# I got pulled over today...



## Hou330izhp (May 25, 2004)

going an incredible 39mph in the 35mph zone.  I didn't believe it when people said that a red car would draw more attention from the police, but now I'm not so sure. 

He let me off with a warning, :thumbup: but I have to question why he decided to even pull me over to begin with. There were at least 10 others going as fast or faster than me. :dunno:


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## KP (Apr 16, 2002)

maybe he wanted to check out your car


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## kurichan (May 1, 2004)

For future reference, you might want to check if speed postings in TX are prima facie. People are surprised to learn that in California, except for state highways, the speed postings in most areas are more recommendations than hardfast law. That means that doing 40 in a 35, driving safely with the flow of traffic isn't actually ticketable (or won't hold up). But by the same token, doing 35 in a 35 on a foggy day could be reckless and ticketable.


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## kurichan (May 1, 2004)

Hou330izhp said:


> He let me off with a warning


What did he say to you? If I were him, I'd feel silly even giving you a WARNING. :tsk:


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

kurichan said:


> For future reference, you might want to check if speed postings in TX are prima facie. People are surprised to learn that in California, except for state highways, the speed postings in most areas are more recommendations than hardfast law. That means that doing 40 in a 35, driving safely with the flow of traffic isn't actually ticketable (or won't hold up). But by the same token, doing 35 in a 35 on a foggy day could be reckless and ticketable.


 The posted speed here in TX is prima facie. A couple years ago we had a problem here in Houston where the state law change where the frontage road (Houstonian for freeway access road) speed limit was changed to 45 MPH. TXDoT was slow in changing the signs from 35 MPH. HPD continued to ticket people driving in excess of the 35 mph because state law allows posted signs to pre-empt any state law. If you knew about this discrepancy you could go before a judge and plead your case and it would be dismissed. People that did not know just paid the fines.


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

Hou330izhp said:


> going an incredible 39mph in the 35mph zone.  I didn't believe it when people said that a red car would draw more attention from the police, but now I'm not so sure.
> 
> He let me off with a warning, :thumbup: but I have to question why he decided to even pull me over to begin with. There were at least 10 others going as fast or faster than me. :dunno:


 Many years ago while living in FL I had a FL state trooper follow me for over 4 miles without any lights or sirens. He finally decides to pull me over. He does not tell me why he is stopping me and just asks for my driver's license and insurance card. He goes back to his car and then comes back after a few minutes and says: "Sorry, I had the wrong car". I was driving a black VW Corrado, a car that was not very common. Anyways, I would have thought that while he was following me he would have been calling in my license plate. Maybe the trooper just wanted to take a closer look at my strange looking melted down Golf. :rofl:

So in your case he just wanted to take a closer look at your beautiful IR ZHP but have to give you a warning ticket because he did not want to look like an a$$ by saying "Sorry I had the wrong car".


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## jeff330i (Feb 2, 2002)

i got a WRITTEN citation for going 48 in a 45 in Weston, MA driving a Volvo S40. I think I was going to get a warning at first but then I chuckled when the officer told me my speed and that angered him.


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## Dave 330i (Jan 4, 2002)

kurichan said:


> For future reference, you might want to check if speed postings in TX are prima facie. People are surprised to learn that in California, except for state highways, the speed postings in most areas are more recommendations than hardfast law. That means that doing 40 in a 35, driving safely with the flow of traffic isn't actually ticketable (or won't hold up). But by the same token, doing 35 in a 35 on a foggy day could be reckless and ticketable.


There were a few roads in Thousand Oaks where the prevailing speed exceeded the posted speed. The city traffic department had to recommend increasing the posted speed limit from 35 to 45, which was enacted by the city. That's the CA law. :thumbup:


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## Bimmer4life (Aug 14, 2004)

As silly as it sounds, I do believe that a red car is a magnet for police. For some reason they think red = corvette = fast = you get a ticket.


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## Hou330izhp (May 25, 2004)

kurichan said:


> What did he say to you? If I were him, I'd feel silly even giving you a WARNING. :tsk:


He just made me sign the warning and said that no further action would be taken. :dunno:


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## Hou330izhp (May 25, 2004)

jeff330i said:


> i got a WRITTEN citation for going 48 in a 45 in Weston, MA driving a Volvo S40. I think I was going to get a warning at first but then I chuckled when the officer told me my speed and that angered him.


