 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
When you see a traffic officer signal you to pull over, PULL
OVER. Look for a safe spot where the office can safely stand
next to your car without risking his life. Pull into a parking lot
if you can, but always signal to the officer to show that you
are not avoiding him. If you must pull over to the side of the
road, the right shoulder is almost always safer for both you
and the officer.
Put your vehicle in park so that you cannot drive forward.
Then the officer can park right behind you without worrying
that you will try to drive away and escape.
Turn off the car, and possibly remove the keys from the
ignition. If it is nighttime, turn on as many interior lights as
possible. Remain in the car. Do not move or leave the car at
any time during the stop unless you are asked to do so.
Sit still with you seat belt on and your hands on top of your
steering wheel, in plain sight. Do not fidget around before the
officer approaches the vehicle or at any time during the
traffic stop. The officer will request your driver’s license,
registration and insurance card. Leave your hands on top of
the steering wheel. Describe to the officer where the papers
are, and ask permission to get them. When the officer
permits it, move slowly and deliberately to retrieve the
documents for the officer. Avoid sudden movements that may
make the officer feel you are reaching for a weapon.
If you have a medical emergency and really do need to get to
the hospital fast, continue to show the police officer respect,
but request the officer’s assistance to get to the hospital
quickly. Remember, the police officer is doing the job you
want him or her to do. You may not like that you are on the
receiving end of his or her duties, but they are important
duties.
Try to look as sad as possible. Do not say any of your
problems, just look sad. It just may be enough to get you off
with a traffic warning instead of a speeding ticket or red light
ticket. Use respectful language, like "Yes, sir" and "No, sir".
Do not lie. The police officer is just going to get mad. Act
natural and calm.
A traffic stop is the most unpredictable and dangerous part of
normal police work, and officers are trained to approach
vehicles with extreme caution. Be polite and cooperative
when you get pulled over. Being belligerent or indignant may
make you feel better but it might cost you more. By being
polite and cooperative, the officer may just write your traffic
ticket for a less costly offense instead of what was actually
committed and with luck, you might just get a warning.
Avoid admissions of guilt and never make excuses or create
outlandish stories. When you are asked if you know why you
were pulled over, just respond with a simple and polite, "No
officer, I do not". Keep in mind that honesty is the best policy
especially when you prefer to get off with merely a warning.
On the other hand, if you do get a traffic ticket, and decide to
contest it, remember that any admissions you make, can be
used against you later.
Ask the officer if you can pay for the traffic ticket fine by
mail. The officer will immediately see you as a low probability
to go to traffic court and may take fewer notes. When you do
challenge the traffic ticket, the officer's sparse notes will
make him want to skip the hearing.
Question the officer more directly, after you are handed the
traffic ticket, about how the offense was detected and
verified. In the case of a speeding ticket, find out where the
officer was positioned when he clocked you and what type of
speed measurement device was used and if it was radar,lidar
or laser. Gather as many specifics as possible, including the
serial number of the radar device, if already not indicated on
the speeding ticket. If, however the officer estimated your
speed by following you, then find out what the location was
when he began to follow you. Make sure you write down the
patrol car's license plate number and his badge number. If
you were cited for an offense other than speeding, make sure
you understand exactly why you were pulled over, especially
if you were cited for something that could not have been
easily seen. Do note that the officer does not have to actually
give this information at the time of the traffic stop.
If the traffic officer relies on radar for a speeding ticket, ask
to see the display of your speed on his radar unit. Often the
officer has either cleared the result from his display or is
fudging. This will not lead to a dismissal by itself, and in some
jurisdictions the officer is not required to show you the
display but discrepancies or lack of evidence may help as part
of your defense.
Check your speeding ticket for accuracy by reviewing it
immediately upon receipt. Make sure that the information is
legible, if not, ask the officer what he wrote and make a note
of it on another piece of paper, not on the ticket.
If there are inaccuracies that may hurt your case (i.e. if the
officer notes on the speeding ticket that you crossed two
lanes of traffic when you only crossed one, or if he says traffic
was heavy when in fact it was light), ask him immediately to
correct them. Be very polite when requesting changes to your
speeding ticket. However, if you find that the officer is not
accommodating, do not argue but record the actual
circumstances in your mind, and after he leaves, jot it down
on another piece of paper.
On the other hand, if there are inaccuracies that may help
your case or get the speeding ticket dismissed, you do not
want to call attention to them. Such as, the direction of travel
is not consistent with the traffic control device that you
allegedly violated.
Once the police officer has given you your speeding ticket and
left the scene, record relevant details, such as traffic and road
conditions, weather, time of day, and any extenuating
circumstances. If you have a camera or cell phone camera
take pictures, especially if your speeding ticket defense
depends on something like an obscured speed limit sign or a
huge pothole that you had to swerve to miss. Without
compromising your safety and the safety of the others, go to
the officer’s original position (whether stationary or moving)
and check for any obstructions that might have caused them
to have a poor view of the alleged offense or that might have
caused the speed radar to malfunction. Make a diagram of the
road showing where the officer was positioned, which
direction you were traveling, where you eventually stopped,
and other important details.
Read the fine print on the speeding ticket after you get home,
as there is useful information on there that might help you.
Make sure you understand all of it, as it will give you
instructions on how to proceed to the next step.
Majority of traffic tickets in California are issued by the
California Highway Patrol (CHP). Click on the following links
for information about the CHP enforcement and the CHP
programs:
OVER. Look for a safe spot where the office can safely stand
next to your car without risking his life. Pull into a parking lot
if you can, but always signal to the officer to show that you
are not avoiding him. If you must pull over to the side of the
road, the right shoulder is almost always safer for both you
and the officer.
