I don't want anyone to think that speeding is OK in every situation. Sometimes the speed limits are just right for situation. BUT sometimes they are just too freakin' slow. The fact is that everyone speeds - it's just a question of how much and how often. That being said if you are going to speed, it's best to get as few tickets as humanly possible.
Keep in mind that the police have a HUGE advantage over us. Different types of radar, different types of cars, years of training and experience......
One thing I've noticed over the years is that police officers are human, and they have the same bad habits most drivers have. If you have better driving habits than they do, you have an edge over them, simple as that.
So let's look at the ways that you can minimize the chances of ever getting a speeding ticket. There are three ways of not getting a ticket. The best way is to not even get stopped! This is the heart of the system. If you can learn a few key skills, the chances of even getting pulled over drop to practically nil. If and when you DO get stopped there are some inside tips I've gotten from the cops that will make it easier for them to NOT give you a ticket. Then there is what to do if you do get a ticket, and how to get out of it.
This isn’t fool proof and know that if you consistently speed, you are going to have to take a ticket every now and then. The police have such an advantage over us with all their electronics that it's inevitable.... BUT.... we'll do what we can....
Look far ahead.
Police officers are just like most of the people on the road. They have the same bad driving habits. The best one (for us) is that they don't look very far ahead while they are driving. Get in the habit of looking as far down the road as you can. It's all about you seeing them, before they see you.
Look for brake lights of cars in front of you. Everyone automatically hits the brakes when they see a cop on the side of the road, even if they're not speeding. It's instinctual. If you see a group of brake lights go on in front of you, chances are there is a cop sitting on the side of the road, just waiting for someone less attentive than you.
Keep your eyes on the rearview mirror too. Part of looking far ahead, is looking far behind you. If you are doing say, 30 kmh (20mph) over the speed limit, and you see a car catching up to you.... be suspicious. It's amazing how quickly a cop can catch up to you from behind. If one seems to 'sudddenly appear' behind you - you know that you weren't paying enough attention to the rearview. If he gives you a ticket, I'd say you deserved it. You weren't paying enough attention, you lose that round!
Brake smoothly.
If you are going over the speed limit and you see a cop, either driving towards you or sitting on the side of the road, the first thing you (and everyone else) does is hit the brakes. One of the things police are trained to look for is a dramatic dip in the front end of a car as you hit the brakes. A bigger dip means that the car is braking harder.
So this means that as long as they don't have you on radar, and you don't telegraph your braking by jumping on the brakes and making your car look like it's trying to hack out a chunk of pavement with its front end - it's very hard for the police to know what speed you are going and how hard you are braking.
Only go a bit over the speed limit.
You have to remember that there is, like a 'sliding scale of speeding.' The faster you go over the speed limit, the more aware and "on it" you have to be. And once you get up over say, 30 kmh (20 mph) there is a diminishing chance of getting away with it.
First it takes that much longer to get down to the speed limit. Second, any police that sees you if you are going wayyyyy over the limit is going to pull you over because it's so obvious that you're speeding.
Be aware!
This is it in a nutshell. If you are going to speed, and you want to get away with it, you have to be hyper-aware of everything that's happening on the road. You have to be more aware than the police are. That means that you know what's going on as far up the road as you can see, you know what the cars around you are doing, and you know what's going on behind you. Like, way behind you. At all times.
Again, police are human and they have a lot going on in their cars sometimes. Radios, phones, laptops. If you are more aware than they are, it gives you that small advantage that can make all the difference.
After you get stopped:
Pull over as far to the left as you can.
The police have to stand beside your car, on the side of the road, to give you a ticket. The more comfortable they are, standing beside your car, the more likely they are to listen to you and maybe let you off. But if their butt's are only inches away from traffic that's whizzing by, they are more apt to just write the ticket and be on their way.
So pull over as far to the left as you can. They will move to the right, making their car a block against traffic. Then they will feel much more comfortable chatting with you at your car.
Turn your interior light on if it's dark outside.
You have to realize that when a cop approaches your window they don't know what they will encounter. You could be the nicest person in the world, but you could also be a crackhead with a gun in your hand.
So if it's dark, put your interior light on so they can see you as they approach your car. Also, roll down your window and keep your hands on the top of the steering wheel where they can see them. Don't go looking for your insurance papers in the glovebox or get your license out of your pocket. That could look like you're stashing drugs, or trying to find a weapon.
Be as calm and nice as you can.
Getting a ticket sucks, no doubt about it, but if it goes to court the secret is.... you want them to forget about you. You don't want them writing copious notes about YOU AND YOUR OFFENCE as soon as you leave.
So, don't whine and don't argue, that's what everyone does and all it does is make them more intent on giving you a ticket - AND, more likely to remember you.
When the day comes for them to go to court, they are going to look at all the tickets they issued and all the notes they made at the time, and make a decision to go or not. If they have a guy that was a real jerk to them their motivation to go to court is much higher than if the guy was nice and made their job easier.....
It's hard to be calm at the time you get the ticket, but worth it at the end if you have to go to court.
Be honest.
Cops aren't idiots and they've heard every excuse known to man. They know everyone speeds every now and then and as long as you're not an idiot to them they are more likely to let you go.
After you get the ticket:
Send it in with all the information to fight it. If you've made a good impression, they will be less likely to be there. If they aren't there on the day, you get off!
The only time you might not want to do this is when they could have given you a much bigger ticket/fine than they did. If you go to court, you risk them 'reviewing your case' and giving you the larger amount, Just for putting them through the trouble of going to court. Sometimes it's just better to pay the fine quietly and be thankful you didn't get nailed with the bigger fine....
If you are going to speed, use some common sense. It's sometimes OK to do 40 kmh over the speed limit, and sometimes it's downright dangerous. Like on an open stretch of highway, with no one around, you can go as fast as you want and you're only endangering yourself and anyone in the car with you. But doing it on crowded streets or a school zone would get you the dumb shit award. Above all use your god given common sense and keep it safe.
Now after having said all of this, I have to tell you that if you are going to speed, you WILL get caught every now and then. Maybe you won't be paying attention for a moment, or they will have a sneaky radar set up that you can't see until you're in it.... BUT, if you do all of the things I've suggested, you won't be getting very many!
On with the fun....
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