Wishful thinking ticket avoidance

[snopes]

Comment: Is the following an urban legend? Sounds like it, but I haven't
found anything definite to confirm it.

If a cop car pulls you over, turning on your overhead light will indicate
that you're somehow related to a cop, and thus you'll probably get off
easier.

[Spam & Cookies-mmm]

Doesn't everyone turn on their interior light to find their license & registration information (if it's dark out)?

[BoKu]

Turing on the interior light is generally a good thing to do when you get pulled over. It makes it easier for the officer to see who is in the car, what they are doing, and whether they are likely to be a danger to the officer. It also indicates to the officer that you are trying to be helpful, that at least you're not trying to make their job any harder or scarier.

They've probably already decided whether or not they're going to ticket you before you came to a stop, but sometimes being a bit helpful will encourage them to give you a bit of a break.

[Adelaide]

For some reason I thought this might be about a story I heard years ago. This guy was known to carry around a Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card and hand it over to the officer along with his license and registration. The cop would find it so funny that he'd let the guy go. I can't remember if the person who told me this said it happened once or multiple times, but it sounded more like wishful thinking than an actual occurence.

[Roadsterboy]

Originally Posted by Adelaide

For some reason I thought this might be about a story I heard years ago. This guy was known to carry around a Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card and hand it over to the officer along with his license and registration. The cop would find it so funny that he'd let the guy go. I can't remember if the person who told me this said it happened once or multiple times, but it sounded more like wishful thinking than an actual occurence.

The story a friend of mine likes to tell is of a traditional friend of a friend who had a competition license with the SCCA. Naturally he gets pulled over doing some ridiculous speed, and the officer says "Okay, buddy, let's see your racing license.", and the FOAF pulls out the SCCA permit. The officer tells him that since he asked for, and was shown, a racing license, he'd let him go. Same thing with pilot's licenses. In England, some poor traffic cop pulls over Stirling Moss, and asks him "Who d'you think you are, Stirling Moss?" without recognizing the man himself. (Sir Stirling Moss was a famous racing driver)

BoKu probably has the right idea. I always switch on the dome light when I get pulled over.

-Doug

[Eddylizard]

Originally Posted by Roadsterboy

In England, some poor traffic cop pulls over Stirling Moss, and asks him "Who d'you think you are, Stirling Moss?" without recognizing the man himself. (Sir Stirling Moss was a famous racing driver)

IIRC that was a British TV advert in the 1970's, starring of course Stirling Moss. I cannot remember what they were advertising though.

[glisp42]

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

IIRC that was a British TV advert in the 1970's, starring of course Stirling Moss. I cannot remember what they were advertising though.

I just described it to a friend of mine and he says he saw it and thinks it was for tires.

[RichardM]

I think I used my SCCA racing license to rent a car once. It was many years ago and I really do remember using my SCCA license for something where my regular driving license was required. Said state license was missing having been left at the grocery store when cashing a check. Of course on further reflection, it could have been simply cashing a check at the grocery store that I used the SCCA license for. No rental car company would rent a car to a person with a racing license.

[damian]

Originally Posted by Roadsterboy

In England, some poor traffic cop pulls over Stirling Moss, and asks him "Who d'you think you are, Stirling Moss?" without recognizing the man himself. (Sir Stirling Moss was a famous racing driver)

I actually know a guy called Peter Brock (name after the Australian racing icon).

He reported a similar story.

[queen of the caramels]

I heard Damon Hill was pulled over and asked " If he thought he was Nigel Mansell!"

Regarding the OP--

Sounds pretty silly to me. I've been pulled over numerous times at night and the first thing I do is turn on my overhead light because I know I'll need it to get out my license, registration, and proof of insurance (as was mentioned near the top of the thread). Also, I don't really think these "secret signs" to get out of a ticket if you're related to/know a cop really exist. There are a lot of people out there who are related to cops. The one time I was driving with my friend who is a Deputy Sheriff and we got pulled over he just showed his badge and the officer let him go; there was no secret signal or secret handshake.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Class Bravo

There are a lot of people out there who are related to cops.

You (general)also need to remember about the large number of cops out there. With all of the divisions and such, it would be nightmarish to have different signals and too obvious if there were was only one.

I think the OP is making a correlation and assuming a causation where none exists

[emperor_genghis_khan]

Originally Posted by Adelaide

For some reason I thought this might be about a story I heard years ago. This guy was known to carry around a Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card and hand it over to the officer along with his license and registration. The cop would find it so funny that he'd let the guy go. I can't remember if the person who told me this said it happened once or multiple times, but it sounded more like wishful thinking than an actual occurence.

I never had this happen to me but you ca bet if someone gave me a get out of jail free card I would cut him a break but keep the card as per monopoly rules.

[MidgardDragon]

My friend works at a police department as a dispatcher. When she wants to get out of a ticket, she just mentions that she works for the police department. She generally does it in a roundabout way ("Where you coming from?" "Work, I work for so-and-so police department.") It's not some big secret that police officers and people who work for police officers expect some sort of leniency from each other, even if that does seem unfair or against the rules.

Originally Posted by MidgardDragon

It's not some big secret that police officers and people who work for police officers expect some sort of leniency from each other, even if that does seem unfair or against the rules.

Indeed, and some take it further than others. I recall my best friend (who is a cop and he's the guy I've gone on numerous ride-alongs with) telling me about a guy on his department known to most other officers to be an idiot who was driving home completely drunk on one of his nights off when he was pulled over. When the officer realized how "ill" he was, he gave him a ride home and had his car towed home.

[matches]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: Is the following an urban legend? Sounds like it, but I haven't
found anything definite to confirm it.

If a cop car pulls you over, turning on your overhead light will indicate
that you're somehow related to a cop, and thus you'll probably get off
easier.

I will say this is definatly not true since I always do it (to find my info) and often get tickets.

I will also point out that (at least in New York) a PBA card is also not enough to avoid a ticket.

I got a routine pull over check coming coming out of the Holland Tunnel the other day, and the person in the car with me (I hadn't noticed this before we left) wasn't wearing his seatbelt. He pulled out a gold PBA card from his wallet which his brother ( a Jersey City Cop) had given to him, and which I showed to the NYC cop, and tried to give to the cop, but which he refused to accept.

He got his ticket, and spoke with his brother about it. It turns out there is a crack down (or possible a feud between competing police unions between NY and NJ) on this time honnored custom.

So, it looks like there is no surefire way to get out of a ticket anymore.

[terralioness]

Originally Posted by Adelaide

For some reason I thought this might be about a story I heard years ago. This guy was known to carry around a Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card and hand it over to the officer along with his license and registration. The cop would find it so funny that he'd let the guy go. I can't remember if the person who told me this said it happened once or multiple times, but it sounded more like wishful thinking than an actual occurence.

Two of my uncles are police officers, though one is now retired. When I got to be around driving age, the one who is retired now gave me his card and jokingly said it was my "get out of jail free" card. I never had cause to use it, but I don't think I would have had the nerve to assume it could get me out of trouble anyway.

[robbiev]

Another issue with PBA and some other organizations cards is, some cops think of them as "I'm not a cop, but I donated money to a police organization in hopes it will get me out of a ticket."

[matches]

Originally Posted by robbiev

Another issue with PBA and some other organizations cards is, some cops think of them as "I'm not a cop, but I donated money to a police organization in hopes it will get me out of a ticket."

With the card in question it was a metal, relative of a police office card, as opposed to just a business card type card, which I've also seen.

[tradewinds]

C'mon, people! Everyone knows that all you need to do to get out of a ticket is to ask to buy tickets to their policeman's ball!

...tw