How to get out of a ticket

We all know that awful feeling we get in our gut when we realize we are being tailed rapidly by flashing blue and red lights. That’s right- you’re getting pulled over.
June, July and August are the most popular months for traffic offences as reported by X-Copper Legal Services. They should know. X-Copper makes approximately 350 court appearances per week fighting off tickets for suckers like us- only a small percentage of those who have been slapped with fines and demerit points. And that’s only in Toronto.
The Toronto Police have assisted in compiling a few last-minute ways to sidestep a potentially bank-breaking ticket and avoid becoming a statistic this year.

PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY
As soon as you realize that you are being pursued by the police, pull over in the safest, most immediate area. Do not keep driving with the hopes that the cop will lose interest and go after someone bigger and badder than you. Failure to do so will cause the cop to think that either you’re an idiot, you are blind, or you have no intention of stopping. Ever. The bottom line is, don’t waste their time. You both know that you are going down. Pulling over as quickly as possible will earn definite bonus points when it comes to the ‘You’re getting a ticket’ versus the ‘I’ll let you off with a warning’ conversation.

DON”T SAY MORE THAN YOU HAVE TO
Once the officer has sidled up to your window, do not immediately start spewing excuses. This will only frustrate the officer, since they will not be able to get a word in edgewise.
“Nobody likes to be made a fool of,” said Toronto Police Constable Ian Hensbergen, describing personal experience when given false or often far-fetched excuses.
“Police are human beings too.” Open your window, say a simple hello, and wait for them to begin their ‘Did you know how fast you were going?’ routine. Remember the less you say, the less trouble you can get into.

THE 3 A’s: ACKNOWLEDGE, APOLOGIZE, ACCEPT
It’s fair enough to say that we’ve all had our careless moments on the road. Whether its ripping carelessly around campus showing off your new rims, playing catch-up with that hottie you spotted on the highway, or just speeding madly to get to work on time, we’re bound to be caught sooner or later. The key is, never admit anything- at least not right away.
Now, this is a tricky one. In most cases, if you are being pulled over for speeding, the officer will ask you if you know how fast you were traveling at such and such a time. Always answer with an innocent yet apologetic phrase such as, ‘Oh my, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I was going that fast.’ Then stop right there.
This will give the officer a chance to determine in their mind whether or not you are genuinely sorry, whether they should be a genuine ass and issue a ticket, or let you off with a mere warning.
If, in the end they do decide to issue you a ticket, don’t cause a scene. There’s no limit to how many tickets they can dole out at once. Three key A’s: Acknowledge, Apologize, Accept.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS BE POLITE
“It’s the guy who comes on strong who’s gonna get the biggest ticket,” said Detective Constable Alex Grey, a member of the Toronto Police force for 28 years. “We can make it awful damn expensive for you if you wanna give us lip.”
Take heed of Constable Grey’s words of advice if you don’t want to spend your hard earned drinking money on an unexpected roadside stop. It is well known in the police world that the more attitude you dole out, the more points and dollars you tack onto your ticket. And never, ever ask to see the radar gun. It gives the impression you are in denial of your faults and only works against you.
“My advice? Simple. Yes, Sir. No, Sir. I’m sorry sir,” said Grey.

Keep in mind that these are not guaranteed ways to get out of a ticket- just a few pointers to help soften the blow. Police Constable Ian Hensbergen and Detective Constable Alex Grey are the two extremes you may encounter during the roadside rituals. Grey was constantly cajoled by other officers and supervisors for how many warnings he gave out, whereas Hensbergen can’t remember an instance where he let someone off without a ticket.
“There are your roadside ‘nazis’ and then there are your softies,” said Hensbergen. “It all depends on the officer.”
And if worse comes to worse, for ladies especially, a few tears never hurt anyone.