So, I must preface this by saying I have a perfect driving record. I don’t speed. I come to complete stops when making right turns on red. I always use my turn signals. I don’t drive aggressively (except on the track). My insurance rates are quite low because of this and I intend to keep it that way.

Yesterday, during my commute home from work I traveled my usual secret short cut to avoid traffic. Along the way RallyMINI2005 passes me and I wave. It’s a good day. I’m just a few blocks from home and I notice one of my local law enforcement agents parked on a side street. I take notice, though am not concerned as I am following the rules of the road. I am not a scofflaw so I need not worry. Five blocks later, I notice him in my rear view mirror and the light show begins.

So, I do all the right things and take the keys out of the ignition and place them on the dash, pull out my registration and driver’s license and when he asks for them, I don’t ask any questions. He seems like a nice officer. I sit and wait patiently. As I wait, RallyMINI2005 passes me again. So much for my secret short cut. Roughly 5 minutes later the officer comes back and only hands me a warning. For what, you ask? I was going 37 in a 30. That’s right: 37 in a 30. Now, I would see if I was going like 45 or 50 in a 30, but 37? Geez Louise! I guess I should be thankful it wasn't a ticket.

Do you feel you’ve been pulled over just because you drive a MINI?

 

In before the !

I have yet to be pulled over in the MINI. But 37 in a 30? That is usually a sign of a cop in a bad mood, heavy enforcement for some other reason or (usually) quotas (which, of course, never exist. ).

Then again, maybe he was after RallyMINI2005 for running up and down that road, and he ended up with you instead?

 

I never got speeding tickets until I got my MINI...not even in my 350Z(which was in Arrest Me Red). Sounds to me like the ocifer was in a bad mood....

 

If this one gets locked, I think we need to rethink our locking strategy.

-Randy

 

ive been pulled over numerous times for bs reasons like that and given
verbal warnings... typically the officer is really nice and excited about
my cars. he takes a good looksie, tells me how nice it is, and lets me
know that i need to do watever and next time it might cost me.

one time we were actually 'hangin out' in the middle of the road talking
cars for like 10min.

 

I think 7 over in a 30 is reasonable for the action taken. I mean you didn't get fined, and you were doing 37 right? 7 over on the interstate is one thing but 7 over in town is pushing the limit of what a LEO would usually permit

I always keep in mind any time a LEO makes a stop, even for petty reasons he is running names, checking for warrants and making sure no one stole my car. I dont care if I get pulled over for inattentive driving because I was picking my nose as long as I just get a warning. Maybe...Maybe you would have a gripe if you were fined but as it stands these things only cost us 5min and by them making these sorts of stops they get alot of bad guys off the streets.

 

Living on a street that is posted 30 MPH I’ve seen many people pulled over for speeds less that 40 MPH. Count yourself lucky to only get a warning because on my street you would be paying a nice fine if you were stopped.

 

Being former law enforcement 37 in a 30 zone is fair game. If you are in a residential area that is excessive when you think about children playing, pets, etc. Otherwise there may have been complaints about speeders on that street that has forced law enforcement to watch it closer and deter speeders by keeping a officer there as a presence and ticket closer to the speed limit. Always remember 1 mile an hour over the speed limit is a violation and can warrant a ticket for speeding. I would feel lucky that the officer just wrote a warning and leave it at that. You did not get a citation for something that you could have just got to be careful anytime you are over the limit and every time is a risk.

 

"I have a perfect driving record. I don’t speed...."

Well, it seems that you do speed. Perhaps you should say that you don't drive recklessly when the sun is not shining and your music it loud. You do speed. You did get lucky. The officer had the right to issue you a ticket because you were driving above the legal limit on that road. In towns around where I live you can get a ticket for going 2 MPh over the posted limit. I got a warning for going 5 over, I did get a warning but I am sure it had to do with the following.

I am 30 years old.
I was alone in the car (not goofing off with friends.)
My MINI had temp tags.
I handed him my temp insurance card.

He said that he never gives warnings to anyone over 18. I was VERY lucky. I had my MINI for less than a month.

Like my friend told me, cruise control! Sure, it may suck having to drive 30 mph on an empty 4 lane road, but it beats paying that ticket, taking that stupid class and risking increased insurance rates and having your drivers license taken away, (if it happens more than a few times.)

Sorry to be the voice of reason.

blake

 

No you got pulled over because you were speeding. It could be a residental area, where homeowners have complained.

The possible reason for the warning is that it wasn't enough over the limit to ticket you.

In PA, only State Police can use radar. and you must be 6 mph over the limit to get a ticket for speeding. (They can get you for driving too fast for conditions)

PA also uses VASCAR, in the case of VASCAR, you must be 11 mph over the limit to get a ticket, unless it is a school zone, then it's 6 mph over.

Steve

 

I got more in my "arrest me Daytona Blue" 350z than I have gotten in both of my MINIs

 

I think the LEOs out here (Silly Cone Valley) think that the MINI is a toy car and not capable of speeding (except when a dozen of us our motoring in the mountains). I have had a couple instances where the LEO should have pulled me over, but instead went after the S-10 pickup or honda I just passed.