I made SURE that I didn't give him any reason to get pissed at me. I knew that I wasn't going very fast so I didn't want to make things worse by questioning him, laughing, or acting annoyed.


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## FalconGuy (Sep 27, 2002)

You should have said... Didnt I see you get your ass kicked on COPS last week?


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

Bimmer4life said:


> As silly as it sounds, I do believe that a red car is a magnet for police. For some reason they think red = corvette = fast = you get a ticket.


 I keep hearing that but that has not been my experience. In my black VW Corrado I got 2 tickets. In both cases I felt I was targeted. I have owned a red BMW since 1997 and got 1 ticket in a school zone where everybody was getting stopped because it is right next to the freeway access ramp.


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## James (Jun 30, 2004)

Hou330izhp said:


> I made SURE that I didn't give him any reason to get pissed at me. I knew that I wasn't going very fast so I didn't want to make things worse by questioning him, laughing, or acting annoyed.


 Perhaps he's seen you go by there a few times when you really were speeding but was otherwise occupied. This warning may have just been to say, "Hi, I am here. Be careful through here from now on".

Just a thought .

I got nailed a few months ago doing 70Mph in a 55 zone on the 95 North in rush hour. How he picked me out of the bazillion cars I have no idea (I was in the middle lane...some people passing me and I passing others). I took it before a judge and even before the judge came out the officer on duty said, "I'll lower it to 5 over and no points if you go away". Deal :rofl:.

Glad you got off with a warning .


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## JCard (Jul 19, 2004)

I got pulled over for speeding coming home from the dealer the morning I picked up my car, doing 5 mph over the limit ... got off with a warning, but only after the officer put his head in the car to have a look around and confirm by the number of miles on the car that it was new ...


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## Salvator (Oct 14, 2003)

I used to drive a 1967 VW Microbus in the early 90's... For a car that could barely do the speed limit, much less exceed it, I used to get pulled over relatively frequently... and no, there were no Greatful Dead stickers or the like to get their attention... It did stand out in a crowd though, that's for sure... Same thing happened in my 1967 VW Beetle... I think they often pulled me over just to look at it... The cop would usually say "Nice car... Can I see your driver's license and registration please?"


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## kyfdx (Aug 4, 2003)

Salvator said:


> I used to drive a 1967 VW Microbus in the early 90's... For a car that could barely do the speed limit, much less exceed it, I used to get pulled over relatively frequently... and no, there were no Greatful Dead stickers or the like to get their attention... It did stand out in a crowd though, that's for sure... Same thing happened in my 1967 VW Beetle... I think they often pulled me over just to look at it... The cop would usually say "Nice car... Can I see your driver's license and registration please?"


Are you sure you don't look like Tommy Chong?


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## LeucX3 (Dec 26, 2001)

Bimmer4life said:


> As silly as it sounds, I do believe that a red car is a magnet for police. For some reason they think red = corvette = fast = you get a ticket.


I seriously doubt that. My first job out of college i bought a red 96 Jetta GLX and i never once got pulled over in that car. And being 20-something at the time, i didnt' drive like my parents. But then again, this is when i lived in Hampton Roads and i knew all the speed traps and where the cops hung out.

Maybe the officer just wanted Hou330 out and would see what he'd do to get out of the ticket.  :rofl:


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## Salvator (Oct 14, 2003)

kyfdx said:


> Are you sure you don't look like Tommy Chong?


:rofl: Actually, I was pulled over in it once while wearing one of those Mexican hooded shirts that were popular years ago... I fully expected the cop to request that I open everything up for a search, but he was happy with a quick visual inspection... Still gave me a ticket, though... 43 in a 35...


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## rruiter (Feb 10, 2004)

Hou330izhp said:


> going an incredible 39mph in the 35mph zone.  I didn't believe it when people said that a red car would draw more attention from the police, but now I'm not so sure.
> 
> He let me off with a warning, :thumbup: but I have to question why he decided to even pull me over to begin with. There were at least 10 others going as fast or faster than me. :dunno:


Getting pulled over for 4 (four) miles over the limit is a bunch of BS if you ask me. I'd be very upset if I got a ticket for that. Revenue generation I call it. Must have been end of month, no ?


