How to Avoid Getting Pulled Over by Police in a Traffic Stop-10 Lesser Known Ways

All drivers know this unpleasant scene. The one where your driving along in your car, minding your own business and red lights appear in the rear view mirror. That's right your getting pulled in a traffic stop. The first thing most people do is to look at their speedometer to see how fast they were going while trying to pull the car over safely. Next the police officer is at your window asking for a driver's license, car insurance and registration. Nervously you fumble around in the glove box, hoping to find the right information and that it's up to date. Most of the time, people are pulled over for a moving violation like speeding, running a stop light, illegal lane change, not using a proper turn signal and so on. Another way to get pulled over is to not have your car in proper working order. Driving with head or tail lights out or with a non-working turn signal is a sure fire way of getting a traffic stop. So we can all agree that if we are using legal driving technques and our car is in proper working order we will not be pulled over right? I found this is simply not true. Through the years, I've spent and a lot hours driving. It's been my experience that the more time you spend on the road, the greater your chances are of getting followed by police and pulled over for nothing. In addition, I've found there are at least 10 legal driving behaviors that attract police to your car and could lead to a traffic stop.

Ever go on vacation in another state and get pulled over? In the United States a car with out of state plates is twice as likely to get pulled over than a car from the same state. Police want to know what your doing in their state. Also, if they are able to give an out of town-er a traffic ticket for something, they are less likely to fight the ticket in court. If possible they will pay the ticket on the spot and not return.

If you are driving on a road with a speed trap your chances of getting pulled over are twice as likely, even if you are driving the speed limit. In a speed trap a police cruiser will be stationary with a radar gun pointing at oncoming motorist. At times, especially on multiple lane highways it is difficult to tell which motorist is driving at what speed. If there are many cars passing by at what seems to be the same speed and a police office gets a high reading, they just choose the car that's easiest to catch. You can, of course, fight the ticket if you think it's inaccurate, but many will just pay the ticket to avoid a hassle.

Whether it is legal in you state or not, police simply do not like cars with tinted windows. This might be because tinted windows are a sign of a young driver. Many young people find it fashionable to tint the windows of their cars. In addition they like to add other after market parts like colored LED lighting, customized plates and so on. Police pull over younger drivers more, even if they are driving legally and their car is in proper working order.

In many states not wearing a safety belt is a traffic violation. And even in a state where it isn't, people who are not wear a safety belt get pulled over more. Police are big on safety belts and a driver will appear more conscientious if they are wearing one.

I, personally, have not been pulled over for a dirty car but I've talked to many people who have. Apparently if the outside of your ride is dirty or snow covered, inhibiting bright lights or blocking visiblity on any window of vehicle this is cause enough for a traffic stop.

I drive a lot at night and I am followed by police all the time. It's annoying and I have been known to reduce my speed just enough to make them go around me or pull into a gas station to get them off my trail. Police are suspicious of night drivers. Not everyone is a 9 to 5-er and police think that after a certain time of night they should be the only ones on the road.

Studies show that red cars get pulled over more than any other car color. Red cars are easier to spot and people subconsciously associate speed with the color red.

Sports cars get pulled over more than the 4-door sedan simply because they are faster than most sedans, having larger engines for the size of the car. This hardly seems fair for the sports car driver since they are already paying a premium price for a sportier model and more for insurance, but it's the way it is.

I have personally experience the phenomenon of making eye contact with a police officer passing by who is traveling on the opposite side of a two lane highway and had the officer turn the police cruiser around, following me for many miles. This has happened more than once. Now I'm very careful to look straight ahead even if I feel the eyes of an oncoming officer staring at me.

I'm not a fan of bumper stickers on my ride, but I've been informed by several people that bumper stickers can add to your chances of getting pulled over. Vehicles with bumper stickers of musical groups, football teams and political messages have a better chance of getting pulled over so think twice about the self expression on your ride.