It’s a terrible feeling… the red and blue lights flashing behind you, the siren, finding a safe place to pull over, the embarrassment. Luckily, you have a cool head and you’re ready to LISTEN to the police officer. Here are our tips for trying to get out of a ticket:

• After pulling over to a safe place on the road, remain calm with your seatbelt fastened. Put the car in park, and with the emergency brake on, turn the car off and place both hands on the wheel.
• Think about where your drivers license and registration are but DON’T TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE WHEEL. When the officer asks for those documents, tell them where they are and then reach for them. Make sure your documents are not wrinkled or folded and your license is CLEAN (to help show what a ”clean” driver you are). Maybe even put your hands in your lap while they look at your documents (showcasing the extra innocence).
• Were you speeding? (Yes or No?) Can you humbly explain yourself if the officer asks “Do you know why I pulled you over?” Here’s a suggested response:

You: “Yes, officer. I was driving thinking about my day off tomorrow and I went faster than I should have been going. I really wish I would have looked so I didn’t take up YOUR time and make this mistake.”

Officer: “There’s no excuse for speeding… (remember, you purposely didn’t give them one– you admitted fault but tried to relate to something everyone can enjoy- a day off) and I can’t have people driving like they’re at an auto race.”

You: (here comes your plea) There’s no excuse I can make to justify my actions. I’m prepared to pay the fee and tell my (significant other) but would you consider letting me off with a stern warning? It’s going to be very effective with me since I’ve never had an infraction before on my license (if this is not the case, try explaining you’re working toward a perfectly clean record).

(after a pause)

Officer: This is your lucky day. I don’t like writing tickets and you have a nice car. Try to be safe out there. You can go.

You: Thank you. I will be the most alert one on the road. Thank you for serving our city and hope you have a nice day.

Start the car, put on your turn signal, put the car in gear and roll out. DO NOT pick up a cell phone, turn on the stereo or do anything casual. For all you know, this same officer will catch up with you a mile down the road and you don’t want to be caught rocking out to music and be seen holding your mobile phone.

While there is no fool-proof way out of a ticket, being courteous and aware may severely improve your chances of not getting one. If you’re a real jerk, it’ll be known by the officer. Consider this: if you argue/fight the ticket with an appearance in court, your officer will need to attend to have the court not throw out the ticket (i.e, if the officer is a no-show, your case becomes dismissed). Officers do not like the time consuming process of going to court so if you’re nice, there’s a chance they’ll remember you and not show up. If the officer has a grudge because you were a jerk, they may be more likely to remember your name.

Do you have stories to share? Please leave them in the comments section below. If you weren’t successful in warding off that ticket and your insurance company found out and increased your rates, then maybe it’s time to shop. Ticket or no ticket, we’ve helped a lot of customers save. Call us at 1-800-258-5101 or check rates online at answerfinancial.com