What should you say when stopped for speeding?
What should you say when stopped for speeding?
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Discussion

Byff

Original Poster:

4,427 posts

283 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
Tonyrec said:
If by that very small chance, you were stopped by Trafpol for doing a 'big' speed.....Whats the first thing that you would say?


Turning that question around, what is the first thing you should say?

I percieve from the other thread that getting out the car straight away and being very polite and apologetic gets the ball rolling, but what response would a Trafpol like to hear to the question "Do you know what speed you were doing?"

I've always stumbled at this point and never know whether to say the truth or reduce it a little or just say whatever the speedlimit is.

What should we do?

Trefor

14,715 posts

305 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
Fair cop guv, you got me banged to rights. I know I was speeding, I'm a fool, I'm stupid, I'll never do it again, the wife's going to kill me, the road was empty and I wanted to see how the car felt at speed, I won't do it again occifer. hic. Go on gis a 3 pointer to save all the paperwork, I've never been stopped before and I've got a clean license even after driving these kind of extremely powerful cars for over 6 years. hic.

Trefor

14,715 posts

305 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
Or if it were in France/Spain/Italy: "Want a ride?"

steff

1,420 posts

285 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
You'll never take me alive copper?!

volvod5_dude

352 posts

267 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
Speakee no Englishhh, I'm from Barcelona

tootler

89 posts

262 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
I was once stopped on my motorcycle, by a police motorcyclist in Singapore who said to me "Do you realise I had to risk my life to catch up with you" to which I replied (the arrogance of youth) "What are you complaining about, it's what you get paid for isn't it?"

C C

8,012 posts

261 months

Thursday 10th June 2004
quotequote all
Got nicked by a bike copper a several years back.
He asked why I was going so fast.
My youthfully ignorant reply was “I thought you wanted to race”
He was not amused.

BliarOut

72,863 posts

261 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
Eh? what's happened th this thread in my absence? It appears somewhat truncated. Has someone been upsetting aunty Mary again?

Edited because some arse started two barely discernable threads

>> Edited by BliarOut on Friday 11th June 00:18

Mr E

22,693 posts

281 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
I've always wanted to get a NIP and when asked who was driving reply "have no idea. Too drunk to remember".

Davel

8,982 posts

280 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
Had a red Pastiche Henley once (MGTF Replica) in red, which we'd just built.

BiB stopped me and said how fast did I think I was going.

I had no idea as I was trying to calibrate the speedo with those little magnet thingies on the proposhaft.

He was great and simpy told me that I needed a ladder on the roof and a bell to become a fire engine!

Nowadays you rarely get to say anything cos you mostly get a nice little note through the post.

mondeoman

11,430 posts

288 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
[quote=Davel
................

Nowadays you rarely get to say anything cos you mostly get a nice little note through the post.[/quote]
In that case the answer is "Not known at this address - return to sender"

wiggy001

6,993 posts

293 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
Well Officer, when you take into account the Earth's rotation, we were all speeding!

welsh blackbird

692 posts

266 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
Roll up trouser leg

Shake hands in a certain way

Lift jumper to reveal Stonecutters T-shirt

Bib apologises for troubling you

Drive off, licence intact!

Byff

Original Poster:

4,427 posts

283 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
BliarOut said:
Edited because some arse started two barely discernable threads


It was started because Tonyrec has asked us what we would say, but I want to know what we should say. Unforunately, no response from the police yet and this thread is starting to fill up with junk aswell.

I'd like to know if you could say something that would appeal to the better side of a Trafpol and maybe, just a little bit, make your life easier. Is it possible, or has it already been said and how well did it work?

BTW, I'm not an arse you cheeky git

Lets see if we can get a response from Tony, Gone etc

Dibble

13,253 posts

262 months

Friday 11th June 2004
quotequote all
We generally make up our minds what's going to happen BEFORE we stop you. Of course, there are always those who fail the "attitude test", and end up getting done, instead of just a warning. This of course, works the other way round if it's marginal.

I can, hand on heart, say I've never stopped a vehicle without a reason for doing so. There's too few of us, and too many people driving wihtout documents, lights, brains, to need to do this (although we can: Section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 and section 49 of the Police Reform Act 2002, allows a constable in uniform to stop a mechanically propelled vehicle being driven, or a cycle being ridden, on a road. Failure to comply with the requirement to stop is an offence for which there is a power of arrest, and power of entry to effect such an arrest (both of these powers only apply to offences committed on or after 1st October 2002).

I think I've heard pretty much all the excuses in one form or another, and they're all pretty lame really. One exception was the young Muslim lad who asked a colleague to be let off becuase "It's Christsmas..."

Byff

Original Poster:

4,427 posts

283 months

Saturday 12th June 2004
quotequote all
Thanks Dibble.

I realise that there is always a good reason to stop someone and you have made up your mind what to punish them with, however, has anyone ever managed to hit the sympathy or funny button that's made you change your mind and let them off.

I like the muslim one

Also, just what should we say when confronted with "Do you know what speed you were doing?"

johnp68

426 posts

304 months

Saturday 12th June 2004
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How about "no idea, i was too busy looking out for speed cameras"?

Mr E

22,693 posts

281 months

Saturday 12th June 2004
quotequote all
Byff said:

Also, just what should we say when confronted with "Do you know what speed you were doing?"


Of course officer. It might, however, differ from the speed you thought I was doing.....

Dibble

13,253 posts

262 months

Saturday 12th June 2004
quotequote all
Byff said:
... just what should we say when confronted with "Do you know what speed you were doing?"


The truth, or a VERY mildly diluted version of it. If you are actually stopped by a PC these days, it's unlikely the speed won't be recorded somewhere - video, LTI, whatever, or he/she will be with a colleague for corroboration.

Generally, being argumentative doesn't help, however (justifiably or not) p1$$3d off you feel.