"Do you know how fast you were going?""No officer, but I'm guessing it wasn't what was posted."
That didn't work for us and the "I'm not driving, I'm qualifying" t-shirt certainly didn't help either. We've all heard some great excuses for speeding that worked in getting some scofflaw off the hook and kept them out of the local hoosegow. Well, here's a story about a recent contest to find the best excuses out there.
The Car Connection has finished tabulating votes and awarding prizes, and has released the stories of the winners for its Speeding Excuses contest. After receiving and judging nearly 2,000 stories, the winners were given GPS systems or XM radios. The top three cover a funeral director, someone married to the law and a case of mistaken identity. Read them for yourself through the link.
We'd love to hear some of your favorites as well, whether from firsthand experience or through a friend of a coworker's uncle in-law. No prizes besides seeing your name in pixels.
[Source: The Car Connection]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike @ Sep 5th 2006 3:06PM
been there, done that:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/8964/10best-hauled-before-the-magistrate-stories-page2.html
And I didn't pick the header title.
fizzandpop @ Sep 5th 2006 4:44PM
I was pulled over for speeading once. The cop was obviously having a shitty day and just started screaming at me the second I opened the window. Fortunately he was so wound up that a massive gob of spit came flying out of his mouth and landed on my shoulder. We both started at it for a second, then he told me to slow the fuck down, marched back to his car, and raced off. I'd just picked up a hitchhiker and in between bursts of uncontrollable laughter, he said he's never seen anything that bizarre in twenty years.
VW-Guy @ Sep 5th 2006 4:58PM
Maybe it's just me, but I was hoping for something funnier, considering that these were the winners. I can just imagine the dullards that were thinned from the herd before final voting.
Ed @ Sep 5th 2006 5:09PM
My best friend in high school. True story. I was in the passenger seat.
Officer: "Do you know how fast you were going?"
Zack: "No, my speedometer tops out at 120."
The cop laughed so hard he actually cut my friend a break and wrote the ticket for 84 in a 65.
BobbyMac @ Sep 5th 2006 5:54PM
I wish I would have known about this. I have a great story about getting out of a 25 MPH over ticket.
So I'm driving in my GMC Sierra at about 65 MPH in a 40. I am going to see the house that I just purchased and needless to say was a bit excited. As I approach a slight bend, BOOM, My Valentine 1 radar detector goes nuts and I see the parked Officer.
I pull over right away and here is where I start to set up the officer to be in a good mood.
1. Pull over and lower all the windows in my truck (tinted windows make them nervous)
2. Put the keys on the dash and keep both hands on the wheel until he is directly at my side (BTW, he did have his hand on his sidearm when he walked up but the pistol was still in the holster).
3. He asks for the DL and proof of insurance. My hands still on the wheel, I comply and say "I am getting my wallet out". I reach for it then I ask if I can open the glove box to get my insurance papers.
4. He asks if the address on my license is correct. "No, I moved about 1 year ago". I didn't know that Texas requires that you change you license address with in 30 days.
5. He tells me that I am in violation of this and I say "Sorry, I'll take of it right a away.
He leaves and comes back a few mins later. This is the cool part.....
"Mr. Mac, I am going to return the favor you paid to me. Thanks for keeping you hands in plain sight, for not lying about your speed, for having your keys on the dashboard and for not being angry with me for doing my job when I pulled you over. I am not going to give you any tickets today even though you have admitted to a few infractions. Please slow it down and get your address taken of on your license."
My response, "Thanks Officer. I know your job must be stressful at times I was only trying to make you fell a little more comfy. Have a good day and thanks for the warning".
Lesson: Tinted windows and high speed allow with attitude will get at the lest a ticket. Remove the physical danger and be a nice person and you just might get off....
Phred @ Sep 6th 2006 7:05PM
OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Swiss driver caught speeding in Canada explained that he had been taking advantage of the ability to drive fast without hitting a goat, police said on Wednesday.
The driver was caught traveling 161 km/hr (100 mph) in a 100 km/hr zone in eastern Ontario Sunday.
"A motorist from Switzerland, used to driving around hills and mountains, takes advantage of the ability to go faster without risking hitting a goat," read the traffic officer's notes of the incident.
Local police said it was the first time they had ever heard of such an excuse.
"I've never been to Switzerland but obviously they must have a problem with that there," said police spokesman Joel Doiron, adding that in his 20 years of service he had never found a goat on the highways of eastern Ontario.
The Swiss driver's imaginative excuse did him little good. Police issued him a C$360 ($330) speeding ticket.