It seems almost inevitable that if you've been on the roads
for anytime, that you'll find yourself with a speeding ticket. It's never
pleasant to be pulled over by a police officer and to have to hand over your
driver's license and insurance so that he can write you up a ticket that's not
only going to cost you some money but a piece of your pride as well.
Regardless of how we choose to look at it, speeding is
breaking the law. For some drivers it's a law that they break over and over
again. However there are a large percentage of people that go years without a
speeding ticket. For that group there is something they can be doing when they
are stopped for speeding for the first time.
Each and every time a police officer pulls a motorist over
for speeding the person's identification is checked in the computer. There are
numerous reasons this is done, but the reason that speeding motorist needs to
be concerned with is how many tickets they have gotten for exceeding the posted
limit in the past. This can be a crucial factor in whether the police officer
writes you a ticket or just gives you a warning.
Depending on how fast you were going if this is your first
infraction, the police officer might be inclined to just give you a warning.
Often, that warning can have enough impact on the motorist that they will heed
the advice and not speed again. No one wants to take the money that they worked
hard to earn and have to hand it over because of a mistake. Many policemen and
women realize this and that's why if you've been driving for years and have
never been ticketed, explaining the merits of driving within the limit is the
only punishment they will feel that you need.
Another factor that weighs heavily in the officer's decision
on whether to write up the ticket is your demeanor and attitude. If you don't
take the situation seriously, the officer may feel inclined to go ahead with
the citation because he or she doesn't feel as though you've learned your
lesson. Feeling that pinch in your pocketbook when you write the check to pay
for the fine or hand over the cash to a clerk has much more impact on someone
who doesn't understand the seriousness of speeding. Therefore it's important
for you to show the officer respect, keep your composure and not admit to the
speeding. In this case, the police officer sees that you're not finding it
funny to be stopped, that you realize that you have broken the law and that you
understand the impact that it has on both your driving record and your
insurance premiums.
If you are pulled over for the first time, remain calm and
listen carefully to the police officer. If he or she does decide to give you a
warning, pay close attention to what they are saying. They are never obligated
to give a warning as opposed to a ticket for first time offenders, but if you
handle the situation correctly, you might save yourself a few dollars while at
the same time take that warning to heart.
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