[h=1]Force a Cop to Pull You Over[/h]

• Eric Schaal

• December 20, 2017

If there’s one thing drivers dread, it’s getting pulled over by a cop. Even when you didn’t do anything serious and know your rights, these interactions can be nerve-wracking. After all, getting an expensive ticket can ruin your night and make you look bad in front of your friends or significant other. In some cases, encounters have actually turned deadly.


Before you start worrying too much about police on the road, remember how much you control the situation. Just as there are certain things you should never say to a cop who pulled you over, there are ways you can avoid the situation in the first place.

 

[h=2]Driving with your lights off[/h] Thanks to modern daytime running lights, this isn’t much of a problem anymore. | Chevrolet

With the introduction of automatic headlights, we’d say this one happened more often in the past. People expect their car to turn its lights on automatically. However, when someone else gets in your car and changes the settings back to manual, you’re in trouble.

You’ll find flashing their lights at you in hopes you’ll get the message. If you don’t get that warning and a cop sees you first, chances are you’ll get pulled over.

 

[h=2]Loud exhaust[/h] The Subaru WRX STI can attract the wrong kind of attention.| Subaru



When they rounded up the list of America’s most ticketed cars a few years back, Subaru WRX ranked first. Two things identify this car, especially in the STI trim: speed and a loud exhaust. Roaring past a cop with a modified WRX will often end with you pulling over after you see flashing lights in your rearview mirror. In New Jersey, a cop can cite you for “excessive noise,” which gives officers a lot of leeway.

 

[h=2]Illegal window tints[/h] Make sure your windows comply with local tint regulations. | Land Rover



Among illegal car modifications, window tints might be the most obvious target for a cop patrolling the area. The overwhelming majority of states ban or limit the amount of tinting someone can put on a window. Cops don’t have to make judgment calls, either. Many carry devices that measure the level of tint on a window and ticket drivers based on the findings.

 

[h=2]Driving too slowly[/h] Don’t think that driving under the speed limit will help you avoid a ticket. | Mario Villafuerte/Getty Images



Given the choice between pulling over a car going 95 miles per hour and another going 40, cops will probably stop the speeder first. However, slow drivers present their own type of danger. First, they get people agitated and force them to try and pass. (California cops pulled over a driverless car in 2015 for this reason.) But slow cars mostly appear suspicious because drunk or stoned drivers often proceed carefully to avoid accidents.

 

[h=2]Illegal U-turns[/h] Miss that exit? Take the next one instead of doing something stupid. | kevinmwalsh/iStock/Getty Images



Cops often have to make judgment calls when patrolling a beat. Drivers who don’t use their turn signals (something many cops don’t do, either) tend to get away with this minor offense.

On the other hand, someone executing a sudden, illegal u-turn would grab most police officers’ attention.
It’s practically forcing them to pull you over and ask about the hurry.

 

[h=2]Blocking your license plate[/h] This automatic license plate cover will obscure front and back plates simultaneously. | Rugift



Unless you plan on robbing a bank or engaging in some other illegal activity, you won’t have much reason to use a license plate blocker.
However, companies sell this banned modification and drivers sometimes install one on their car. If you get caught, there is a very high chance you’ll get pulled over. In some states, the fine for this violation exceeds $1,100.

 

[h=2]Cutting off another driver[/h] Cutting people off won’t get you to your destination any faster. | Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images

Dangerous lane changes lead to road rage in many cases and cause a fair share of accidents, too. When cops see someone pull this move, they act quickly to pull over the driver. Ranking right below an intentional cut-off would be a lane change when the driver obliviously moves over without noticing the other cars. Cops see this happen too often.

 

[h=2]Walking out of a bar and into your car[/h] Big drinking holidays and entertainment districts attract cops looking for drinkers. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images



Let’s say a cop is working a downtown area on a nightly beat. While sitting in a squad car, the cop sees a young man leave a bar with friends before sharing a loud, drunken goodbye with them. Immediately afterward, the young man hops into his car and drives away. By trying this move, he’s begging for the cop to pull him over at the first sign of a violation. If he consumed more than the legal limit, the penalties for a DUI offense can be harsh.

So if you stagger a block away to get your car, thats another story... lol

 

Blocking the box

Don’t ever block an intersection. | Volvo



No one likes traffic, and people who create traffic jams make themselves a target for road rage and other unpleasant interactions with fellow drivers. That’s exactly what happens when someone “blocks the box” at an intersection.

(Car in the middle)

Drivers who do it say to everyone that they don’t care what happens, they won’t wait at stoplights like every other decent person. If there’s a cop nearby, chances are these box blockers will get pulled over.

This leads to gridlock where others pull into the intersection, blocking traffic backwards to the
nearest intersection, and so on...