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## SchwartzBlack (Jan 4, 2002)

jeff330i said:


> i got a WRITTEN citation for going 48 in a 45 in Weston, MA driving a Volvo S40. I think I was going to get a warning at first but then I chuckled when the officer told me my speed and that angered him.


That's cos in a snooty town like Weston your S40 was probably the most ghetto vehicle on the road so he figured you must be from out of town and it was alright to pull you over.


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## stephenn (Jun 24, 2004)

330iZHP: Was this up in the Champions area of Houston? There is a 340 lb. Harris County Sheriff officer who works around Champions Golf Club that has supposedly worked the streets there for 20 years and is "lovingly" referred to as Mayor Ogden. He is notorious for getting people speeding barely over the speed limit. He got me within a week of moving into town for a 34 in a 30. Yes, I got a ticket. Fortunately, I knew another Harris County Sherrif who was able to take care of it. 

This was in my pre-BMW days. I was driving a Ford Thunderbird.


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## rruiter (Feb 10, 2004)

stephenn said:


> 330iZHP: Was this up in the Champions area of Houston? There is a 340 lb. Harris County Sheriff officer who works around Champions Golf Club that has supposedly worked the streets there for 20 years and is "lovingly" referred to as Mayor Ogden. He is notorious for getting people speeding barely over the speed limit. He got me within a week of moving into town for a 34 in a 30. Yes, I got a ticket. Fortunately, I knew another Harris County Sherrif who was able to take care of it.
> 
> This was in my pre-BMW days. I was driving a Ford Thunderbird.


340 lbs.. impressive... one hand in the donut box, the other on the radar gun...
Meanwhile there's a good chance your car gets stolen next time you park it....
again; revenue generation is all it is.


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## woody underwood (Feb 9, 2004)

Coming back from CO thru KS on I-70 a couple of weeks ago traffic was running 95+ and the cops were not stopping anybody...I couldn't believe it. The thing I can't understand is why the limit is 75 in CO and 10 feet into KS it changes to 70...that's absolutely ridiculous.


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## Hou330izhp (May 25, 2004)

stephenn said:


> 330iZHP: Was this up in the Champions area of Houston? There is a 340 lb. Harris County Sheriff officer who works around Champions Golf Club that has supposedly worked the streets there for 20 years and is "lovingly" referred to as Mayor Ogden. He is notorious for getting people speeding barely over the speed limit. He got me within a week of moving into town for a 34 in a 30. Yes, I got a ticket. Fortunately, I knew another Harris County Sherrif who was able to take care of it.
> 
> This was in my pre-BMW days. I was driving a Ford Thunderbird.


I don't think it was him; I was out in Sugar Land and he definitely wasn't 340 lbs.


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## Spectre (Aug 1, 2002)

woody underwood said:


> Coming back from CO thru KS on I-70 a couple of weeks ago traffic was running 95+ and the cops were not stopping anybody...I couldn't believe it. The thing I can't understand is why the limit is 75 in CO and 10 feet into KS it changes to 70...that's absolutely ridiculous.


Yup, that puzzled me on last month's road trip. Not knowing how touchy the local law enforcement was, I tried not to exceed the speed limit by more than 5 mph. Fortunately, there's very little speed enforcement out there. 5000+ miles and I saw less than 10 state troopers total.


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## vicszhp (Aug 27, 2004)

Check this out...I was going 60 on a 35, cop pulled me over and was in the process of writing a ticket and asked me, "What's the excuse?"...

I responded, "This car just kicks ass". He grinned, told me to be careful next time and walked away....NO TICKET.

Honesty pays off I guess



Hou330izhp said:


> going an incredible 39mph in the 35mph zone.  I didn't believe it when people said that a red car would draw more attention from the police, but now I'm not so sure.
> 
> He let me off with a warning, :thumbup: but I have to question why he decided to even pull me over to begin with. There were at least 10 others going as fast or faster than me. :dunno:


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## schreck (Jul 29, 2004)

Hahaha, VicZHP, that is hilarious. Smooth move man. :thumbup: 

Alex


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