radar detectors were illegal in Connecticut, but he hid his before the cop got to the car, so the ticket was only for speeding. The statie used instant-on radar. After that, I decided not to bother with the radar detector.
I had a good driving record my first years of driving because I knew my parents would take away the car if I got into trouble.... But gradually I started to speed up. The incident I talked about in my earlier post, when I lost the cop around a curve and quickly exited the parkway, was in 1986 after 7-8 years of driving. After that, I went through a period in my mid and late 20s when I piled up a few tickets and got a warning letter that my license would be suspended if it continued. I once got 2 tickets within 10 minutes of each other. I felt pretty stupid about that.
I had some really good close calls, more than I can remember. The best one probably took place in Virginia in 2002. I was leading a group of speeders in the left lane, going about 83 in a 65. Suddenly, a statie came racing up a hill from the median, got onto the road and turned on his flashers behind the last car in that group. As each successive car moved over, he got 1 car closer to me. I thought for sure my goose was cooked, and resigned myself to another ticket. But for some reason, he pulled over the car right behind me! That was a great escape. Another time, driving back fro Maryland early in the morning, I slipped through the net multiple times on the same trip. Pure luck. I was doing about a steady 90 for a long distance, and there were cops all over, but they were always either on the other side, or already had somebody else pulled over. In one case, there was a whole caravan of cars pulled over -- on the other side of the road. That still ranks as one of my best drives ever because I got away with such major speeding even through heavy enforcement.
In the last 17 years, since 1999, I have gotten only 2 tickets, both for speeding. One was on Route 1 in Fairfield, from the Fairfield Police. I got nailed with lidar or laser on that one. 52 in a 35 -- it was a part of the road that opens up into a semi-highway. I went to court in Bridgeport for that ticket -- a very amusing experience. My last ticket was in 2013 on the Taconic Parkway in Yorktown, from the New York State Police. I got pulled for 79 in a 55 but the trooper cut me a break and wrote me for only 65. Cool guy and I really appreciated it. I well deserved the ticket and he saved me a lot of money. So far, despite living in the state for 21 years and doing a lot of driving (and speeding) on state highways, I have never gotten pulled over by the Connecticut State Police.
The thing that keeps me from getting more tickets is that I only drive about 8,000 miles per year. I think it's a numbers games, and the more you're out there speeding, the more you are going to get busted. When I was younger, among my group of friends, getting tickets was pretty routine, something we joked about and didn't take too seriously, sort of like getting detentions in high school. Virtually all my friends during that time had a bunch of tickets to their name, so it was no big deal. I still think of it as no big deal and I still joke about it with my friends when I do get nailed.
What was your job in law enforcement?
Last edited by dazzleman; 09-25-2016 at 05:18 AM..
HumpDay, I realize after all that that I never answered your question about how to react after a cop sees you speeding.
Last time I got pulled over, I had spotted the cop up ahead, but not in time. So by the time I actually passed him, I was down to the speed limit. But as soon as I passed (I was still in the left lane), he pulled out and I was pretty sure he was after me. There were some cars behind me in the left lane, and he was in the middle lane with lights flashing, trying to get closer to me.
I decided to just make it easy for him. I changed lanes into the middle lane, in front of him, and then to the right lane. Sure enough, he stayed behind me and I knew he was after me, so I pulled onto the shoulder. I think that the fact that I didn't pretend to be oblivious that he was after me, and that I made the stop easier for him, put him in a better frame of mind.
When I spoke to him, I played it right down the middle. I think most people when pulled over are either hostile or overly nervous. I'm not the type of guy to get hostile when I know I was wrong, and I didn't see much reason to be nervous, so I was very matter of fact. Polite, but not overly so. I told him everything I was going to do before I did it, such as when I had to go into the glove box to get the registration. He didn't ask for the insurance card, but I asked if he wanted it. When he told me how fast he had clocked me at, I didn't deny it (though I didn't admit it either). He must have liked me because I didn't even ask for a break, but he knocked 14 mph off my speed. That was a big deal because in New York State, my actual speed would have been a 6-point ticket that would have resulted not only in a much higher fine, but additional assessments as an offender for the next 3 years. I could have probably knocked it down by going to court, but this way was a lot easier.
