Jimmie Jazz
02-18-2005, 01:10 PM
I was pulled over this morning about 7am on my way to work in Richardson Southbound on Waterview from 190 just across the railroad tracks, and across from the driving range. Older guy with a fully-loaded Crown Vic, complete with radar. He never even turned on the radar. He clocked me using his speedo (old school) and nailed my ass. I don't even know how fast I was going, but probably around 55 or so barely faster than the cars in my pack. I quickly pulled over and off the road into one of the parking lots of the office buildings there, giving him plenty of space to get in behind me. He was already out of the car as I killed the engine and rolled down my window. He asked me if I'd seen the 40MPH signs along the road and I started to answer "Well.. ye..." but he interrupted me with "Need to see your license and insurance."
Here's where I got to try my buddies ploy. I have a current insurance card, but I held it in reserve. Instead, I gave him my EXPIRED insurance card, along with my license. I said, "Sir, I'm pretty sure I'm covered, but this card is expired." Then he asked where I lived. I told him Lewisville, and he asked "Are you late for work or in a hurry this morning?" I said (ashamedly) "Well.. No, not really." He said, "The speed limit is 40 miles per hour." I said, "Yes sir." Then he looks at the insurance card some more and says, "Well, this is pretty recent, so you are probably still good. Slow it down to 40 before you get a ticket this morning." I said "Thank you, sir" and meant every word of it.
Here's the strategy, and I understand how subjective, unreliable and theoretical it is. There are some assumptions you must make upon getting pulled over.
First, you are going to get a ticket. Be Polite and Respectful. I know some people have a knack for skating, but I'm not one of them, and I bet most people are in the same boat as me. By expecting to get a ticket, you have a more-prepared state of mind to execute this strategy. You have nothing to lose by trying.
Second, a ticket for No Insurance nets the municipality more revenue than say, a speeding ticket. By offering the officer a chance to write up a larger fine, he has the option of letting you slide on the speeding. He has to write you up for SOMETHING, so he might as well write you up for the one that nets the municipality the most money. If you haven't hassled him or given him lip, and if you've been polite and respectful, he may not want to break your wallet with both fines, and he'll just write you up for the insurance. If he doesn't, suggest it! Since you actually HAVE insurance, simply present the proof within the court-specified timeframe, the violation is cancelled out and you are done.
If he decides to write you up for both violations, pull out your CURRENT Insurance Card before he starts writing, introducing a variable to the officer and his already-settled-on procedure. Consequently, there is another decision point available to you since the officer has to re-think what he is going to do. Try to get out of it the best way you can at this point, because you have nothing to lose except money and points on your license. You have a better chance of getting out of it at this point than before, since you've interrupted his 'flow'. He might even decide to let the whole thing go at this point. If he doesn't, suggest it! If you are unable to produce the current insurance card before he starts writing both violations, you'll still have to deal with the inconvenience of driving to the courthouse or city clerk's office to get the insurance violation cancelled, but what the hell, it doesn't COST anything (yet) and you at least gave it a shot. Once he starts writing, you are getting a ticket for SOMETHING, so if you haven't yet shown him the current insurance card, you can still try to get him to let you slide on the speeding.
The two important principles are:
1. Give the officer the chance to cut you a break
This includes being polite and respectful as well as voluntarily offering a second, more-profitable to the city, violation (a negotiation variable) to the officer. Try to get him to only write you up for the insurance.
2. Be prepared to parley the fresh decision point to include releasing you from all violations, not just the insurance. This way, you get two chances to talk him out of it, not just one. If he won't remove the speeding violation completely, try to get him to drop it under 10 MPH over the limit, to reduce the fine. Again, you don't have anything to lose by asking politely.
Here's where I got to try my buddies ploy. I have a current insurance card, but I held it in reserve. Instead, I gave him my EXPIRED insurance card, along with my license. I said, "Sir, I'm pretty sure I'm covered, but this card is expired." Then he asked where I lived. I told him Lewisville, and he asked "Are you late for work or in a hurry this morning?" I said (ashamedly) "Well.. No, not really." He said, "The speed limit is 40 miles per hour." I said, "Yes sir." Then he looks at the insurance card some more and says, "Well, this is pretty recent, so you are probably still good. Slow it down to 40 before you get a ticket this morning." I said "Thank you, sir" and meant every word of it.
Here's the strategy, and I understand how subjective, unreliable and theoretical it is. There are some assumptions you must make upon getting pulled over.
First, you are going to get a ticket. Be Polite and Respectful. I know some people have a knack for skating, but I'm not one of them, and I bet most people are in the same boat as me. By expecting to get a ticket, you have a more-prepared state of mind to execute this strategy. You have nothing to lose by trying.
Second, a ticket for No Insurance nets the municipality more revenue than say, a speeding ticket. By offering the officer a chance to write up a larger fine, he has the option of letting you slide on the speeding. He has to write you up for SOMETHING, so he might as well write you up for the one that nets the municipality the most money. If you haven't hassled him or given him lip, and if you've been polite and respectful, he may not want to break your wallet with both fines, and he'll just write you up for the insurance. If he doesn't, suggest it! Since you actually HAVE insurance, simply present the proof within the court-specified timeframe, the violation is cancelled out and you are done.
If he decides to write you up for both violations, pull out your CURRENT Insurance Card before he starts writing, introducing a variable to the officer and his already-settled-on procedure. Consequently, there is another decision point available to you since the officer has to re-think what he is going to do. Try to get out of it the best way you can at this point, because you have nothing to lose except money and points on your license. You have a better chance of getting out of it at this point than before, since you've interrupted his 'flow'. He might even decide to let the whole thing go at this point. If he doesn't, suggest it! If you are unable to produce the current insurance card before he starts writing both violations, you'll still have to deal with the inconvenience of driving to the courthouse or city clerk's office to get the insurance violation cancelled, but what the hell, it doesn't COST anything (yet) and you at least gave it a shot. Once he starts writing, you are getting a ticket for SOMETHING, so if you haven't yet shown him the current insurance card, you can still try to get him to let you slide on the speeding.
The two important principles are:
1. Give the officer the chance to cut you a break
This includes being polite and respectful as well as voluntarily offering a second, more-profitable to the city, violation (a negotiation variable) to the officer. Try to get him to only write you up for the insurance.
2. Be prepared to parley the fresh decision point to include releasing you from all violations, not just the insurance. This way, you get two chances to talk him out of it, not just one. If he won't remove the speeding violation completely, try to get him to drop it under 10 MPH over the limit, to reduce the fine. Again, you don't have anything to lose by asking politely.