This past Sunday I was traveling from western PA to Philadelphia for business meetings on Monday & Tues. Wanted to check gas milage on my new 04 mcs so wasn't going crazy. Was runnng about 10 over posted. (BTW first 3rd. of trip in mountains, 3rd. rolling and 3rd. mostly flat and got 30 mpg on 305 mile trip) On a section of I-70 where speed limit for some unexplained reason was 55 mph, I was running 65 and a BUNCH of vehicles where passing me going AT LEAST 10 mph faster than I. Guess who the police bulled over!!!! I wasn't real mad as I was speeding and when you get caught, you get caught. The officer came up to my window and said "Do you know why I stopped you?" I said "Well, technically I was speeding but, most of the traffic was going faster than I was." He said "Well, technically I could give you a ticket but, I'd really like to talk to you about your MINI" With a relieved chuckle I said "what would you like to know?" He said that in his travels he had seen a few minis and thought they looked like a fun vehicle. He liked my color (chili red, white, white 17" S-Lites) and thats why he decieded to stop me (that and the fact that I was TECHNICALLY speeding) Got most of the standard questions... How do you like it, hows it run, handle, cost, milege, who makes it, etc. After about 4-5 minutes (I never even got out of the car) he said "Thanks, you can go, try and hold it down" Took me about 5 miles to soak in what had just happened and another 5 miles to stop laughing. Wonder how many people saw that nut driving that funny looking little car on I-70 laughing his *** off. Go figure!!!

 

You know 'technically' I think its illegal for him to stop you to discuss your car. Anyone on the list familiar with type of issue?

 

Pretty close, this idiot in a Jeep had been on my tail for about a mile, so at the next light I left at full steam to put some distance between us, I was slowing back down to the speed limit when he blows past me, we both get the next red, out of nowhere appears a cop, he signals for me to roll my window down, I do and he asks me how much money can I afford to burn, I said none and sorry, light goes green, the jeep takes off and so does the cop, guess who got the ticket? Whew!

X2

 

MGear, I'm sure your right but, since I was speeding, he had every right to stop me, even if to give me a warning and discuss my Mini in the process. Guess bottom line is that I was so relieved and flattered that I never considered the legal issue. Even if I had, it would be stupid to make an issue of it at the time. Probably would have gotten the ticket "Just to make it legal".

 

No, you are right, the last thing you want to do is make an issue out of something like that. I have traveled I-70 end to end over 75 times and will do so before the end of this month again, only in a mini-van not a mini cooper.
One time I was speeding about 90mph back when the speed limit was 75 (around 1970) as I was passing a semi (I was in the left lane) we went through a speed trap, with the semi between me and the cop the cop clocked the semi, I was hidden behind the semi and got away with it! Now that's luck!
Another time I was driving back from Neah Bay to Seattle in a Volvo stationwagon with about 55 freshly caught Salmon, a cop pulled me over, I rolled down the window, he walked up to me and said "Show Me Your Radar" in stead of asking for my license, I said no, you have the radar I have the license and everybody in the car cracked up laughing, the cop lost his cool and broke down laughing too and said looks like I blew this one! Lucky for us because we were way over our limit. He could have got me for speeding (40 in a 30) and also thrown us all in jail for over fishing!

 

Having travelled the PA Turnpike more times than humans have a number for...I can explain that stretch of 55mph speed limit. It's called Death Valley....tho' by no means does it refer to a desrt. Trucks sometimes blow through there doing a zillion miles an hour, some fully loaded, some empty. Years ago, in one year, there were I think a total of 11 people killed in accidents on that section, due to semis with various mechanical problems...like bad brakes, bad tires, etc. Anyhow...it's been a speed trap ever since, and it's always patrolled by state cops. My recommendation to you is get a radar detector (they're still legal in PA) and use it everytime you drive cross state.
I'm originally from Pgh. and my(now) husband used to live in D.C., hence we dove back and forth a lot. We live in MD now, and I still go home to Pgh. a couple of times a year. I usually see a cop in that stretch...either sitting and "spying" or cruising. Ya need to be careful, k?

 

Damn, sounds like you need to suck it up and next time you go Salmon fishing, put your catch in the MINI. That way if you get pulled, "You can say sorry officer, I am a fisherman in transit and I am trying to keep my Mini from being the neighborhood cat-catch-all." That way, you'll be close to your limit–I mean who are we kidding here, you could hide **** Cheney's entire Enron records, let alone a car full of fishermen's limit in your Volvo. It's probably just safer for you to drive the Mini as far as the Fish and Wildlife people go, that way you'll be still be over the Speed Limit but possibly–unless you enable that clever glove box trick–under the Salmon limit.

