that’s exactly what they’re doing; telling me I didn’t see what I know I just saw. Consider the following:

“Ma’am, I stopped you for failing to signal your turn to Cherry Street.”

“Oh no, Officer; I did so signal.” See what I mean?

If you understand that once an officer stops you’ve already earned the ticket, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Tru

An important thing drivers fail to realize when an officer stops them for a traffic violation is that, in almost all instances, once you’re stopped, the violation is a done deal; whether or not the officer issues you a warning or a citation for that violation is the only question. The officer hasn’t stopped you to discuss whether or not you committed a violation; the officer has stopped you because you committed a violation.

The officer sees your, woops, stops you, and can simply obtain your driver’s documents, and, after a quick trip back to his car, return with your citation, and then the unpleasantness is over—just like that.

Unfortunately, too may drivers feel the time and place to argue a traffic citation is with the officer by the side of the road. Not hardly. In court before a judge or magistrate, is the proper venue to argue a traffic citation.

I don’t stop someone if I think they committed an infraction; I stop them when I know they’ve committed an infraction. If I’m not certain, I don’t make the stop. When I do stop a driver, I’m willing to listen to those who accept responsibility for their actions, make apologies, and even offer mitigating circumstances. However, I am not willing to listen to a driver argue: I did so stop, the light was yellow, or, my head was not up my….

Why would I want to engage a driver who’s questioning my integrity, when I don’t have to? I know—I know; the driver doesn’t think of it that way, but that’s exactly what they’re doing; telling me I didn’t see what I know I just saw. Consider the following:

“Ma’am, I stopped you for failing to signal your turn to Cherry Street.”

“Oh no, Officer; I did so signal.” See what I mean?

If you understand that once an officer stops you’ve already earned the ticket, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Trus

officer has stopped you because you committed a violation.

The officer sees your, woops, stops you, and can simply obtain your driver’s documents, and, after a quick trip back to his car, return with your citation, and then the unpleasantness is over—just like that.

Unfortunately, too may drivers feel the time and place to argue a traffic citation is with the officer by the side of the road. Not hardly. In court before a judge or magistrate, is the proper venue to argue a traffic citation.

I don’t stop someone if I think they committed an infraction; I stop them when I know they’ve committed an infraction. If I’m not certain, I don’t make the stop. When I do stop a driver, I’m willing to listen to those who accept responsibility for their actions, make apologies, and even offer mitigating circumstances. However, I am not willing to listen to a driver argue: I did so stop, the light was yellow, or, my head was not up my….

Why would I want to engage a driver who’s questioning my integrity, when I don’t have to? I know—I know; the driver doesn’t think of it that way, but that’s exactly what they’re doing; telling me I didn’t see what I know I just saw. Consider the following:

“Ma’am, I stopped you for failing to signal your turn to Cherry Street.”

“Oh no, Officer; I did so signal.” See what I mean?

If you understand that once an officer stops you’ve already earned the ticket, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Tru

the officer by the side of the road. Not hardly. In court before a judge or magistrate, is the proper venue to argue a traffic citation.

I don’t stop someone if I think they committed an infraction; I stop them when I know they’ve committed an infraction. If I’m not certain, I don’t make the stop. When I do stop a driver, I’m willing to listen to those who accept responsibility for their actions, make apologies, and even offer mitigating circumstances. However, I am not willing to listen to a driver argue: I did so stop, the light was yellow, or, my head was not up my….

Why would I want to engage a driver who’s questioning my integrity, when I don’t have to? I know—I know; the driver doesn’t think of it that way, but that’s exactly what they’re doing; telling me I didn’t see what I know I just saw. Consider the following:

“Ma’am, I stopped you for failing to signal your turn to Cherry Street.”

“Oh no, Officer; I did so signal.” See what I mean?

If you understand that once an officer stops you’ve already earned the ticket, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Tru

pt responsibility for their actions, make apologies, and even offer mitigating circumstances. However, I am not willing to listen to a driver argue: I did so stop, the light was yellow, or, my head was not up my….

Why would I want to engage a driver who’s questioning my integrity, when I don’t have to? I know—I know; the driver doesn’t think of it that way, but that’s exactly what they’re doing; telling me I didn’t see what I know I just saw. Consider the following:

“Ma’am, I stopped you for failing to signal your turn to Cherry Street.”

“Oh no, Officer; I did so signal.” See what I mean?

If you understand that once an officer stops you’ve already earned the ticket, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Tru

that’s exactly what they’re doing; telling me I didn’t see what I know I just saw. Consider the following:

“Ma’am, I stopped you for failing to signal your turn to Cherry Street.”

“Oh no, Officer; I did so signal.” See what I mean?

If you understand that once an officer stops you’ve already earned the ticket, you’ll be way ahead of the game. Trust me; you may really feel you didn’t commit a violation, but the officer probably knows the traffic code better than you do, and he knows exactly what it takes to violate a specific statute.

So don’t shoot yourself in the foot from the start. Just suck it up and realize that once stopped, you’ve been caught. Officers are often willing to give contrite drivers the benefit of the doubt in the form of a warning for minor violations, while they tend to cite the more flagrant violators who intentionally commit violations and put people and property at risk, and, of course, those who argue. But even if you do get cited for a minor traffic violation, remember, the officer doesn’t make law. If you don’t like a law you’ve been accused of violating, talk to your elected representatives. Cops can’t enforce laws that don’t exist.

And if you’re not prepared to admit your error, don’t ask the officer for a warning. Remember, if the officer chooses to issue you a warning, the warning is for violating a traffic code. If you don’t admit the error of your ways, logic says you can’t be warned for an error you argue never occurred. Get it? You’d be surprised how many drivers don’t. If you insist on arguing with me, I’ll write you a ticket, and then you can argue with a judge. Then, if you want a break, you’re going to have to get it from the judge.