Originally Posted by oledoc2u
rodimus and SteveS, since Christopher will scold me for getting off topic again, I will be brief...the big thing we or I should I always watch for when seeing someone speed is whether they are paying attn to what they are doing...and younger drivers, sry, aren't always considering all the factors when they decide to break the law...they will tend to speed in congested areas, school zones, etc...older drivers seem to do it more on the open highway where it isn't so dangerous...if that helps...and believe me...I was always more of @ss chewer than a writer...just because I am a "motorhead"...sry Chris...
I've always said that an ounce of common-sense and a pound of courtesy goes a long way.
About a year and a half ago, I was driving my truck down a brand new 4-lane that might have seen 15 cars on a daily basis. Very lightly traveled, very straight road but it has a posted limit of 40 mph.
It was 11:45pm, and I wanted to let the truck stretch a bit, as I had just done some extra mods and wanted to give 'em the "butt dyno".
So, I'm clearing the slight hill when I see headlights oncoming. They were dim (characteristic of Crown Vics) but I thought, "nah, surely not a cop".
Surely it was.
The "red blur" which was my truck flew past him at around 115 mph. As I passed, I noticed the reflective vinyl stripe flash in the corner of my eye.
I saw him hit the brake lights, and I simply applied the brakes and brought the truck to a gradual halt, rolled down the window and turned the truck off.
He had turned around but wasn't code-3 just yet. He drives up behind my truck, gets out and does the usual inquiries... said he clocked me at 113 and was shocked that
a) I stopped without him even having to hit the light bar
b) He clocked me at 113 in a Ranger
To make a short story long, he seemed to appreciate the gesture of not eliciting a chase, or playing dumb. I owned up to it, admitted the wrongdoing, but he let me off with a light @ss chewing and then immediately started inquiring about the truck.
As a rule, I always do the following and it has kept me ticket-free, so far:
- I ALWAYS stop before being chased, if I know I'm busted.
- I always have the vehicle OFF when they approach
- I keep my hands at the 10 and 2 position on the steering wheel UNTIL they have initiated conversation, so as to give the LEO peace-of-mind and he can know that my hands are NOT low, digging for a weapon. This seems to make a ton of difference. Even if you want to shuffle around looking for your registration and whatnot, DON'T do it until they approach. You know that you're digging in your glovebox for paperwork... but all they see is someone reaching in their glovebox in a dark vehicle. An officer at peace is a friendly officer.
- Own up to the mishap. In my above situation, playing dumb would've just pissed him off. Unless it's a truly trivial ticket (36 in a 35), being mature about the situation will prove far more rewarding
I've been nabbed my share of times... but I always respect them and try to do everything in my power to make them feel like I'm not a threat to them. So far, so good.