He told me that if I went to court, they'd knock the ticket down further. I suspected he was hinting that he would "forget" the details of the stop and the ticket would be voided. I thought about it, but it was well out of my way. I checked with CT DMV and the ticket would not appear on my driving record. I decided to just pay the fine and move on.
HumpDay, thanks for the response, man. You've been driving about the same amount of time as I have. I got my license in 1978. Hard to believe I've been driving 38 years.
I am definitely a speeder on the highway. I have been able to make it from Boston back to Fairfield in 2 hours and 5 minutes. . I have tried to get it under 2 hours, as a matter of principle, but so far I have failed.
I agree that when speeding, you always have to be fully aware of your surroundings. I have narrowly avoided many impromptu roadside meetings with Johnny Law this way. The behavior of cars a bit ahead is a big clue. People often reflexively tap the brakes when they see a cop, so if you see cars ahead of you tap the brakes for no apparent reason, it could mean they saw a cop hidden. Of course, you have to look well down the road, watch out for overpasses, hills, curves, etc.
For a while, I used a radar detector, but there were too many false alarms, and it took all the fun out of speeding. I was constantly having to slow down and investigate and it was ruining the driving experience. Then I was riding with my buddy on I-84 in Newtown, on the way to Boston (this was before I lived in Fairfield) and he got nailed for 78 in a 55 while using his radar detector. This was back when radar detectors were illegal in Connecticut, but he hid his before the cop got to the car, so the ticket was only for speeding. The statie used instant-on radar. After that, I decided not to bother with the radar detector.
I had a good driving record my first years of driving because I knew my parents would take away the car if I got into trouble.... But gradually I started to speed up. The incident I talked about in my earlier post, when I lost the cop around a curve and quickly exited the parkway, was in 1986 after 7-8 years of driving. After that, I went through a period in my mid and late 20s when I piled up a few tickets and got a warning letter that my license would be suspended if it continued. I once got 2 tickets within 10 minutes of each other. I felt pretty stupid about that.
I had some really good close calls, more than I can remember. The best one probably took place in Virginia in 2002. I was leading a group of speeders in the left lane, going about 83 in a 65. Suddenly, a statie came racing up a hill from the median, got onto the road and turned on his flashers behind the last car in that group. As each successive car moved over, he got 1 car closer to me. I thought for sure my goose was cooked, and resigned myself to another ticket. But for some reason, he pulled over the car right behind me! That was a great escape. Another time, driving back fro Maryland early in the morning, I slipped through the net multiple times on the same trip. Pure luck. I was doing about a steady 90 for a long distance, and there were cops all over, but they were always either on the other side, or already had somebody else pulled over. In one case, there was a whole caravan of cars pulled over -- on the other side of the road. That still ranks as one of my best drives ever because I got away with such major speeding even through heavy enforcement.
In the last 17 years, since 1999, I have gotten only 2 tickets, both for speeding. One was on Route 1 in Fairfield, from the Fairfield Police. I got nailed with lidar or laser on that one. 52 in a 35 -- it was a part of the road that opens up into a semi-highway. I went to court in Bridgeport for that ticket -- a very amusing experience. My last ticket was in 2013 on the Taconic Parkway in Yorktown, from the New York State Police. I got pulled for 79 in a 55 but the trooper cut me a break and wrote me for only 65. Cool guy and I really appreciated it. I well deserved the ticket and he saved me a lot of money. So far, despite living in the state for 21 years and doing a lot of driving (and speeding) on state highways, I have never gotten pulled over by the Connecticut State Police.
The thing that keeps me from getting more tickets is that I only drive about 8,000 miles per year. I think it's a numbers games, and the more you're out there speeding, the more you are going to get busted. When I was younger, among my group of friends, getting tickets was pretty routine, something we joked about and didn't take too seriously, sort of like getting detentions in high school. Virtually all my friends during that time had a bunch of tickets to their name, so it was no big deal. I still think of it as no big deal and I still joke about it with my friends when I do get nailed.
What was your job in law enforcement?