 

I was stopped a little over a month ago on Rte 1 north in one of the Brunswicks. I was speeding, 71mph he told me, in a 50 or 55. Don't really remember. Did he stop the scumbag tailgating me? Of course not. A local cop. As he approached my car, it seemed that he placed his hand on the boot as if to push it all the way closed. I didn't feel the car move, I noticed this through the rear view mirror. So I asked him if my trunk was open, figured he wouldn't understand what I meant by boot. He told me no, asked for all the usual credentials.

1) Jersey license, though I live in PA, and all other paperwork has PA address.
2) Didn't have my updated insurance card with me, the one I had was a week or so old and had my other MINI's VIN #. So he confirms that I have insurance. "Of course I do" (yes, of course I do).
3) No registration with me. "Officer, I meant to call the agency, I don't understand it, my title came already, but not my registration." (The truth.) Showed him the notarized paperwork indicating that I'd registered my car.
4) Not yet inspected.

Tells me my speed, asks me if I'm in a hurry. "Oh dear", I reply, "not really, I mean I'm on my way to Connecticut."

Asks me if I have any points, I don't. Let's me go with a warning.

 

Just last week-end, I was in the center lane of a 3 lane freeway, doing about 80. I wasn't worried, because I was in the center lane and, to my left, I was being passed by another car. That car suddently slowed down, and started dropping behind me. That's when I saw the highyway patrol car stopped on the side of the road. I let off my gas and, just as I did, was passed by a car in the right lane, who by default had become the fastest car of the group.

The lights came on as we passed the patrol car, and he popped the car in the right lane. The last car to slow down.

 

Hee! Just this past weekend! We go on an annual trip with a group of friends up to Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland. I was anxious to get there and was cruising along Rt 168 at about 75-80 mph. The speed limit is 65 so I stayed closer to 75 most of the time. It is pure mountains but nice, wide 2-3 lane road. Very curvy, though, so kind of fun. I was headed downhill in the left lane, passing a truck when I glanced at the speedo and saw I was doing 90. Whoa! I eased back pretty quickly and a few seconds later, at the bottom of the slope we saw about 10 State Trooper cars on the side of the road. Several Troopers milling about and one of them was holding a radar gun. YIKES! My husband said they had gotten me for sure but they didn't motion me over so I just kept going.

I watched my rearview mirror for the next several miles but no cop cars showed up. Whew! I guess they were just setting up or something. I consider myself VERY lucky. They were in the same spot when we headed back home 3 days later. Have to watch for that next year.

Laurie

 

The closest I've come is going to court and losing my driving priveliges for 3 months. Is that close enough?

Actually I've been stopped 4 times this summer when driving my '65 Cobra replica. Same deal; they just want to check the car out.

_________________
"For the getaway cars we'll use three Mini Coopers"

 

I CAN'T STAND HEARING ABOUT COPS DOING THIS! How about they just do their damn job and stop screwing around and stopping people for the hell of it? It's an incredibly arrogant and pathetic power trip - he gets to feel like "a good guy," supposedly letting you off the hook, while in reality he's just taking advantage of you. It's no better than him pulling over an attractive young woman in a bathing suit, just so he can ogle. What an ***.

 

I have also been banned from driving. I was caught doing 76 in a 40 zone. I have also had a speed camera flash when I was going 130 on the motor way but nothing happened. I presume the camera was out of film???
Do you have speed cameras in the USA??

 

70 in a 60...the guy gave me a ticket...just finnished my Defensive Driving Course..so I'm good to go...

As far as Cameras...they are starting to put some up..especially at some dangerous lights etc... I even read about some cameras that were placed behind the billboards on Highways.

Personally I like Cameras. In Switzerland that's what we use. I like them because they are there for a reason. They are basically telling you that you can carefully speed everywhere else, but that in this particular area, they want you to slow down because there are pedestrians, or you are near a school...something like that.

Yes I've gotten a ticket from one of them, but I have only my self to blame (if there's a cop I could blame him/her :smile: )

Louay

 

I was on the freeway one afternoon with not too much traffic going up a long hill about 6 miles from home in a 55 zone and doing about 70 and a silver jetta was doing at least that and maybe more so I match his moves then from the other side of the freeway peering over the concrete barrier I spot a motorcycle policeman watching the action on our side and I slow down quickly to 60 and the cop watches very carefully the jetta speed away on the far right lane at 70+ since everyone else is going pretty slow.

