KC5AV wrote:The Annoyed Man wrote:One way to avoid the problem in the first place is to drive at or below the speed limits, make sure all of your car's lights and other equipment work, make sure that your inspection and registration tags are current, and obey all other traffic laws. That is not a guarantee of not being stopped, but it will certainly minimize the risk of it.
That is certainly true. I've been stopped twice simply because I was driving a vehicle that matched the description...
...which is why I said "not a guarantee." But it does lower the odds significantly. I've lived here in Texas for four and a half years now, and I've been stopped once - for an expired inspection sticker. Now, I'm not a perfect angel behind the wheel, but overall, I tend to drive conservatively. I keep my vehicle in good shape with functional turn signals and brake lights. More importantly, I
use my turn signals. I do occasionally exceed the speed limit in a "flow of traffic" sort of way, but as a general thing, I don't race through traffic and make lots of sudden lane changes. I don't like to follow other vehicles too closely, and I hate it when they do it to me. It's not that I'm the best driver ever, but my point is that my driving doesn't really draw attention to me. And that is the key. You can't help it when your vehicle resembles a stolen one, or if you have to make a sudden maneuver to dodge debris in the road; and those things may get you noticed. But it's just common sense that if you don't want to get pulled over, don't drive like you want to get pulled over. Driving like you
do want to get pulled over will most commonly result in your getting pulled over.
One of the guys I used to pit with back when I roadraced motorcycles in the late '80s was a California Highway Patrol officer in his professional life. We were hanging out once and just talking about stuff in general, and I asked him a question about what kind of things did he notice about other drivers.... like did he give sports cars or muscle cars more attention than soccer moms in minivans. He told me that he didn't so much pay attention to the types of vehicles around him as he did to whether or not a given vehicle stood out from the background traffic patterns because it was moving at a slightly faster or slower speed, or it was changing lanes more often than other cars, etc. He compared it to what a predator first sees when it focus on prey. Usually the prey blends in with the background and it is hard to see. But motion draws the predator's eyes to that prey. It was that simple. So it's not the lane change that gets you. It's zig-zagging between lanes that the officer notices. Then he/she notices that you're also going faster than the flow of traffic. Well, if the posted limit is 65 and that is the general flow of traffic, and you're cruising through that traffic at 75.... etc., etc.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
point taken. I really like for people to have guns...fills me with pride when someone takes responsibility for their well being. I am open about the fact I have a gun or two and appreciate no surprises. Common courtesy is ALWAYS given by me and I have never been anything but supportive about anything gun related. I had a CHL ten years before becoming a police officer.
Sorry. I’m off topic aren’t I.