There is nothing fun at all about being pulled over for speeding. Once you see those flashing blue lights behind, you are doomed. Things will flash before your eyes—the cost of the speeding ticket, the possible court appearance, the car insurance, the demerit on your record, etc. Thinking about all these will only result in you panicking before a police officer, which is not a good look for someone with a traffic violation.
One of the first things you need to ask the police officer is the method used to determine that you’re speeding. If it’s a radar speed gun, save that in your memory palace for later. These details are going to be important if you try to bring this to court.
Be Your Best Self
This tip will only work if you have a pristine driving record. You can charm your way out of a speeding ticket. Police officers can choose to issue a “warning” rather than a ticket to drivers. With a warning, you get off without paying fines and demerit on your record. But charming a police officer is easier said than done.
The best way to achieve this is to be the best version of yourself. Do not try to be aggressive or make up excuses. Tell the police officer that you’ve always been an upstanding citizen and that you don’t have prior violations (there is a way for them to check this). Show how respectful you are. Do not admit that you are guilty of the violation (because this can be used against you later), but explain why it might look like you are speeding.
Deny Everything
If you have a bad track record for speeding, you cannot charm your way out of a speeding ticket. What you can do is to deny everything. If you are unwilling to pay the cost of the speeding ticket and the possible increase of car insurance premiums, you should deny everything outright. Remember that whatever you say to a police officer can be used against you.
You can tell the police officer that the car in the other lane was the one speeding and not you. Tell the officer that the speed rules are not very clear on that area of the road. You can also question the accuracy of the method by which the officer determined you were speeding. If there’s a medical emergency, you can give that as the reason you were speeding. Of course, never lie to a police officer. Just keep sounding off reasons, but never ever lie to them.
But when all is said and done and the officer still decides to give you a speeding ticket, be wise enough not to say anything else. You can argue the merits of this speeding ticket in court. That means that you need a lawyer. You’ll have to appear in court and argue your case. If you’re lucky, you won’t have to pay the $50 ticket and the additional $350 a year in car insurance premium.
As always, your best argument against a speeding ticket is if you’re truly sure that you haven’t been speeding. Keeping your record clean is also another thing to remember. When it comes to traffic violations, your past can help you win a case.
