In a word..............Yes.
Most city / county officers will allow you up to an "X" amount over the limit (usually 10 - 14mph) but once you exceed that then you enter the realm of uncertainty where much of it has to do with your attitude (good or bad) couple with how he is feeling that particular moment. Is that fair..............who gives a rip..............you were in violation of the law, weather you knew it or now is beside the point........that fact is that you were the one that initiated circumstances that caused you to enter in his world of justice.
State Troopers will usually give you 9 mph....after that you will most likely get a ticket or at best a warning ticket.
The time of day in which you are stopped as well as traffic conditions will have a big part in his / her decision making as well.
When I worked Traffic Division........on night shifts I didnt care if you were cruising at 20mph over the limit as long as you were not drinking, no drugs and had a decent attitude about you......there were bigger fish to fry such as drunk drivers.
In regards to radar detectors.......they are good if the officer is running his radar hot however if they want to burn you a new one.......then you can buy the best one of the market and I can guarantee you that is is worthless. In many states the radar coroborates the officers opinion....not the other way around......which means that you can be charged and often times convicted just based upon his professional opinion.
Personally I think the money can be spent on other farkles.
If.......excuse me, when you do speed you can do things that will help aleviate the potential of getting a ticket such as:
1.) think like a cop......where would be a good place to set up.
2.) try as hard as it may be to not go more the 9 mph over the posted limit.
(dont be a moron and pass a cop while only doing 9mph over the posted limit....I had that happen before and the jerk wanted to argue the law with me on the street..........idiot)
3.) stay out of the passing lane except when passing. (certain exceptions)
4.) dont piss off other drivers with your aggressive passing......there are things called cell phones and you do have a license plate on the back on your bike that identifies you or the owner.
5.) when you do pass......do it quickly and then bring your speed back down to a reasonable amount.
6.) on highways that are divided by a barrier I will often stay in the left lane near the barrier.......where there are no barriers I stay near the "fog line" (the white line near the edge of the road) in the right hand lane.
7.) do a quick glance on entrance and exit ramps......especially entrance ramps.....this is the time when it is good to be in the left lane. Also look at the bridges themselves.
8.) On most major highways, traffic is broken up into groups of vehicles......I treat these groups like islands.........I jump from one group to the other........the open space between the group can be viewed as danger ocean territory........the longer your out in the open water the more likely you will be nailed.
9.) If an officer does pull in behind you then you drive as if your mother is following you.
10.) If you are about to get pulled over then find a place that is safe for both of you....well lit and out of traffic. (There were times that I wrote a ticket just because the guy was a moron and stopped in a dangerous location)
11.) turn off bike, get license and papers out and take off helmet, BEFORE the officer gets to you if possible.
12.) if you have a gun, then let him know in advance and ask how he wants to proceed.
(I had a personal rule that if you had a gun and were not drinking, no drugs or a convict then you got a pass......I figured if you carry a gun then it was for self defense....which means you were willing to kill a dirtbag so that I didn't have to.......that deserves a pass)
13.) Dont make stupid statements........like, "did I do something wrong officer"......when you were speeding 25 mph over the posted limit. It is ok to say, sorry officer I was not paying attention to my speed.....if you have ridden a motorcycle Officer Jones, well you know what I mean.......I saw that I was doing X amount over when I saw you. You can not say the word sorry enough. I know this is hard for most guys to say....especially married ones. You should also address the officer as sir / mam, which ever applies........or better yet, by their name. Officer Jones, I apologize for ......(fill in the blank).
14.) Dont throw other officers names out unless you are related to that person.
( I wrote my Sergeant's son a ticket when he said......"do you know who my dad is......" His dad made him pay the ticket.)
15.) Even if you know the reason the officer pulled you over was BS...........just go along with it. Argueing your case along the roadside will get you in deeper............and beside it wasting your and his time, again you have to remember you are in his realm and right then and there it can be pretty ugly. In North Carolina if the posted speed limit is 55mph and you are doing 16 mph over......its a misdemeanor.....which means he can cuff and stuff you and in all liklihood tow your vehicle. Towing the vehicle is simply done by saying......"Sir, you are under arrest.......you vehicle is along side the road here.......are you going to hold me responsible if anything happens to it? (loaded question) Of course most people will say, Hell yeah, because they are already pissed. Guess what is next..............the next wrecker on rotation will be pulling up soon and you are now looking at an extra charge to get your bike back. You see how I say you have entered his realm of justice. Life ain't fair........so what.......get use to it.
16. If you do get a ticket then ask if its possible he could reduce it so that it does not effect your insurance.
(most cops hate insurance companies.......use that to your advantage)
17.) Again apologize to the nice officer and let him know you will try to pay more attention.
18.) After the ticket, then if you do have any friends that are officers then you may see if they can help get it reduced. When I say friends, I mean friends......not a friend of a friend of a friend.
19.) Last resort, get a local lawyer and get then to reduce it. Do not use an out of town lawyer....they typically have no pull and often piss off the judge. It's a good ole boy network in any city.
Im sure there are some other things you can add but this is the bulk of it.
Ride safe....
NC_Yank
There have been a lot of discussions about radar detectors, how to overcome or circumnavigate LEO's using various lidars, radars etc., etc., the best radar detectors, blind spots etc., etc.