That's some pretty intense stuff right there. I've always been told to not speed in Virginia especially during the holidays. They're known to be quite excessive when it comes to highway speed enforcement. They'll pull you over for anything even if that includes speeding a few mph over the limit. A friend of mine got pulled over in Virginia a few years ago on Interstate 81. They were driving back home from Texas when a chromed out Impala with tinted windows pulled them over implying they went 87 in a 70 which is a flat out lie. Upon further review of their dashcam it claims they were going 75 and in their old beat up truck that they were driving it was nearly impossible for them to be going that fast. After hiring lawyers all charges were dropped and the officer wasn't held accountable. If I'm out of state I always go a few mph over because I'm not familiar with what they're driving. A chromed out Impala? Really VA?
I was a Police Explorer up until my early 20's and up until my 30's I was a police fleet mechanic. I worked on local and state police cars. It was a good job but I found a better employment opportunity. I became well aware of the infamous Ford Crown Vic and Ford Expedition police packages so it was easy for me to spot unmarked cars. Interestingly enough, it's now even harder to spot a unmarked car. All of the equipment is inside the vehicle and once you put everything in, apply tinted windows, and you're nearly invincible. The new Taurus which the CT State Police are mostly buying, have a blacked out grill and if the car brakes then look at the brake lights. If he hits the brakes and the brake lights flicker for a quick second then it's an unmarked car. The LED lighting systems are hooked up to the brakes. The tires are another place to look. Pretty much all cop cars have hubcaps excluding the Dodge Chargers. OEM hubcaps are popular as well as those chrome center caps which is what we're mostly familiar with.
Thanks for sharing and responding. I enjoying reading your comment. It's definitely something to keep in mind!
That's some pretty intense stuff right there. I've always been told to not speed in Virginia especially during the holidays. They're known to be quite excessive when it comes to highway speed enforcement. They'll pull you over for anything even if that includes speeding a few mph over the limit. A friend of mine got pulled over in Virginia a few years ago on Interstate 81. They were driving back home from Texas when a chromed out Impala with tinted windows pulled them over implying they went 87 in a 70 which is a flat out lie. Upon further review of their dashcam it claims they were going 75 and in their old beat up truck that they were driving it was nearly impossible for them to be going that fast. After hiring lawyers all charges were dropped and the officer wasn't held accountable. If I'm out of state I always go a few mph over because I'm not familiar with what they're driving. A chromed out Impala? Really VA?
I was a Police Explorer up until my early 20's and up until my 30's I was a police fleet mechanic. I worked on local and state police cars. It was a good job but I found a better employment opportunity. I became well aware of the infamous Ford Crown Vic and Ford Expedition police packages so it was easy for me to spot unmarked cars. Interestingly enough, it's now even harder to spot a unmarked car. All of the equipment is inside the vehicle and once you put everything in, apply tinted windows, and you're nearly invincible. The new Taurus which the CT State Police are mostly buying, have a blacked out grill and if the car brakes then look at the brake lights. If he hits the brakes and the brake lights flicker for a quick second then it's an unmarked car. The LED lighting systems are hooked up to the brakes. The tires are another place to look. Pretty much all cop cars have hubcaps excluding the Dodge Chargers. OEM hubcaps are popular as well as those chrome center caps which is what we're mostly familiar with.
Thanks for sharing and responding. I enjoying reading your comment. It's definitely something to keep in mind!
Working on those police cars must have been interesting. I imagine you got some good police contacts that way, and maybe that explains why you didn't get too many tickets....
I don't know if Virginia had the same laws when I had my near miss. I was less than 20 mph over the speed limit, but I was over 80 mph so I may have been in hot water if I'd gotten nailed. Maybe I was luckier than I realized at the time. I don't really worry about getting a ticket, as long as I drive away a free man with nothing worse than a piece of paper in my pocket that will cost me a little coin. But getting led away in 'cuffs wouldn't be an experience I'm looking to have.
I don't really worry about tolerance when I'm driving, in state or out of state. Just to know that I could get pulled over for 6-8 mph over the speed limit wouldn't deter me from speeding. It's a risk I'm willing to run.
After I got my last ticket, a buddy of mine got popped for something like 87 in a 65. He drives a similar car to mine (Audi A6) and has a heavy foot. We had a pretty funny argument over who got the "better" ticket, since his overall speed was faster (87 vs 79) but I was exceeding the speed limit by a greater amount (22 vs 24 mph).
