I agree with this 100%. Situational awareness is everything when driving. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for cops. It is second nature for me at this point. On roads Im familiar with I know where they hide and the like.

I just dont speed on roads that shouldnt be sped on if I can help it...namely residential roads. Yeah, those roads that are 25 mph but look like they should be 45. I wind through the gears on highways where one could justify such driving. I have adopted this philosophy after an encounter with the coppers!

 

Hey I resent that! jk

Though I only have about 7k on Ferris and no tickets, I have been pulled over a few times in other cars. Nearly every time it was warrented. I was doing something stupid or just making "rookie" mistakes in my youth. I have wised up and learned how to drive.

 

I'm always getting pulled over.. OMG the GP is a target! with the carbon wing. lol

 

Naw, it's those red mirror caps... grabs their attention every time

 

I agree, but somehow I apparently didn't spot the trooper early enough to fully escape her attention, so that's why I still think I lucked out a bit. But I'm a firm believer in always scanning your surroundings, and not just for police.

And as already mentioned, try not to be conspicuous on the road. Tuck in behind others when you do spot a cop, and leave the Fast N Furious driving for the track or the movie set.

 

I think I've posted it somewhere before, but you guys are right -- and Dan00Hawk you did what I do.

I'm always on the lookout for sneaky hiding places for coppers, especially when I'm maybe a little more lead-footed than I ought to be... But first, I pay attention. WHen I spot them, I don't obviously notice them (especially on smaller roads): don't be obvious about spotting them; don't turn your head, look guilty, etc. THen I downshift until I'm at the correct speed, or very close to it. DON"T slam the brakes, ESPECIALLY at night!! Then you're pretty much physically admitting to the guilt! Once past the coppers, keep your eyes on them...if they slow down (if moving originally) to turn around, or if they start moving (stationary originally), you might be in some serious trouble.

It's not that I dislike cops - quite the opposite! But they're getting sneakier and sneakier!! First, I've seen lately in VA that they use a regular, non-marked, nondescript car seeminly broken down on the side of the road or the middle emerg vehicle turn around as the stationary speed trap. OR, the new light bars are about an inch tall -- from a distance (especially on the new unmarked cars) it looks like a luggage rack! Sneaky coppers.

 

I saw a silver Clubman pulled over yesterday. My commute is always loaded with cops, and they are real sneaky. I just don't understand it. MINIs don't drive fast; they just motor with glee!!

 

I've been driving for nearlly 40 years - was stopped the first day I had my license, in a 65 VW doing 35 in a 30 zone - I looked like a typical 16 yr old, so was an easy mark. My only ticket, ever.
Next one was on I 80 near Grand Island NE (A notorious speed trap). I was driving a Z3 coupe (rare) and had slowed to 5mph below the limit before the trap. He pulled me over anyway and hmm'd and haw'd, then finally came out and asked, "So, what kind of car is this anyway?"
3rd time was the 2nd day I had my clubman. Cop coming towards me on a 2 lane country road flashed his lights a good 3/4 mile away from me, so I pulled over. I knew there was no way he could tell I was doing 75 in a 55 zone - turns out he was basically just curious.

 

Just south of town, the State guys used a Mustang to pull over a Corvette doing over 120

 

No trouble so far.

 

BTW, to those of you who rely on your Crown Vic spotting abilities to know when a cop is near... our state troopers (SC) have finally figured out that with LEDs, they can hide their blue lights in a lot of inconspicuous places.

Saw an SUV the other day that passed me and didn't even have a visible camera on the dash, but as soon as he got past me, the thing lit up like a Christmas tree (a very blue Christmas tree...).

Sneaky sneaky.

 

I was driving on a 6 lane road that is posted at 40 mph, I don't know how fast I was going but I passed a park with a cop hiding in the bushes. I saw him and he saw me plain as day, I saw him start to put away his radar gun and I knew he pegged me. The park had an entrance and a exit on the main road about 30 feet away from each other, the cop was at the exit. I immediately slowed and entered the entrance to the park. I pulled in just as the cop pulled out. He cop hit is blues to took off down the street at what looked to be 100mph. Not until he past the entrance did he see that I pulled in to the park and was my self parked from where to took off from.