Put your vehicle in park so that you cannot drive forward.
Then the officer can park right behind you without worrying
that you will try to drive away and escape.
Turn off the car, and possibly remove the keys from the
ignition. If it is nighttime, turn on as many interior lights as
possible. Remain in the car. Do not move or leave the car at
any time during the stop unless you are asked to do so.
Sit still with you seat belt on and your hands on top of your
steering wheel, in plain sight. Do not fidget around before the
officer approaches the vehicle or at any time during the
traffic stop. The officer will request your driver’s license,
registration and insurance card. Leave your hands on top of
the steering wheel. Describe to the officer where the papers
are, and ask permission to get them. When the officer
permits it, move slowly and deliberately to retrieve the
documents for the officer. Avoid sudden movements that may
make the officer feel you are reaching for a weapon.
If you have a medical emergency and really do need to get to
the hospital fast, continue to show the police officer respect,
but request the officer’s assistance to get to the hospital
quickly. Remember, the police officer is doing the job you
want him or her to do. You may not like that you are on the
receiving end of his or her duties, but they are important
duties.
Try to look as sad as possible. Do not say any of your
problems, just look sad. It just may be enough to get you off
with a traffic warning instead of a speeding ticket or red light
ticket. Use respectful language, like "Yes, sir" and "No, sir".
Do not lie. The police officer is just going to get mad. Act
natural and calm.
A traffic stop is the most unpredictable and dangerous part of
normal police work, and officers are trained to approach
vehicles with extreme caution. Be polite and cooperative
when you get pulled over. Being belligerent or indignant may
make you feel better but it might cost you more. By being
polite and cooperative, the officer may just write your traffic
ticket for a less costly offense instead of what was actually
committed and with luck, you might just get a warning.
Avoid admissions of guilt and never make excuses or create
outlandish stories. When you are asked if you know why you
were pulled over, just respond with a simple and polite, "No
officer, I do not". Keep in mind that honesty is the best policy
especially when you prefer to get off with merely a warning.
On the other hand, if you do get a traffic ticket, and decide to
contest it, remember that any admissions you make, can be
used against you later.
Ask the officer if you can pay for the traffic ticket fine by
mail. The officer will immediately see you as a low probability
to go to traffic court and may take fewer notes. When you do
challenge the traffic ticket, the officer's sparse notes will
make him want to skip the hearing.
Question the officer more directly, after you are handed the
traffic ticket, about how the offense was detected and
verified. In the case of a speeding ticket, find out where the
officer was positioned when he clocked you and what type of
speed measurement device was used and if it was radar,lidar
or laser. Gather as many specifics as possible, including the
serial number of the radar device, if already not indicated on
the speeding ticket. If, however the officer estimated your
speed by following you, then find out what the location was
when he began to follow you. Make sure you write down the
patrol car's license plate number and his badge number. If
you were cited for an offense other than speeding, make sure
you understand exactly why you were pulled over, especially
if you were cited for something that could not have been
easily seen. Do note that the officer does not have to actually
give this information at the time of the traffic stop.
If the traffic officer relies on radar for a speeding ticket, ask
to see the display of your speed on his radar unit. Often the
officer has either cleared the result from his display or is
fudging. This will not lead to a dismissal by itself, and in some
jurisdictions the officer is not required to show you the
display but discrepancies or lack of evidence may help as part
of your defense.
Check your speeding ticket for accuracy by reviewing it
immediately upon receipt. Make sure that the information is
legible, if not, ask the officer what he wrote and make a note
of it on another piece of paper, not on the ticket.
If there are inaccuracies that may hurt your case (i.e. if the
officer notes on the speeding ticket that you crossed two
lanes of traffic when you only crossed one, or if he says traffic
was heavy when in fact it was light), ask him immediately to
correct them. Be very polite when requesting changes to your
speeding ticket. However, if you find that the officer is not
accommodating, do not argue but record the actual
circumstances in your mind, and after he leaves, jot it down
on another piece of paper.
On the other hand, if there are inaccuracies that may help
your case or get the speeding ticket dismissed, you do not
want to call attention to them. Such as, the direction of travel
is not consistent with the traffic control device that you
allegedly violated.
Once the police officer has given you your speeding ticket and
left the scene, record relevant details, such as traffic and road
conditions, weather, time of day, and any extenuating
circumstances. If you have a camera or cell phone camera
take pictures, especially if your speeding ticket defense
depends on something like an obscured speed limit sign or a
huge pothole that you had to swerve to miss. Without
compromising your safety and the safety of the others, go to
the officer’s original position (whether stationary or moving)
and check for any obstructions that might have caused them
to have a poor view of the alleged offense or that might have
caused the speed radar to malfunction. Make a diagram of the
road showing where the officer was positioned, which
direction you were traveling, where you eventually stopped,
and other important details.
Read the fine print on the speeding ticket after you get home,
as there is useful information on there that might help you.
Make sure you understand all of it, as it will give you
instructions on how to proceed to the next step.
Majority of traffic tickets in California are issued by the
California Highway Patrol (CHP). Click on the following links
for information about the CHP enforcement and the CHP
programs:
| 2 FIX YOUR TRAFFIC TICKET WE STRIVE FOR JUSTICE & FAIRNESS FOR ALL |
WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET PULLED OVER BY A TRAFFIC |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
