Almost Got a ticket last night

[i_am_socket]

Bravo on defending your right to not break the law. The profiling does make sense as far as driving under the speed limit, but the lack of swerving and reaction to the tailgate should have been a clue.

A similar incident happened to a friend of mine that ended very differently. He was all alone on a 3 lane highway late at night doing the speed limit. A random car comes out of nowhere and tailgates him hardcore. My friend starts to freak out: clearly there's room to pass, so this guy is there for a reason; he's in a fairly customized Monte Carlo (not by him but the previous owner) and figures the guy on his tail might be after a car-jack. My friend speeds up to try to get away, tailgater matches all the way up to 95 before the lights come on.

Unfortunately the cop falsified the records (took the report in pencil, erased the original comments, and re-wrote it), repeatedly delayed the court date, and my friend tried to defend himself in court with an entrapment defense. It did not end well.

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by ttoyoda

trikkonceptz
I don't mean you any disrespect, but I have to disagree with what you did. It would have been very easy for the cop to put meth in your car, or just shoot you. Poking at a cop is like poking at a rattlesnake. It may be amusing, but it can be fatal.
Making a complaint thru channels is a good idea.

WOW, your so whipped by society, this dillweed pulled him over for minding the laws of the road.. then harassed him about it and threatened him with tickets.. this cop is a schmuck that deserves what he gets.. a majority of cops are like this it seems.. I'v heard and seen way to many horror stories of these over zelous cops on power trips..

Know your rights.. and use them!!!

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by Arminius

This is why you need a sticker on the car that explains your speed. Seriously.

I say good ide but then the drunks will all get "I'm hypermiling" or "Hypermiler Onboard" stickers..

Were a odd bunch.. were driving at or below the limit, that must mean were doing something wrong?.. the nail that sticks up gets the hammer. However going to slow doesn't in any way constitute a traffic stop..

I still have not gotten stopped in the modded out crx, but im waiting for the time when i do.. but at least i just look crazy to others, I think they say , oh they must be kind of crazy, ill leave them alone.. lol

Wonder if Basjoos has gotten stopped? hes got a lot more miles on his oddity on wheels..

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by ebacherville

I say good ide but then the drunks will all get "I'm hypermiling" or "Hypermiler Onboard" stickers..

Were a odd bunch.. were driving at or below the limit, that must mean were doing something wrong?.. the nail that sticks up gets the hammer. However going to slow doesn't in any way constitute a traffic stop..

I still have not gotten stopped in the modded out crx, but im waiting for the time when i do.. but at least i just look crazy to others, I think they say , oh they must be kind of crazy, ill leave them alone.. lol

Wonder if Basjoos has gotten stopped? hes got a lot more miles on his oddity on wheels..

The cops where I live are almost always really cool. In fact, most of the times I've deserved a ticket (when I have clearly broken the law) they have let me off, without me asking. Usually, when I'm just driving slowly, they pull up behind me and follow me for a few miles and then drop off. A sticker would probably shorten the distance quite a bit.

As for the habitual drunks, I suspect one of their problems is their lack of planning, so I'm not too worried about them slapping a geek's sticker on their car.

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by Arminius

As for the habitual drunks, I suspect one of their problems is their lack of planning, so I'm not too worried about them slapping a geek's sticker on their car.

I know some habitual drunks that go through many lenghts to avoid getting busted.. quite interesting actually, most consist of either walking home, getting a ride, and some even carry a bike in there truck bed to ride home on.. However they are pretty good about not driving , but for you know how that goesafter a few to many.. "OHH , I'm fffineee to drivvve"..

[trikkonceptz]

Originally Posted by Arminius

This is why you need a sticker on the car that explains your speed. Seriously.

Not a bad Idea, I had already thought of using dry erase vinyl to make a panel on my hatch that indicated the last tank mpg, plus gallons saved over time, with a statement saying, "Achieved by adjusting the nut behind the wheel."

I may go ahead and do it now ...

[wagonman76]

Dont know about your area, but here tourists are king, and they know it. By mass majority theyre the ones who drive 20 mph over the speed limit, pass into oncoming traffic, run stop signs, drive cars/boats/snowmobiles drunk, etc. They charge down the roads like packs of wild animals. For whatever asinine reason, Michigan decided to rely on tourist dollars to run the economy instead of building a strong local economic base. And anything that discourages tourism is not allowed. That includes making tourists responsible for their own actions. They come up here to party and blow their money and go home with no strings attached. The police could make a killing by ticketing them and make the roads a LOT safer, but they wont touch it. Instead they would rather pick on locals for doing 5 over, 10 under, tailipipe that sticks out too far, and other things like try to accuse me of kidnapping my own daughter because I dont look like the typical yuppie golfer. With prices of everything going up and jobs being sent overseas, the tourism business is becoming more fragile and they dont want to discourage it.

The more wasteful you are the better you are treated. This is true for the receiving end of every business. And big business is what runs this country. Back in the older days, it was always taught to drive like youve got an egg under your foot. And anticipate traffic ahead and drive accordingly. Things that saved gas and were considered safe. That was back when people cared. These days its all about oil and money. We are expected to cater to those who pump more dollars into the system with their wasteful and many times illegal behavior.

Hypermilers tend to do less for the ecomomy because we save money on gas and usually other things as well. As we become more well known we are going to get picked on more and more.

Thats my soapbox.

[cfg83]

trikkonceptz -

Originally Posted by trikkonceptz

...

He says that the way we drive, (Safe and under speed), does mimic that of drunk drivers, the differnece being that we do not swerve all over the place. He advised me to be a bit more tolerant of law enforcement because they operate under suspicion at all times. He did not condone the treatment I recieved, just asked that I be more patient when approached at night by police until this becomes more mainstream.

...

That's pretty much what I thought. My car has the "Big E" in the rear window, so I think I am communicating what I am all about in terms of how I drive.

CarloSW2

[MazdaMatt]

Just be happy that you guys aren't the modder/tuner crowd. That kind of response to a cop pulling over someone with a perfectly legal but flashy car would land them many many bogus tickets and days in court. Now in Ontario if a cop feels like accusing you of doing a burnout, screaching around a corner or driving 50km/h over the limit, he can have your car impounded with no due process and send you walking home.

[ajax_6531]

Sweet!!!

I don't have any super cop stories. I do, however, love the movie Super Troopers.