The cop quickly takes off going up the hill on the wrong side of the freeway on the median strip and then crosses over to my side but by then the jetta has slowed to 60 about 2 miles later and nothing happens and the cop goes on looking.

 

i got the ticket

 

I also came real close to getting that dreaded 1st ticket (in the MINI)...driving the PA turnpike from Philly to Pittsburgh back in April. About an hour out of Pittsburgh where the wonderful "Hills" are, around 9 or 10 at night, I was doing pretty good, traffic was light. Had the radar detector on, it was quiet. Fastest I was going was around 80...was in a zone! Passed a Minivan going around 70 or so, and all of a sudden, the Minivan decides to follow me. He's not on my tail, but I know he's all of a sudden picked up some speed and is following me at a good distance behind (about 50 yards).

Starting to come down the hill, into construction area, the radar detector starts to make some noise...I decide to back on down to about 65...gave a couple taps of the brakes to give the Minivan notice that he might wanna slow down a bit...did he, NO! Just as we come up to pass the cop sitting in the median area of construction, the minivan blasts by me at probably about 80mph...the lights go on and I am figuring that he might just pull me over...I mean, little red sporty looking car or Minivan...which one would you pull over?

Moral of the story...if you are in a Minivan and going 80 and pass a good-looking MINI going 65 - you will pay! The cop passed me by and pulled over Mr. Minivan.

Just this past July, my husband and I were in western Mass for a party...not in the MINI, but in his truck...it's a specialized build of a GMC (I think 1988...not big on trucks)...it's a dually, low to the ground, pearl white with red and blue highlighting...pretty cool looking truck. We are driving down a two lane mountain road going at a pretty good clip around 11 at night when the radar detector chirps and the lights on the cop car come on at the same time. My husband pulls over, the cop comes up...he's very "professional" (read a-hole) like and asks for license and reg...he reviews them both, without saying another word...hands them back to my husband and says "I'm going to let you off, cuz I like the truck!" very bizzare! But hey, we took it!

Cyndy

 

By some miracle I have been graced to have law enforcement not anywhere near me and my Mini when I really get moving.

Hope it lasts until I get a radar detector.

 

>>By some miracle I have been graced to have law enforcement not anywhere near me and my Mini when I really get moving.
>>
>>Hope it lasts until I get a radar detector.

careful, radar detector's make you over confident
get zaped by instant on and it's all over

 

Yeah, the key is to keep a fast car ahead of you to detect HIM getting nabbed by instant on.

 

>>Yeah, the key is to keep a fast car ahead of you to detect HIM getting nabbed by instant on.

 

Two tickets in the first month and a half. The first was laser at 300' doing 61 in a 40 and the second (2 weeks later) radar on the freeway, 81 in a 55. Needless to say I don't speed on the way to work anymore. I warning 2 months ago, he said my car stands out too much. He followed me in an unmarked SUV for 15 min. and pulled me out of a group of 4 cars, all going faster than I was. A real jerk.

 

Back when I was young and stupid... (yes, now I'm old and stupid) I received seven speeding tickets driving from Indiana to Colorado and back! I got two of them in Indiana just leaving the state!

It was 1977... I had just bought a '76 280 Z and I had a girl friend. The worst of the tickets I got in the Texas Panhandle, clocked at 120mph. Had to follow the sheriff back to see "the judge". I was a good bit scared.

Once the leagal system caught up with me, I was put on probation and have not got a speeding ticket since... about 25 years!

God speed.

 

I received my first ticket in 16 years after eight months of driving my S...52 in a 25 on a 6 lane divided commercial road...so hold off on the flames

During that 16 years I drove a 280ZX and a 89 Mustang GT convertible and rode a bike

the joke is on the cop who caught me slowing down off my off-ramp at about 70! Then, after writing the ticket, we talked for a few minutes about how much I like the car...

 

Scenerio 1:

I was cruising in the second lane to the left at around 80. At the last minute, I caught sight of a Mich cruiser behind me without lights or flashers and before I know it, he blows past me at some 120+ one lane over!!! I down shifted and got up past 110 to catch up and guess what? There's another cruiser on my tail, this one with full bubble gums on. He asked me what I thought I was doing and I laughed and said "you've got me...I was just trying to catch the other officer to see where the fire was". Suprisingly, he just lectured me about how they're trained for high speed persuits and I'm not and to slow down...he let me go


Luuuuuccccccky