Many drivers, at some point in time, got pulled over for speeding. A speeding ticket has negative consequences. In addition to paying a fine, you’ll have points taken off your license. Also, rates might increase for the insurance premium of your car. However, getting pulled over for speeding doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a speeding ticket, especially if you can convince a police officer not to give you one. Here are some tips for talking your way out of a speeding ticket.

Be prepared after getting pulled over for speeding

The first step to talking your way out of a speeding ticket is to be prepared. Make sure to pull over to the right shoulder of the road. A surefire way to annoy a police officer is to pull your car to the left shoulder or the median, where it’s more dangerous to approach it.

After you pulled your car over, take the necessary preparation steps to make your interaction with the police officer go as smoothly as possible, as detailed by Forbes. Roll down the windows, pull out your driver’s license, and place your hands on the steering wheel. Also, get your registration and proof of insurance out of the glove compartment — but only if the police officer hasn’t yet exited their vehicle. If you’re rummaging around for these things while the police officer can see you, they might interpret it as you have something to hide. 

Be polite when speaking to a police officer

If you’re rude to the police officer, you’ll increase your chances of getting a speeding ticket. Do your best to be polite and respectful. 

Ask for a warning instead of a speeding ticket

A police officer might be willing to give you a warning instead of a ticket, especially if you were not excessively speeding. Apologize to the officer for speeding, and say that it won’t happen again.

Give a good excuse to get out of a speeding ticket

It’s debatable how much an excuse can help you get out of a speeding ticket, for most police offers have already heard their fair share of excuses. This includes “my wife is giving birth at the hospital,” as shown in the hilarious Funny or Die video. However, as detailed by Insure.com, some excuses have proven to be effective. This includes:

• Have to go to the bathroom
• Late for a funeral
• Very sick
• Consoling a friend

Name-drop to get out of a speeding ticket

If you want to go the utterly shameless route, you can name-drop. Some drivers successfully avoided a speeding ticket by stating that a family member is a police officer. Insure.com detailed an incident in which a woman was pulled over, and then she mentioned that she was “married to a local cop.” The police officer then gave her only a warning. She then had to call her brother and tell him that she “was now his wife, not his sister.”

Avoid a speeding ticket with a police PBA card

Following the theme of knowing a cop route, if you’re lucky enough to have a PBA card, you might have success using it to avoid a speeding ticket. PBA stands for Police Benevolent Association, of which the vast majority of police officers in the United States are members.

Police can give family members and friends a PBA courtesy card, which usually has the words, “The bearer of this card is a supporter of the PBA and you should try to extend every courtesy possible.” When pulled over for speeding, if you hand over a PBA card, you might be able to convince a police officer to let you off the hook.

We’re not condoning all of these methods for getting out of a speeding ticket, particularly anything that involves dishonesty. The honorable way is to be honest and admit your mistake. If you show accountability for your speeding and genuinely communicate that you’ll do your best not to do it again, there’s a decent chance you’ll only get a warning.