How to Avoid a Traffic Ticket

A speeding ticket or other moving violation can quickly put a damper on an otherwise smooth commute or relaxing road trip. In the United States, tens of millions of such tickets are issued each year, raking in billions of dollars in fines for state and local coffers.

For the motorist, the cost of a traffic ticket doesn't end there, though. Even one speeding ticket can raise your insurance premiums for several years, and multiple violations can push your rates through the roof. Fortunately, almost all tickets can be avoided with a few simple guidelines.

Steps

1. Avoid driving. The only sure way to avoid a traffic ticket is to avoid driving, or at least to cut down on it. Stroll or bike around the neighborhood, or hop on the bus to get to work. Sure, there are better ways to stay ticket- free, but none that will save you this much money in gas, insurance, and upkeep.

2. Know and obey all the rules of the road. It's pretty simple: don't break traffic laws, and you won't get ticketed. Problem is, a lot of people really don't know as much about the laws as they think, and ignorance is no excuse.

One particularly troublesome example is the default speed limit that applies, for instance, to all roads within a town unless otherwise specified. Traffic laws also vary from state to state and even from town to town, so do some research if you're driving away from home.

3. Drive defensively. Aggressive or erratic driving can irritate other drivers and put you and others in danger. Even if you're not breaking any laws, weaving in and out of lanes and stopping or accelerating quickly can bring you unwanted attention from police.

4. Maintain your vehicle. Cracked windshields, burnt-out taillights, and a whole host of other minor maintenance issues can get you a ticket. Such hazards also make you a more attractive target to law enforcement officers who might otherwise overlook your loose interpretation of the speed limit.

5. Get a radar/laser detector. If you're intent on being a speed demon, a combination laser/radar detector can help you put the brakes on on time. Be careful, though: detectors are illegal in many states and countries, they're far from 100 percent effective, and if you do get pulled over, you won't earn any brownie points when the officer sees the detector.

6. Stay out of the "fast lane." Drivers in the "fast lane" (the left-most lane on U.S. multi-lane highways) are more likely to be ticketed not only because they're typically driving faster, but also because of the psychological element: they appear to be going faster simply because they're in the "fast lane". In addition, many jurisdictions have laws that require you to drive in the right lane unless you are passing, so you can be ticketed for cruising in the left lane.

7. Go with the flow of traffic. If you're going to speed, you're less likely to be ticketed if everybody else is doing it. It's not uncommon in many areas for the posted speed limit to be something of a joke. If everybody's going 80 in a 70, chances are you can get away with it — in fact, if you're going significantly slower you may be a hazard — but if you treat that as a license to go 85, guess who'll get nabbed.