Niece got pulled over in MD..

[ocean10]

My 17 yr old niece and her friend (19) were driving home from Virginia to NJ, where we all live. She was pulled over in MD. She did all the right things and was polite to the officer. He said he clocked her going 85 (I dont remember what the limit was, but it dosent really matter because 85 is speeding no matter what road you are on).

She said she sat there for a while and then he came back and asked her where they were going, and why they were down in MD. He also checked her friends licence (I am guessing because she is still underage) and all was ok.

He told her to take it slow and let them go.

I asked my niece how much is the ticket? She said "I didnt get one". I said if you were speeding and you didnt get a ticket, that officer gave you a huge break. I told her she is a new driver, he saw 2 young girls with out of state plates and you caught his attention by going too fast.

I told her to learn from this and to pay attention to the speed limits on any road you are travelling, and dont go any faster than the limit!
If she had got a ticket, she would have been working to pay it off. My sister and brother in law told her that.

My question to the officers here is... If she was going 85, why wouldnt he give her a ticket?

[Bob Loblaw]

Who knows? Maybe he's not a big "speeding ticket" kind of a cop (I'm sure not), maybe he just decided to give your niece a break because she's a young kid and thinks that a warning will drive the lesson home the same as a ticket, maybe they smiled at him the right way, maybe he decided against writing someone from out-of-state and making them come all the way back to appear for the ticket (which is something I do a lot, unless it's a huge violation), maybe because they were so nice and everyone he'd been dealing with that day was a total **** so she brightened his day a little bit and he decided to reward her (I do this, too - attitude goes a LONG way sometimes).....there's no telling.

[Ispbear]

Maybe she flashed him???





Sorry just having fun with you.

Honestly, there are some officer that hardly ever right tickets. They prefer to preach to the violator and give the break and call it a learning experience. Other officer will cite everything thinking that compliance will be gained from fear of the cost.
I personally believe it is a combination of both. The minor stuff I let go with a warning but if you go past the point of just pushing it you'll get a ticket and those people know that they deserve it. It sounds like she just got lucky and got stopped by one of the officers that doesn't write many citations.

[Roger Dat]

She got lucky, caught a huge break, dont question it.

[ocean10]

Thank you all for your responses. Nah, no flashing.

I just hope she learns from this experience.

[retdetsgt]

I never wrote many tickets. But it depended on a multitude of factors when I did. I was probably more prone to give a younger person a break than someone who should definitely know better, but that also depended on a lot of intangible things too.

Our traffic guys never give anyone a break. Well, mostly because their assigned task is to do nothing but write tickets and investigate crashes.

[ocean10]

I never wrote many tickets. But it depended on a multitude of factors when I did. I was probably more prone to give a younger person a break than someone who should definitely know better, but that also depended on a lot of intangible things too.

Our traffic guys never give anyone a break. Well, mostly because their assigned task is to do nothing but write tickets and investigate crashes.

Makes sense. Thanks!

[PapaBear]

Contrary to the popular belief of the public, and yourself, officers do not write every violation they stop along the roadways of our nation. Sometimes, in the officer's professional opinion, a warning may be sufficient to make the necessary effect on a driver's life. Attitude does come into play along with age, experience, severity, etc. Apparently the officer felt your neice would be a good candidate for a warning rather than a punitive action. Again, what the officer did is totally acceptable with most agencies.

[retdetsgt]

Contrary to the popular belief of the public, and yourself, officers do not write every violation they stop along the roadways of our nation.

You've obviously never met our traffic division! I listened to one of them whining about the cops that give people breaks. He was saying that this made people expect one.

I had to do a 3 month rotation through traffic when I was new. I never saw a stop by my FTO that didn't result in a ticket. All were good violations, but show no mercy was and is the motto there.

It goes without saying, it takes a certain caliber of person to work there. And I wasn't one.

[phantasm]

My 17 yr old niece and her friend (19) were driving home from Virginia to NJ, where we all live. She was pulled over in MD. She did all the right things and was polite to the officer. He said he clocked her going 85 (I dont remember what the limit was, but it dosent really matter because 85 is speeding no matter what road you are on).

She said she sat there for a while and then he came back and asked her where they were going, and why they were down in MD. He also checked her friends licence (I am guessing because she is still underage) and all was ok.

He told her to take it slow and let them go.

I asked my niece how much is the ticket? She said "I didnt get one". I said if you were speeding and you didnt get a ticket, that officer gave you a huge break. I told her she is a new driver, he saw 2 young girls with out of state plates and you caught his attention by going too fast.

I told her to learn from this and to pay attention to the speed limits on any road you are travelling, and dont go any faster than the limit!
If she had got a ticket, she would have been working to pay it off. My sister and brother in law told her that.

My question to the officers here is... If she was going 85, why wouldnt he give her a ticket?

Our job is to prevent crime and infractions, not always to write tickets. If the officer felt that a verbal warning and sitting on the side of the road for 10-15 minutes was sufficient for her, than maybe it was. Maybe she will learn her lesson. I know that in the past when I did get stopped, whether I got written, or a warning, I started becoming more aware of how I was driving, because I didn't want to get stopped again.

I don't do speed enforcement, BUT I do let people go for all sorts of traffic violations all the time.

[phantasm]

You've obviously never met our traffic division! I listened to one of them whining about the cops that give people breaks. He was saying that this made people expect one.

I had to do a 3 month rotation through traffic when I was new. I never saw a stop by my FTO that didn't result in a ticket. All were good violations, but show no mercy was and is the motto there.

It goes without saying, it takes a certain caliber of person to work there. And I wasn't one.

I've thought about trying to go to highway, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the "show no mercy" attitude.

[Safety Steve]

I've thought about trying to go to highway, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the "show no mercy" attitude.

Believe me. When your on the highway and see how bad people drive, your attitude will change. Be Safe.

[retdetsgt]

I've thought about trying to go to highway, but I'm pretty sure I don't have the "show no mercy" attitude.

If our traffic people don't write tickets, they're gone. Unless they get picky, and they really don't, they have to write everyone they stop.

I'm glad they are people that much into writing traffic, but I would find another line of work if that was all I did. Traffic enforcement is vitally important, but I found it boring and repetitive.

[Safety Steve]

If our traffic people don't write tickets, they're gone. Unless they get picky, and they really don't, they have to write everyone they stop.

I'm glad they are people that much into writing traffic, but I would find another line of work if that was all I did. Traffic enforcement is vitally important, but I found it boring and repetitive.

I try to look beyond the traffic stop. Makes things more interesting and exciting. Be Safe.

[retdetsgt]

I try to look beyond the traffic stop. Makes things more interesting and exciting. Be Safe.

Our guys don't. You never hear them taking anyone to jail for anything not traffic related.

I made a quite a few stops, but the reason wasn't really traffic oriented.