One time I was driving on Mamaroneck Avenue, at or below the speed limit and not on my phone. I was pulled over. The officer told me I needed new plates; my old ones were no longer valid.
Working on those police cars must have been interesting. I imagine you got some good police contacts that way, and maybe that explains why you didn't get too many tickets....
I don't know if Virginia had the same laws when I had my near miss. I was less than 20 mph over the speed limit, but I was over 80 mph so I may have been in hot water if I'd gotten nailed. Maybe I was luckier than I realized at the time. I don't really worry about getting a ticket, as long as I drive away a free man with nothing worse than a piece of paper in my pocket that will cost me a little coin. But getting led away in 'cuffs wouldn't be an experience I'm looking to have.
I don't really worry about tolerance when I'm driving, in state or out of state. Just to know that I could get pulled over for 6-8 mph over the speed limit wouldn't deter me from speeding. It's a risk I'm willing to run.
After I got my last ticket, a buddy of mine got popped for something like 87 in a 65. He drives a similar car to mine (Audi A6) and has a heavy foot. We had a pretty funny argument over who got the "better" ticket, since his overall speed was faster (87 vs 79) but I was exceeding the speed limit by a greater amount (22 vs 24 mph).
Yea I know many cops and I've been lucky enough to have been able to sit in some cop cars (not in the back seat) . Whenever my buddy is off duty he sometimes takes his cruiser out for errands. I've tagged along with him and it surprises me how much they're actually able to get away with. He does 85 like its nothing and everyone gets out of his way. Comes to show cops speed because they're able to. .
The one thing about Virginia is that anything over 80 is considered wreckless driving. CT is more lenient at 85 but many states follow the same set of rules. That driver would have gone to court so you're lucky lol. I can understand taking risks occasionally. The odds of getting caught are very slim and state troopers usually hide in the same spots where I live up in the Hartford area so I go slow around those corners. Out of state drivers are usually the ones getting nailed. My son lives out of state and got pulled over last year on Interstate 84 by a unmarked grey Dodge Challenger! I never knew the state police had one but I asked a friend and I learned the state has only 3-4 of them, I believe. CT and VA are known to pull over out of state drivers more than in state drivers because of drug trafficking. If drug dealers have to go from NYC to Boston they have no choice but to drive through CT. I guess the cop thought my son was a drug dealer since he drives an Infiniti with dark tinted windows.
The only question I have about the better ticket story is which one had the more expensive ticket?
Yea I know many cops and I've been lucky enough to have been able to sit in some cop cars (not in the back seat) . Whenever my buddy is off duty he sometimes takes his cruiser out for errands. I've tagged along with him and it surprises me how much they're actually able to get away with. He does 85 like its nothing and everyone gets out of his way. Comes to show cops speed because they're able to. .
The one thing about Virginia is that anything over 80 is considered wreckless driving. CT is more lenient at 85 but many states follow the same set of rules. That driver would have gone to court so you're lucky lol. I can understand taking risks occasionally. The odds of getting caught are very slim and state troopers usually hide in the same spots where I live up in the Hartford area so I go slow around those corners. Out of state drivers are usually the ones getting nailed. My son lives out of state and got pulled over last year on Interstate 84 by a unmarked grey Dodge Challenger! I never knew the state police had one but I asked a friend and I learned the state has only 3-4 of them, I believe. CT and VA are known to pull over out of state drivers more than in state drivers because of drug trafficking. If drug dealers have to go from NYC to Boston they have no choice but to drive through CT. I guess the cop thought my son was a drug dealer since he drives an Infiniti with dark tinted windows.
The only question I have about the better ticket story is which one had the more expensive ticket?
Even that's not a simple answer. My friend had a slightly higher fine, but my speed was marked down, and my fine would have been a lot higher at my actual speed. The tickets were in two different states so they were not directly comparable.
Even that's not a simple answer. My friend had a slightly higher fine, but my speed was marked down, and my fine would have been a lot higher at my actual speed. The tickets were in two different states so they were not directly comparable.
That's right. I should've thought of that.
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