Well, I was headed to a meeting for work in unfamiliar territory this morning, and I got pulled over!
Anyways, I got off on my exit, and looked ahead for the street I needed to turn on. Next thing I know there is a cop behind me. The cop pulls alongside me on the left as we are driving along a two lane (each direction) road. When I finally saw the street sign I realized I needed to turn right, at which point I signaled and entered the right hand turn lane...and proceeded to turn right. Meanwhile, I noticed the cop turn right from the left lane to follow me (*weird*). I had all my ducks in a row...blinker - check, speed limit - check, no cell phone - check, etc., etc. So he follows me for a while, and then pulls up beside me on my rear drivers side bumper. The next thing I know, I am getting pulled over!
The officer then walks up to me and asks if he could check out my car! HA HA That's right, he pulled me over to see the smart in all of it's real life glory. He proceeded to tell me how he's been considering one, and he wanted to actually see a smart in person & get real life feedback. At this point I was joshin' around with him, and started giving him the "tour". He sat in the car, checked out the trunk space, service boot, engine, etc. He was like a little kid in a candy store! Very cool guy, and super excited to talk "smart".
I had the local officer who was patrolling our neighborhood stop in front of my house and stare. Finally I told him that if he wanted to see the car to just come right up and do so. So he got out and we discussed her fantabulous features! It was fun.
Glad to know your "stop" was an informative one as well. WHEW!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaneXman
Well, I was headed to a meeting for work in unfamiliar territory this morning, and I got pulled over!
Anyways, I got off on my exit, and looked ahead for the street I needed to turn on. Next thing I know there is a cop behind me. The cop pulls alongside me on the left as we are driving along a two lane (each direction) road. When I finally saw the street sign I realized I needed to turn right, at which point I signaled and entered the right hand turn lane...and proceeded to turn right. Meanwhile, I noticed the cop turn right from the left lane to follow me (*weird*). I had all my ducks in a row...blinker - check, speed limit - check, no cell phone - check, etc., etc. So he follows me for a while, and then pulls up beside me on my rear drivers side bumper. The next thing I know, I am getting pulled over!
The officer then walks up to me and asks if he could check out my car! HA HA That's right, he pulled me over to see the smart in all of it's real life glory. He proceeded to tell me how he's been considering one, and he wanted to actually see a smart in person & get real life feedback. At this point I was joshin' around with him, and started giving him the "tour". He sat in the car, checked out the trunk space, service boot, engine, etc. He was like a little kid in a candy store! Very cool guy, and super excited to talk "smart".
i had a similar scenario ones at dinner 3 of them surrounding my car then as i was driving to work three of them pulled me over while they were suppose to be watching people run the red light they found my car more interesting
I wish that would happen here, but Minnesotans are too shy and polite to inconvenience someone that way I guess...
Oh, not so...I've been pulled over twice since February, the second time just last week. Both times it was for a 'look see' only. I'm glad to oblige to an extent, but this last week I was already running late for an appointment and then the cop wasn't terribly friendly either (the first time I was followed into a parking area and the guy used his lights to 'park' behind me).
This second time it was a young cop just wanting to 'check out the car.' Used his lights and pulled me over on a fairly busy street without a shoulder area. I knew it wasn't for speeding right away as he pulled in behind me after I had just left a signal stop after a 2-minute light wait and was still accelerating in a 45 mph zone. Nope, not speeding or something else...just wanting to see a smart up close. Then he was all critical and saying things like we've all heard, "Looks unsafe" and "I wouldn't want to be an accident in that car." Sheesh!
I was peeved enough with the delay that I checked today with the city's police department on their policy (law?) about this sort of thing. They stated at first that "It must have been something I did to spur the pull over." After explaining again what I had just related moments ago, he proceeded to ask me the name and badge of the officer. I had noted his last name and the car # and he took that info and said "I'll speak with the officer and get back to you." This was at 9 am this morning and no call back today.
Anyway, I'm very open to talking about my smart at nearly every stop. I carry extra flyers and dealer business cards. I plan an extra 15-30 minutes into my errand plans just to speak with interested people. But I really have to draw the line at getting pulled over just to 'check it out at their convenience.'
I'm in Lakeville and it seems like during the summer, the cops are out in waves, especially up and down Cedar Avenue. I saw one the other day standing outside his car with a laser gun. I'm sure he zapped me but I wasn't over the speed limit but he kept on looking at me.
If I ever run into a cop here, the first thing I'll say is, "Yeah...this thing is great on gas but it can't go very fast"
My wife was pulled this morning on her way to work in our smart and was late for work because of it. The officer walked around her car looked at it 360 degrees, asked if she had a license and he just told her to slow down and let her go. She hadn't even got the car up to the speed limit after pulling out of our developement! lol Had to keep up appearances you know... ;)
I' going to be SMART. My daughter is the police dispatcher on the day shift in our county. I'm going to let her drive it to work for a couple of days. Every one can get a look at it, then maybe I'll have no problems.
Shane, I thought it's "illegal" for cops to pull pple over just to check out the car? Did he actually the siren/light/loudspeaker?
For law enforcement to lawfully stop you, they need to have probable cause. In Washington, probable cause (PC) is "sufficient knowledge of facts and circumstances to lead a reasonably prudent person to believe that a crime has been commited." So can they lawfully/legally pull you over just to look at the car......NO!! However, there is also another factor to consider............ what's known in some circles as "contempt of cop." In other words, you can question him as to his PC, get his name & badge number, etc. So.........you can make a friend by showing off your smart and being understanding and having a laugh about it, and having a cop as a friend can be a real nice thing to have, or you can p**s him off, and have a cop that now might be LOOKING for PC every time he sees you. I don't think that most LEOs (law enforcement officers) would act that way, but as everyone knows, those badge-heavy, power-hungry types DO sometimes make it through the academy. Personally, I'd shake his/her hand and thank them for their interest in my car, hand them a roll of "smarties fuel pellets" that I keep in the little "niche" next to the steering wheel (someone else gave me that idea here on the forum....can't remember WHO!), and tell them to have a nice, SAFE evening!;)
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