CynthiasSocks said:

Going 29 over (especially in a 35 zone) could be charged as reckless driving is some jurisdictions. Unlike "regular" speeding tickets, which are generally mere infractions (i.e., civil offenses against the government), reckless driving is usually a misdemeanor; i.e., a crime punishable by up to one year in jail. In practice, though, I suspect it often gets knocked down to an infraction as part of a plea bargain.

A few over the years - got busted doing 65 through DFW airport (!) and I think the only reason I didn't go to jail was because I was a tourist. About $300 for that one. Pulled over for doing 90+ somewhere in Louisiana on my way to NO - he really wanted to throw me in jail but I managed to talk myself out of that one claiming ignorance as a tourist who rarely drives so I couldn't judge my speed! Here in UK had a few minor ones over the years, then once my license was clean again got banned for passing a cop car at 100+ in a 50. 3 week ban and a £250 fine, and no points on my license! Result. Seeing as I was riding a m/cycle with illegal exhaust, number plate, bald rear tyre and illegal helmet with black visor at 10pm, I consider it a moral victory!
License has been clean for over 5 years now, not because I ride any slower but because I keep a good eye out and usually know where all the Gatso cameras are.

psychodelicide said:

I no longer own a car, and I could probably get away without a license here in Seattle. I simply have one because it's easy to maintain it once you get it; I do occasionally drive a car (e.g., a rental); and some establishments that sell alcohol get suspicious of customers who present a non-driver's ID card instead of a license.

BTW, I flunked the Washington state written driving test the first time I took it. Unlike Indiana, where the written test was a joke, Washington likes to test a bunch of fine details, such as the precise pentalty for refusing to submit to a breath alcohol test. (IMHO the important thing is simply to understand that you've given "implied consent" to such a test and are legally obligated to take it when Officer Friendly asks you to do so.) Fortunately, all of the answers to those questions are contained in the state driving manual. I downloaded the manual, wrote down all the non-obvious stuff, and studied it on the bus the next day, when I went back to the Department of Licensing to try again. The result? Perfect score.

Neva eva got a ticket.

Pearle said:

Not even pulled over?

Yes. Twice. I've never received a warning, only tickets.

tackam said:

Would you like my radar detector, now that I generally have no use for it?

matt said:

I suppose. Thanks.

Or, you could demonstrate the excellent cocksucking skills that you must have used to get out of your well-deserved tickets!

psychodelicide said:

Two things:

1) I'm very careful about how I conduct myself during a traffic stop. Cops consider traffic stops to be dangerous situations (for them). So I do everything I can to put the officer at ease. I remove the keys from the ignition, put them on the dashboard, turn on the dome light, roll down the window, and then keep both hands on the wheel. When the officer asks for my license and registration, I tell him or her where they are and ask for permission to retrieve them. The idea here is that the officer will hopefully appreciate my courtesy (maybe even think I have some connection to law enforcement) and give me a break in return.

2) At least for speeding, I don't admit guilt. While some folks advocate being totally up-front ("Yes officer, I know I was going about 10 over, and I'm sorry"), I don't do this because if I am nonetheless ticketed, the prosecution has an easy case against me. On the other hand, I don't deny guilt either. My education and experience as a lawyer are helpful here in creating answers that sound nice, but don't really say anything of substance.

(Now, when I had a burnt-out headlight, I told the cop the truth: "Yes, officer, I'm aware it's burned out. It went out earlier tonight. I went to the auto parts store, but they were already closed. I'll go back tomorrow, buy the part, and fix it." My reasoning was that if I did get a ticket, it would likely be a so-called "fix-it ticket" that would be dismissed if I replaced the bulb. I don't think he really cared about the headlight anyway... rather, I had a temporary license plate, which looks suspicious to a cop, and my burnt-out headlight gave him legal authority to stop me, check to see if the car was stolen, and run my driver's license number through their database.)

That's pretty much it. Granted, only one of my traffic stops was for speeding, but I've been stopped three times and never gotten a ticket.

(Disclaimer: The above is not legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship.)
[Edited 1/29/05 0:16am]

Anxiety said:

You could still get a speeding ticket, but odds are, there would be a second ticket (if not a custodial arrest) for driving without a license.

No, never.

luv4u said:

Ma'am, would you please step out of your vehicle?
I need to do an umm...."inspection"

matt said:

You just tell him you are a lawyer and he says you can pass go

Heavenly said:

Honest officer, if I get you coffee and doughnuts can we play cops and robbers?

matt said:

They are legal to use where I live. Even the taxis use them.

luv4u said:

Oooooh weeee!!! I think I'm gonna like frisking you

Heavenly said:

And then the body search

luv4u said:

Get in the back seat, ma'am. I need to make sure that ummm....the hell with that! just get in the back seat and strip!

CynthiasSocks said:

DAMN, I thought I was doing good w/ $80/mo

Tickets - yes, a few. Only got a warning ONCE (for speeding). I had such an attitude b/c I just KNEW he was gonna give me the ticket but he told me to be a little nicer next time & slow down I was so fucking grateful, I'll never pull attitude again right off the bat!

luv4u said:

No way. My ex-wife was a cop's daughter. When her dad was a patrol officer, he'd occasionally pull over someone who would try to play the lawyer card. It pretty much guaranteed that the driver would get a ticket.

Lawyer: I'm an attorney.

Cop: Really? I'm a police officer. Sign here, please.

In general, cops dislike lawyers, and acting as if one's law license is a "get out of jail free" card just makes things worse.

luv4u said:

Same here. My understanding is that radar detectors are legal (for non-commercial vehicles) in all U.S. states except Virginia and the District of Columbia. (However, if you still manage to get stopped, and the cop sees your radar detector, your chance of getting a ticket is sure to be good.) The reason mine is now useless is that I no longer own a car.

I'm don't know why, by contrast, most Canadian provinces have banned radar detectors. But since I try to be a good guest when I'm in a foreign country, I once actually took the trouble to FedEx my radar detector to myself at a hotel in Detroit... I was driving there from Maine, and I cut through Ontario.

I have a license for the UK, but no license for Thailand or indeed a car. My brother in law's car is our normal means of transport, and we've been stopped a few times for speeding and other offenses.

One time we were stopped for making a right turn when we weren't allowed. The policeman asked for my brother in law's license and he just repeatedly said no. U'd think the policeman would've just dragged out of the car and taken us down the station, but after a few minutes of him asking and us saying no he just gave up! Wouldn't dream of doing that in the UK.

That came a short time after we'd been stopped and my brother did give his license. He had to go to station and pay to get it back. Typically you can offer to pay an 'on the spot fine' of around 200 baht, roughly $5, and that seems to make them happy.

A couple of times on the way back to our house my brother in law has exited where you're only supposed to enter from an outer road instead of waiting for the exit a km of so down and policemen have tried to wave us down. Both times we just drove on.

Another time at around 3am we were parked by a man-made lake near my brother's condo, sitting in the car drinking beer, when a police pick-up pulled up. All of a sudden there were flashlights shining in and they got us out of the car and patted us down from head to toe asking about drugs and guns would u believe! That was one of most surreal experiences of my life. We were both very drunk, there were countless empty beer bottles in the car and it was the last thing we were expecting. The policemen appeared to be on yaa-baa (amphetamines) or something. After they'd finished searching us and looking in the car, two of them, in perfect unison, walked over to a row of bushes, took a pee, before similarly in unison finishing their business, walking back to their pick-up, jumping in and speeding off.

Amazing Thailand.