Getting a speeding ticket

I got a ticket doing 94 in a 65...I'm pretty sure he made me get into his cruiser. Might have been because it was the side of a highway. (It was some years ago, that's why my memory is fuzzy. I wasn't drunk or anything. Just going really fast.)

Gonna depend on where you are. There are a couple of places (I think Montana, still, for example) where there isn't a speed limit. It's about "Prudent and reasonable speed".

On the other hand, if you appear to be alert, sober, and cooperative, and in a car reasonable to the situation, they might just let you sit there while they write the ticket.

In Illinois, they'd invite you to sit in the back of the squad car while they write you up, and run all your information.

Also, some states (I think) have a mandatory arrest at X over speed limit.

good luck!

Mine was in Missouri, btw.

JoNightshade said:

Let's say you were doing 120mph and the highway patrol pulled you over. Would they ask you to get out of the car? Or would you just roll down the window and deal with stuff that way? (I've never gotten a ticket before... nor have I done 120mph)

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I've never done 120 on the highway either, but when we were pulled over on the freeway for going 80, we did not get out of the car. You are really only asked to get out if you pose a threat sitting in your car, or if you've been really naughty and have like stolen plates or even a stolen car lol. Then you have to get out, unfortunately, and are taken away.

Same for on the surface streets...rarely are you asked to get out these days, you're just cited and then left to continue your journey.

Most of the time, you don't want the person initially to get out of the car. In fact, if you get pulled over for speeding sometime, try it. (No, don't) The officer will tell you to stay put in your car.

If they want you to get out, it's usually because there's something else going on--either they've decided to search the car, or you, or a field sobriety test is in the cards--or they're going to arrest you.

Sometimes an officer will have you sit in the patrol car after it's clear you're not a problem, but that's not good patrol tactics.

The "Get out of the car" vs. "Don't get out of the car" thing varies depending on where you are. When I was a street cop we were trained to ask the person to step out of the car. First off, standing at the driver's window puts you in an extremely vulnerable position, and allows te driver access to any weapons within his/her reach. Second, when they step out of the car it gives you the chance to assess sobriety, and see if they have any weapons in their hands.

There are several court precedents to allow an officer to ask you to exit the vehicle, so that's not an issue. I've found that in colder climates the tendency is to keep the driver in the car. I would suggest calling your local PD, tell them you're a writer, and ask them what their procedure is. Most agencies would be delighted to give you info.

Oh, forgot to add: A driver who was stopped for 120mph would most likely be looking at a trip to jail, not just a ticket. Most of our local judges give mandatory jail time for anything over 100mph.

And in Texas, you may NOT arrest for speeding. You may however arrest for Reckless Driving.

Around here, it's preferred not to have the person step out of the car. It's a lot harder for citizens to become roadkill if they stay in their cars.

So it could work either way to want it to.

Redhedd said:

The "Get out of the car" vs. "Don't get out of the car" thing varies depending on where you are. When I was a street cop we were trained to ask the person to step out of the car.

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I sometimes forget how much it varies. We we trained exactly the opposite.

In Ontario, you stay in the car.

No, I've never been caught for speeding! Just seen lots of others who have. (I just love it when someone belts past me and two minutes later, there they are, with one of Ontario's finest leaning in their window, whilst I go past them. Tee hee.) The cop parks his car jutting out into the road a little bit so his butt is, quite literally, covered.

Car

Having a person get out of the car under most circumstances is really stupid, and can get one or the other of you killed. If you need to check for sobriety, then yes, out of the car. Otherwise, no, stay in the car where you're safe and I'm safe.

Don't forget to check the type car your guy is driving to make sure it goes 120 mph. . .our vehicles all only have 110 on the speedometer.

The limit on the meter has nothing to do with the top speed of the vehicle. That would only matter if your driver needed to know he was doing 120. Most meters in cars with V8s go to 120 and they can still exceed it.

In Virginia, anything over 80 mph is automatic reckless driving. This is still left up to the officers digressions. He doesn't have to write it up that way.

I've been asked to get out of the car and I've been asked to "stay in the car and keep your hands on the wheel", and some others are a bit more relaxed. Cop walked to the window and said "Sir, did you know you were doing 90 in a 55?" without any apparent apprehension.

I was pulled once for street racing (it was the only time I ever let someone goad me into a challenge) and had a pistol butt sticking out from between the bucket seats. The cop never noticed it.

I've been pulled for moderate speeding and had the cop tell me to stay in the car, he stayed behind his door. In a minute another cop arrived and while one wrote me up the other hung out and watched from the opposite side of the cars. These guys weren't actually watching for me, but they were watching for someone.

I was pulled once for 85 in a 60 and taken to jail - because there was no extradition(?) agreement between the state where I was pulled and the state I was licensed.

You can set it up how ever you want. There is a lot going on in the world and it affects how people do things. I recall when an officer was killed at a traffic stop there was a sudden and definite adherence to protocol among all the others.

Finally, cops are people too. They have good days and bad. There are nice cops and there are real asses. They make flash judgments and treat you according to it. And they have curiosities. My brother was pulled once and the cop asked him to sit in the patrol car. They sat beside the road for 45 minutes talking about my brothers 69 Mach 1 and other fast cars. No ticket was issued. The same happened with me and my Road Runner convertible. Even with expired plates they let me go.

There is also the matter of your cop being a rookie or a seasoned veteran.

It's your world. Write it.

You are also asked to get out of the car if you are driving a piece of junk vehicle in a swank neighborhood in the middle of the night (even if it is to drive your spouse to work).

At least in upstate New York, you are.

In California here. I'm wondering if it has something to do with gender. I've seen males standing outside the car, but have never noticed a woman doing so. I wasn't asked to step out; I also talked my way out of it.

BarbJ said:

I wasn't asked to step out; I also talked my way out of it.

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Cops usually have their minds made up before they ever approach your car. There's an old saying--you can't talk your way out of a ticket, but you can talk your way into one.

BarbJ said:

In California here. I'm wondering if it has something to do with gender. I've seen males standing outside the car, but have never noticed a woman doing so. I wasn't asked to step out; I also talked my way out of it.

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This is just a hunch, but, I'm betting that moments after you passed, he was cuffed. And well, girls don't get in trouble so of course it was a guy. Cause boys are bad.

I only talked my way out of a ticket once, it was 11:00 at night and I was leaving the gym. I'd got a long block away (speeding out of there) when I was pulled over. Told him my legs were weak from the workout, and I couldn't physically feel myself speeding, and I also think he got another call, cause he let me go.

jennifer75 said:

Cause boys are bad.

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Oh, yeeeaaahhh. Ain't it great? Bad boys forever!

When I was stopped for going nearly 80 in a 45 on a highway (I passed the cop) the cop came to me and stood outside my driver's door. He didn't ask me to get out of the car. (I had just broken up with my boyfriend the night before and wasn't paying any attention to what I was doing, or how fast I was going.)

He asked me if I knew how fast I was going. Said no, he told me. Then he asked if I saw him when I passed him. I said yes. He looked incredulous. He asked if I was dissing him and I said yes. He nearly fell over backwards. He didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then asked if I had kids and said yes. He said he wasn't going to give me a ticket cuz it was close to Thanksgiving and he didn't think that would be fair to my kids. Then let me go telling me to keep it under the speed limit. Maybe he realized when he checked my registration on the computer that I'd never gotten a ticket so didn't want to be the first one to write me one? He could have been considerate, right? LOL

I'll probably never get a break like that again, and am much more prudent about my driving.