 

The route I drive to work every morning between 2 and 3 AM, the only cars I see are police. In the 45 MPH areas I set my cruise to 43.5 MPH and just kick back. I have people fly by me and within two blocks I pass then as they are waiting for the ticket.

I’ve never been stopped and never plan to be using my cruise control that time of the morning.

 

Most LEO are resonable and know that speedometers are off a couple of MPH, different size tires cause differences too but for the most part if you use common sense and blend in so as to not stand out in the eyes of LEO you are not going to put yourself in their scope. I had a friend that got stopped once who was amoungst a bunch of cars traveling over the speed limit and the he ask the officer why he was the one that got a ticket, the answer was just like duck hunting you shoot into the flock and one gets it just happened to be him. Unfortunately shortcuts are what they are because the are not as travelled or busy which makes you stand out regardless of speed. LEO sitting in a place like that will shoot most everyone going by and has a choice to stop anyone over the limit. Usually if you are respectful they will try to cut you a break. Our MINIs are not that well understood to LEO of how quick and potentiall fast they are so we end up being a well kept secret yet in most cases.

 

Thanks for all the responses! So, first, yes, I feel fortunate I didn’t get fined. Whew! I gather the officer saw my perfect record in the system and thought a warning would suffice. And you’re correct that a ticket is warranted for going even 1 MPH over a posted speed limit. I think we’d need a heck of a lot of law enforcement personnel to enforce this, though. This happened in my own neighborhood (I was literally three blocks from home when I was stopped) and I’m super conscious of the children that reside and play in the area. And by the way, let me rephrase and state I do not purposefully speed. In a heavily populated metropolitan area, cruise control is not an option.

 

I wasn't caught in a radar trap. I saw the cruiser parked on a side street off of a major thoroughfare (a regular speed trap site) and continued a good quarter mile, making two turns in the interim, before he appeared behind me. He must have been going at a pretty good clip to catch up. The warning was given for traveling in excess of the speed limit on the road he caught up to me, not on the road he first spotted me. When I first saw the cruiser, and I see it parked there regularly on my commute home, I was making a right turn at a set of lights (I was stopped), so I imagine I was going between 15 and 20 MPH when we saw each other, well under the posted speed limit of 40.

 

It also helps when you are not driving bright liquid yellow MINIs too, just kidding. Ha, Ha! When the LEO runs you in the data base you just don't come up with anything if you have a good driving record, it is just blank so again they can choose to warn you just to get your attention, reasonable with law respecting citizens. Good luck.

 

You wicked evil doer, you. Just be thankful that Officer Friendly didn't check your immigration status and deport you as well.

edit: Most officers will give you a 10% "speedometer error" margin of error. Therefore anything above 33 mph in a 30 zone should be considered fair game.

 

I got a ticketed just this past weekend. I was speeding a little (in relation to other traffic) and saw the cop a little too late. I realized I was in the wrong and tried to slow down. I had also noticed this black SUV was about to fly past me and thought "you're gonna get it...". So what happens? The cop waits for the SUV to blow by me, and then proceeds to pull me over. I know she saw the SUV...we were right there together by that time. They guy had to be doing 55-60 in a 35. I was doing 45 in a 35 according to the cop, although I am not sure I believe that. I almost think my realization that I was going too fast and my effort to slow down got me pulled over rather than him.

I am not entirely sure that I was even the one that got zapped by the radar either. It's possible, but the sun was in my eyes and I was in the process of pulling down my sun visor when I noticed the cop. I have no idea how fast I was going, but I really think that SUV was pulling past when she zapped our direction.

Oh well, what can you do? Besides go to court and summon the maintenance records of the zapper and have the ticket dismissed because they have not been updated properly...

 

I had the same thing happen to me in my Honda (pre-mini days) 37 in a 30 zone. I luckily was also only given a warning.

 

How much you can get away with is a judgement call on the part of the cop on duty, and probably varies by location. I once attended a traffic school session being conducted by an off-duty motorcycle cop (whose sole purpose of being is to write tickets), he said that anything over 65 in a 55 zone is fair game for a ticket. So if you got away with only a warning doing 37 in a 30 zone, that's pretty lenient.

 

Ha! Nothing seems to get locked around here. Try the vortex and see what locking means!

 

Ahh yes the ole' VW Vortex. As a soon to be former VW owner, I am doing my best to abstain from such environments .

I'll take your word for it.
-Randy

 

Yeah, if this continues to be a post my speeding ticket story thread. It will get locked

 

Yes, literally it is just that. Except beyond that the discussion is really about speeding a few to a handful over the posted limit. In most cases at or close to the amount typically knocked off for equipment inaccuracy. I find the input of others including law enforcement on this thread facinating. I believe it differs from other speeding stories posted here that are about extreme speeds where someone is willfully breaking the law.

Shades of gray do exist.

Regards-
-Randy