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Traffic court myths and excuses that won't fly.

I found this comprehensive article in the Anchorage Daily News. It brought back many memories of my days as a traffic officer. and it's nice to see that some ideas never seem to change.

From the article:

2 A "speed trap" is illegal entrapment.

No. An officer can watch for traffic violations from a location where you can't see him or her. This is not entrapment.

1 If you cry, the court will go easier on you.

Sorry, but unlikely.


Many times I've heard people claim that it's not legal for police cars to hide and pick them up on radar or laser from a position of concealment or in the dark. Not true at all. I've also met many people--most women but a few sad, pathetic excuses for men--who cried the moment I walked up to them. It never did a thing to convince me not to write the ticket. In fact, I'd already made up my mind to write one about the time I turned my emergency equipment on, long before I knew who was in the car or what their emotional state was. I never cited people or declined to cite based on race, sex, ethnicity, crying, flirting, or anything else I saw when I got up to the car. I always based my decisions on the violation that I'd observed. That's the only fair and proper way to conduct business and most cops operate that way.

• Believe it or not, the road is not your personal ashtray; tossing a cigarette butt out your car window can get you a $75 littering citation.

People always acted surprised when I stopped them and issued citations for that. "I didn't litter! It was just a cigarette!" Wrong. It was litter, and smoldering litter, capable or starting a grass fire at that. But even properly extinguished, it's litter and I never had a problem handing out citations for it.

And then there are the excuses that people offer when they get to court. I know that my judges have heard most if not all of these. So have I.

Excuses that don't fly in traffic court

• Nobody ever stops at that stop sign.

• I was going fast because I had to go to the bathroom.

• There was nobody around.

• I went faster because the officer made me nervous.

• My speedometer was broken.

• I didn't know what the speed limit was.

• I thought school was out.

• It's a new car; I didn't realize how fast it goes.

• I got singled out because I drive a sports car.

• That officer was out to get me.

• There was a semi next to me and it blocked my view of the sign.

• My car can't even go that fast.

• Everyone else was going even faster.

• I was just going with the flow of traffic.

• I was late for traffic court

Nope. Never worked on my judges. Never kept me from issuing the ticket, either.

Bottom line, folks... Traffic tickets are expensive, both in fines and the associated insurance rate hikes. But traffic tickets are completely voluntary. You can't get one unless you decide to do something contrary to the posted law. And if you decide to gamble and try to get over, you might get away with it. Or you might get caught, and whatever happens after that is totally on you.

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