Top reasons you’ll be pulled over
Don’t let a run-in with the law ruin your summer road trip
School’s out, the family vacation road trip is planned, the faithful family hauler is checked, prepped and ready, and warm, sunny weather is forecast. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing comes to mind, until you see the flashing red and blue lights of a police cruiser and its uniformed driver motioning you to pull over.
Fortunately, for the overwhelming majority of us, a roadside chat with one of our finest seldom ends in tragedy or an unreasonable delay, but more often than not it will have a negative effect on our wallets. And it often comes with the bonus of an education in traffic enforcement. If you’re interested in a quick review of how to get pulled over (and how to avoid it) this holiday-travel season, read on.
Perhaps the first lesson to be learned is from nature. Think of drivers as prey and traffic enforcement as the predators; wildlife survives by using camouflage and adopting behaviours that let them blend in and not be noticed by upper members of the food chain. This is easier to do on home turf, but many of us will be venturing into unfamiliar territory this summer.
Add to this the departure from normal traffic enforcement habits by local and regional constabulary in response to heavy vacation traffic and you have the right recipe for a citation or two.
Speeding remains the longstanding king of traffic tickets, and on holidays and long weekends you can throw all of your preconceptions about how much you can exceed the posted limit with impunity out the window. Even keeping pace with other vehicles on the road is no guarantee of a free ride, as one or two officers are quite capable of pulling over a long line of scofflaws to write citations.
Drive according to posted limits and road conditions. Speeding infractions can come with demerit points, and in some jurisdictions you can even have your vehicle impounded. And this is in addition to the fine and the effect on future auto insurance premiums. Your best weapon in this battle is time; allow for more of it when planning your trip.
Failing to stop at a stop sign or traffic light is No. 2, and even on lonely side streets and back roads, a rolling stop won’t do. If your vehicle didn’t settle back on its wheels after the stop, you didn’t stop. And don’t forget the effect a trailer will have on your stopping distance.
Not buckling up is No. 3 on Canada’s most-ticketed offence list and police services are employing some new methods for catching drivers and passengers alike. That homeless-looking person offering to wash your windshield at a stop light just might wear a badge under that ragged coat. And tucking the shoulder belt portion under your arm for comfort won’t make your wallet any more comfortable; if a belt isn’t properly worn, the fine still applies.
Improper turns encompass a world of infractions, from turning from the wrong lane at an intersection to turning into the wrong lane — and more. When merging onto a controlled-access highway, remember those painted barrier lines on your left side aren’t simply for decoration. If you merge across a solid line (instead of waiting for the dotted lines) you’re committing an infraction.
Red-light running may not be the most popular ticket, but it’s one with a large risk of a serious collision. Many drivers use the yellow light as a signal to accelerate to make it through, and this manoeuvre will always bring the attention of those in blue.
Distracted driving is quickly climbing the hit list in most jurisdictions and, like those nabbing seatbelt perps, police often employ imaginative ways of catching their prey. On crowded highways and byways this summer, you can expect a high level of enforcement attention on this front.
Letting a passenger hold onto your cellphone is an easy way to avoid the temptation of checking emails or answering a call. Handsfree units are plentiful and affordable, leaving no excuse for anyone; besides, you’ll seldom get an excuse to work on the side of the road with an officer.
Failing to yield for emergency vehicles is another way to attract police attention. Some aspects of this legislation are relatively new, such as requiring drivers to separate their vehicles from a stopped emergency vehicle by a full lane if safe to do so. And just slowing down and pulling over for an approaching police car, fire truck or ambulance won’t cut it; most regulations state you must pull over and come to a complete stop without blocking the emergency unit.
Aggressive driving can encompass such things as tailgating, failing to yield, sudden braking, and so on. In regular traffic this can be hazardous, but the risks of collision escalate when dealing with crowded highways full of overloaded vehicles driven by frazzled drivers. Charges can easily encompass dangerous and hazardous driving, which carry heavy penalties and enough demerit points to get you in front of a judge.
Unsafe loads cause us all to shake our heads as we tour the highways. If you’re towing a trailer, make sure everything is well secured. If it’s covered with a tarp, spend some extra time and a few dollars for some stretch cords to keep the tarp from flapping. When using roof racks, remember the load limit doesn’t include the effect of wind speeds, so a high heavy load might just end up under a tractor-trailer’s wheels.
Unpaid traffic fines are now easier for authorities to collect, thanks to the advent of scanning cameras. Most police departments have these on their cruisers and they allow the officer to focus on traffic and driving while his or her electronic partner scans every vehicle license plate in range, looking for past offences that weren’t concluded with the payment of a fine.