You’re in the car just like you are every day.  Something catches your eye in the rearview mirror.  You glance back and notice the red and blue lights flashing.  At this point you’re praying that they aren’t coming for you – however, don’t fret.  There are many things one can do to reduce the chances of getting a ticket behind the wheel.

Ultimately if one were to follow all traffic laws, he or she would not be pulled over, but in the heat of the moment, it is easy to forget the rules.

Before being relocated to EHS, Student Resource Officer John Arendell patrolled the streets of Edwardsville.  According to Officer Arendell, one of the determining factors of his ticket writing process is the driver’s previous driving record.

“When I pull people over, especially kids, I look at their past driving history,” Officer Arendell said.  Normally if the driver has not had any previous tickets or warnings, he will just let them off with a warning.  If a driver is pulled over, Officer Arendell advises that they notify the police officer whether he or she has had a ticket before.

One of the most common traffic violations is speeding.  Some simple traffic stops escalate to high-speed chases.  If a police officer following you with lights and sirens, just pull over. No one wants to be involved in the next Grand Theft Auto police chase.

When the police officer approaches you, don’t argue with him or her.  When it comes to speeding, the police officer will win.  “If it’s a speeding ticket, we have you on radar, and it doesn’t lie,” Officer Arendell said.  “Arguing with a cop doesn’t do any good because it’s set in stone what the speed looks like.”

Another tip of advice from Officer Arendell is to be polite and respectful.  “Don’t act like you’re being bothered by a police officer, because they are just doing their job.”  Officer Arendell urges drivers to have their driver’s license and insurance information ready for the officer.  He also says that if you just apologize for doing wrong, you may get off with just a warning.

Senior Sarah Edmonds has yet to get a ticket, however, she still has some common sense advice for fellow drivers.  If you get pulled over, “be calm, respectful, polite, and charming,” Edmonds said.  “Admit what you were doing was wrong.”

Unlike Edmonds, senior Adam Seals has been pulled over for speeding.  Out of the whole experience, Seals learned that getting a ticket could bring more than one consequence.  “I learned you don’t want to get pulled over because your insurance can go up, and you have to take a traffic safety class and it’s no fun,” Seals said.  “Now I pay more attention to the speed limit.”

After going through it all Seals has one main piece of advice, which sounds a bit like what both Officer Arandell and Edmonds advised: be polite.

“If you get pulled over stay calm and don’t be rude to the officer, it will increase your chance of a warning instead of a ticket,” Seals said.  “Apologize, and if you have a reason for your mistake, explain.”