Celica Hobby - Traffic Tickets, how to avoid getting one

The first rule of not getting a traffic Ticket is not putting yourself into the position of looking like you should get one. And since most of us occasionally bend the actual rules of the road, let's take a look at some of the unwritten rules, including your car's color, modifications, condition, cleanliness, and stickers.

Color of your car
The best way to avoid a traffic Ticket is to make sure that nothing about your car draws an officer's attention. Flashy and bright colors, particularly red, draw a person's attention, namely a cop's attention. Light, pastel colors have a tendency to blend with the environment and dark colors like black and navy not only blend in, they look serious (You don’t believe me?... stand on the roof of a parking structure and watch a busy street - what color cars attract your attention more often?). So, if you have chosen a brightly colored vehicle, know that your chances of being pulled are a bit higher than the speed-demon in the black car zooming past you. Thus, be more wary about that "rule-bending" if your car is red.

Modifications
Any additional sound or light modifications can also draw a cop's attention. The neon running lights, thumping bass, straightened exhaust pipes, and glass packs might make you look cooler to all your friends, but they also mean that with your cool points, you get points on your license (the more points you get on your license, the closer you are to losing your license, possibly permanently). Additionally, cops seem to hate tinted windows. If you don't have tinted windows, don't get them. If you do, make sure you immediately roll all of your windows down the minute you get pulled over. This allows the cop better vision into your car giving her/him more confidence about the situation. When the cop is relaxed, your chances of avoiding the Ticket are better. (Maybe you should consider playing Enya music when you get pulled over )

Condition
This is simple. Cars, like clothes, make can make a good or bad impression. Pretend that your car is on its way to an interview. If you want your car to get the job, you'll clean it up and maybe even give it a fresh coat of wax. A possible explanation is that people who take care of their cars look like they're responsible drivers. But a dented car is one that has gotten into accidents before, thus catching a cop's eye rather easily and making him/her prone to fine you. If your car has primer, unpainted bodykit pieces, or dents, get those taken care of before you hit the road.

Cleanliness
The cleanliness of your car also makes a definite impression with the cop who pulls you over. Again, assumptions are made about your personality based on your car. Make sure the exterior of your car is clean, but also focus on the interior. Don't hang anything on your rear view mirror... especially dice. Clean out the inside of your car from clutter. Make sure that your glove box is fairly clean so that you don't have to search for your registration. And above all, clean out your ashtrays. They almost always draw a cop's attention and they start looking for things other than cigarette butts (yeah, Cheech, you know what I'm talking about).

Stickers
Even if you're taking a long, strange trip, the stickers on the back of your car can pose potential problems. There are two kinds of stickers that you should try to avoid. The first kind include those stickers that are anti-cop or pro-violence such as "Bad Cop…No Donut," "DARE to keep cops away from donuts" and "This Car Is Insured by Smith & Wesson." The second kind are those that support bands that may provoke a cop to make assumptions. While this is grossly grossly grossly unfair, Grateful Dead and Phish stickers catch a cop's eye and usually lead them to make assumptions about drug use (The same goes for Injen, Blitz, TRD - or any other type of Aftermarket Performance/Racing companies). If you choose to leave these stickers on your car, just know that you might have to fight the assumptions they produce.

An officer CAN pull over more than two cars at the same time - heck, he can pull over as many cars as will stop for him....

the trick is, if you see that he is pulling over one car, just keep going - don’t think twice about it. Chances are that he will stop that one car and not go after you. If he decides to go after you, then the other car gets-off scott-free.

You need to be aware that it is YOUR CHOICE to pull over where you feel safe. Put on your flashers and your dome light - this will tell the officer that you know he is there and that you are about to pull over in a safe area. Putting on the dome light lets the officer see into your car and be comfortable that you are not reaching under your seat for your gun or about to hide something illegal.