Your chances of talking your way out of a traffic ticket are slim – but it’s not uncommon for a driver to talk themselves INTO one by insulting the officer or annoying them enough to write a ticket when they might have otherwise let them off with a warning. Here are the things NOT to say:
- “Whatever…” This disrespectful remark will almost always insult the officer and land you with a ticket. Same goes for rolling your eyes, arguing or making profane remarks.
- “I didn’t run that light!” or other denials of wrong doing. If you did something wrong, admit it; you’re more likely to be given a warning. Of course, if you truly didn’t feel like you did what the officer claimed, don’t say you did something wrong just to agree with the officer.
- “I know the mayor.” Never pull a power play like this on an officer. They aren’t afraid of who you’re friends with if you broke the law. Remember, they’re doing their job by stopping you.
- “I’m calling my lawyer.” Again, this won’t threaten the police officer because they deal with lawyers all the time. Threatening an officer with your attorney is a no-win situation for you.
- “I’m on my way to the DMV/hospital.” If you were pulled over because of an expired ticket, don’t use this line. Cops hear it all the time. “But officer, I was just on my way to the inspection station…” And unless you are truly sick or injured and there’s a real emergency, don’t lie and make it sound as though you were responding to an emergency. Again, officers hear this all the time.
- “But everyone else was driving 90!” That doesn’t mean it’s okay or lawful. A police officer won’t let you off simply because everyone else is doing the same thing.