Monday, March 7, 2011

Maddeningly Unhelpful Monday--Busted

So I got pulled over the other day for talking on my cell phone. Sigh. I've really had it coming. I don't like the law. I've rebelled against the law. I actually think the law has increased the amount of people who, in order to avoid being caught talking on their cell, now text while driving. But we won't get into all my angst about the California cell phone law. The fact of the matter is that it IS a law and I finally got caught breaking it. Yes, it put the fear in me. I will no longer hold my phone to my ear while driving. Blue tooth here I come. And I'm going to wear that thing everywhere. To the gym, to the grocery store, to the kids' school. It will be awesome.

Even though I got caught and in reality deserved a big, fat ticket. I didn't get one. First, I smiled at the cop, and then when he said, "I pulled you over because you were on your cell phone," I responded with, "Yes, I was."

He seemed surprised by my statement, but took my license and walked to the back of my car. He even got his little white book out and started writing. When he came back, he said, "I'm going to let you off because you were the first person to tell the truth today. You should hear the stories I've heard today."

I almost said, "Really? Let's hear those stories." But I figured I shouldn't press my luck. I thanked him and went on my way.

But now I need to know. What cool (or not so cool) stories might people tell a cop when they get pulled over. I want to hear the best excuse you'd give a cop for being on a cell phone. Or how you would creatively pretend you weren't on a cell. I'm not saying that all of you would try to get out of the ticket with a lie. This is all just hypothetical. Give me your best excuse.

15 comments:

  1. I'm a truth teller too. I've been pulled over twice in the last three years or so. It got me out of the ticket once. Neal is also a truth teller. He's been pulled over three times in the last six months and avoided tickets twice. I'm thinking the truth has the best chance of success. But that's not a very exciting story...

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  2. I'd have to say, "Officer, my body was temporarily taken over by an alien entity." And it would be true, because I really don't think talking on a cell phone while driving is a good idea. ;)

    (Of course, I live where traffic is totally crazy, and if you don't give the road your complete attention every second, you're likely to wind up in the hospital.)

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  3. I would tell him that my wife is in labor and I'm trying to talk her through the contractions on my way to pick her up and take her to the hospital.

    :)

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  4. I would tell the truth too. I'm not a good liar. Just now I tried to think of a lie I could tell, but I immediately thought of ways the cop could easily prove it was a lie.

    I rarely break the cell law, but I often break the speed limit, so I've already decided that if I ever get stopped for that, even if I wasn't actually speeding that time, I deserve the ticket.

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  5. Kasie, you should know that I'm the most curious person on the planet, so now I'm kinda hating that you didn't ask the officer what stories they were! LOL

    Anyway, I think I would have told the truth too. *high five*

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  6. I would have told the truth too. But, the writer in me would be dying to tell a story.
    "I swear I wasn't talking on the phone, officer. I slept wrong last night and my neck is killing me, so I was holding my head up with my hand."
    "Why is your phone in your lap?"
    "Oh... I just like to be able to see it, since I'd never ever use it while driving."
    "You sure your neck is hurt? You seem fine to me."
    "Oh, it just hurts when I drive. You see, the angle of the steering wheel, combined with my shortness, makes for an uncomfortable position..." :)

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  7. My husband, who is a deputy sheriff, loves to tell the story of a time when he was pulled over in another county and he told the officer every excuse he'd ever been told and the officer was quiet for a moment, then said, "You're a cop, right?" My hubby always says that telling the truth will get you further than anything else. BUT if I were going to lie... I would tell the officer that I was just pretending to be on the cell phone because some pyscho was following me and I wanted him to think I was calling the cops so now he better go find the him.

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  8. I'm a horrible liar, and probably would have just admitted it as well.

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  9. I had a friend get pulled over for speeding. When the cop asked what the hurry was, she simply said, "I put on these kick-ass boots this morning and my jeans fit like a glove." She shrugged, "That doesn't happen every morning." The cop didn't know what to say to that.

    She got a walk. Me? I tend to be lippy with cops, I would've gotten a ticket.(Hugs)Indigo

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  10. I'm with Patti. I literally can't lie when put on the spot. I just don't have a knack for it. And believe me, many times I wish I did.

    But it's always best to tell the truth anyway, as this story proves. Nice cop for rewarding your honesty. I've was honest with a cop once about speeding, and he still gave me the ticket.

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  11. If I were to try to get out of a speeding ticket (talking on a cell is not illegal here) I would go for the old diarrhea excuse. As in I'm racing home trying to beat the clock.

    One time my husband got pulled over after tailing a (plain car) officer and brighting him when he wouldn't move out of the passing lane. In a snow storm. I was in the passenger seat and laughing as the cop turned on his lights to pull us over. He seriously deserved a ticket and always always gets out of them. I couldn't wait to get to witness his downfall. So the cop comes up and asks "Do you always drive this aggressively?" to which Darron replies "Yes." I was just giggling next to him...I was so excited. So the cop turns to me and asks "Do you think this is funny?" And I got serious real quick and lied and said "No, " because it really was but I certainly didn't want a ticket for lack of remorse at my husbands transgression. So the cop gives us a little lecture and then tells us he won't give Darron a ticket this time, but if he ever catches him doing it again...he will. WHAT!? What is that? That is what is known as an empty threat and they don't work on three year olds OR unremorseful aggressive adult drivers. My husband sucks. The only time I got pulled over (13 years ago) I got the ticket.

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  12. My mom has this issue with the gas pedal -- the speed limit is never fast enough. She gets pulled over. The cop asks if she knows she was going over the speed limit. "Yes, I was," she said. During my driving instruction, she told me to tell the truth in that situation because they usually let you off with a warning when you do. She's avoided up to five tickets with that little advice.

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  13. The trend to texting while driving is really scary.

    I would probably just tell the truth. I don't lie well. I have one of those faces where it's written all over me. I've been called poker face as a result. I would be horrible at that game, if I ever played it.

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  14. I avoided a ticket as a teenager once for "being honest." I was going way too fast. (And I remember thinking the cop was very cute. Insignificant detail from my teenage brain.) My husband thinks I drive too slow now.

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