I waited until he turned around and pulled in behind me about 5 or 6 minutes to get back through traffic. I had the car off and the windows down and all my paper work ready for when he came up to my window. He just smiled laughed a little and told me to slow down. He was quite embarrassed that he did not see me when I saw him.

 

Specalt, very cool. I found once they have you to be as polite as possible and admit when wrong. Doesn't help to argue.... Great story

 

Absolutely agree to everything here.

 

I used to agree, but I think there's a valid point to the opposite of this too.

First, it's a knee-jerk reaction by pretty much everyone to hit the brakes upon seeing a cop running radar, or just in general. I know plenty of times I've had people in front of me slam the brakes even though they were doing 5mph under the speed limit. I wouldn't say this is admitting guilt, but more of a natural reaction.

Second, many times cops who are running radar are happy enough to have you simply slow down. While downshifting does help this, I have heard stories of cops pulling people over because they DIDN'T hit the brakes. I guess the reason could be either the cop thinks the driver still isn't paying attention, or is too smug to slow down even after seeing the cop.

That said, I generally brake when I see a cop, whether he's running a speed trap or not, and whether I'm speeding or not. If I ever get pulled over and am asked "So why did you brake?" I can always say it's a natural reaction.

To each his own, though.

 

All automotive paint is transparent to police radar guns, regardless of colour. The radar waves pass right through the paint and reflect off the metal panel itself.

I've gotten pulled over once for an illegal left turn, so I don't think the colour of my car (Cool Blue) had anything to do with it. My wife was pulled over in my MINI once, but the cop just commented that "that little car sure looks like it's going faster than it really is", so no ticket - I think he just wanted a better look at the car (or my wife). She's never been pulled over in her PW MINI, but situational awareness and a Valentine 1 probably have a lot to do with that as well.

 

got pulled over once but it was my dumb *** fault...running 60 on a 40 roadway to the airport. Its easy to speed up in these little cars. I didn't really notice the speed until I was pulled over. In Socal, motor officers are trained to evauluate speed by sight and use radar/laser to confirm it.

I've seen idiots who make unsafe u-turns in front of incomming traffic and idiots who speed by my neighborhood thinking they're Andretti when there are kids nearby. So stay safe...take it to the track if have a thirst for speed like we all do. When I just returned from my deployment, I almost got hit by an idiot who thought he was all that, who thought the the freeway was his personal racetrack.

 

Got pulled over in the MINI once for wandering out of my lane one night at 11:00 PM. He was checking for DUI. I don't drink, but was a bit tired after an evening workshop 100 miles away. When a car in front of me, in the right lane (I was in the left), veered right to take an offramp, I did a sympathetic follow until my tires hit the lane bumps and I corrected. He asked if I had been drinking, where I was coming from, and looked at my papers. Told me to be careful on the rest of the way home and said he had heard that MINIs were fun to drive. It was all very polite, as was I. He suggested that I build up speed before merging back onto the freeway. So, I kind of put my foot in it and the LSD kicked in causing the torque steer to alternate right to left. It must have looked like I was weaving. I have to wonder what he must have thought. He didn't stop me again. Perhaps he was filling out paperwork.

My next encounter with the Police was when I tipped the car over on Carmel Valley Road. The Sheriff said, "What happened? You don't look like a hot rodder." I didn't really know what to say.

My Italian racing red 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider was a cop magnet, but only got one ticket in it.

 

Don't do J-turns in an empty University parking lot.

 

Ive gotten pulled over twice, both times in my '06 DS JCW...seems like the DS isnt as 'cute' and looks more threatening than my '05 HB MCS...

1st time was for tinted windows(too dark), 2nd time was speeding. I had to run to the store for supplies, and after turning off the main street I bolted down my residential street and squealed around a couple tight turns....i was halfway done parallel parking in front of my house when the cop shined his lights on me.

When he asked why i bolted down the street, i apologized saying it was stupid of me to drive fast on the street and the fact that it was empty was no excuse. He was very understanding and let me go with a warning...Phew!

He did say he was surprised at how fast i could take those bends!!!

 

I chirped me tires in the presence of a cop... It cost me $110.

 

You were lucky. A cop can't pull over for speeding unless they establish your speed, and is this case that couldn't be done, as the cop car was closing on you. Your keen rear view mirror skills saved the day! I'm sure the soccer mom was never aware of anything behind her, (or the side, or front, for that matter).