One of the best ways to avoid getting a ticket is to not be noticed to start with. Every day I see vehicles that are just asking to be noticed. They may not even be speeding, but they draw a lot of attention to themselves increasing their chance of being stopped. A quality radar detector can only do so much, how and what you drive is also a factor in avoiding tickets. Here are a few things to remember in order to minimize your chances of getting to meet a member of the law enforcement community.
Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac: Don't put any political stickers, sports magnets, funny license plate frames, etc... on your vehicle. If the police officer is not a fan of the same sports team you just increased your chance at being pulled over. Oh, and for those of you with stickers from certain bands, you are asking to be searched as well. Do not advertise your political, religious, or social views on your car if you want to be inconspicuous. The only exceptions to this are small stickers that show you are a teacher, nurse, or EMT. Cops try to avoid giving people in those professions tickets so a bit of advertising will not hurt.
If you look fast you are speeding: Some vehicles are designed to look fast. If you are driving with traffic down the road, guess who will be pulled over. Sporty cars are fun, and they also stand out.
Racers get no breaks: Vehicles that are heavily modified, and are obvious about it, will not only attract attention, they will also increase your chance of getting a ticket instead of a warning. If a police officer pulls you over and your car has racing seats, a competition tachometer, cross drilled brakes with giant calipers, and a loud exhaust system good luck.
Going to a car show: The more expensive or more exotic your car is, the more you stand out. Some cops love to target people perceived as "wealthy" while others may just give you a warning as they admire your rare hotrod. You will attract attention regardless.
Those thin blue line stickers do not work: A lot of people claim that the thin blue line stickers, Fraternal Order of Police stickers, and such will get you out of a ticket, or even keep you from being pulled over. This is not true, you will be pulled over just as quick as anyone else. They will then want to know if you are in law enforcement or your spouse is, if they even notice the little blue sticker. A FOP license plate, well you had better be able to back that up.
Obvious violations: This should be common sense, but some people seem oblivious. To avoid standing out do not conspicuously break area vehicle codes. This includes window tint that is too dark, a vehicle that is too low or too high to the ground, mechanical defects, loud exhaust systems, and all the rest.
When the sun goes down: Many high end cars and some performance cars come with intense (hyper or blue) headlights. Cops look for these type of headlights at night, as well as cars that appear to have running lights and fog lights that are low to the ground. They will figure you are in a luxury or exotic car and are speeding.
At this point, most of you realize we all violate one of the above attention getters. It can be hard to not attract attention, but if you minimize as many of these possible your chance at getting a ticket will be reduced. If you follow some of our other advice, use a reliable radar detector and perhaps even a laser jammer you will greatly reduce your chance at a speeding ticket or even being noticed to start with.
Check out my other articles on How to Avoid Speeding Tickets and What to do When Pulled Over by the Police.
I hope this helps save some of you from being stopped by the police. If you have any comments let me know what you think here on our radar detector blog, give us a call (1-800-584-1445) or send us an email. You might also want to check out a few of our radar detector videos on youtube. Be a smart, protected and safe driver. - Danny