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I got pulled over today for the first time in many many years by Burnet Police.

Quite an enjoyable experience.

Background:
Driving 15 year old niece to school daily and explaining traffic laws each trip she's in the car.
She turns 16 next month and is all anxious to get a driver's license

2 days ago I point out painted stop lines at stop sign intersection.

Today:
Driving niece to school, pass one police car stopped in the Middle school parking lot watching 2 of the 3 stop signs and for school zone speeders.
I pull up to third stop sign to turn right to take her to her high school.
ANOTHER Officer drives from my right to my left through the intersection staring at my car.
I just got a new inspection sticker 2 days ago .... I'm stopped a couple inches past the painted stop line.
I make my right turn, officer makes a U-turn and gets behind me and lights me up.
Niece says did you not stop before the stop line?
I said "I'm not sure"
She says "can I get out and walk the rest of the way?" I said stay put for now"
I pull over, turn off car, remove keys put them on dash
Roll down window with left hand while taking wallet from chest pocket to put on dash with right
He takes a minuter so I get TDL/CHL and insurance on dash and put hands on wheel
He approaches niece's door on grass side of car
Says he pulled us over because "Improper wearing":" of a seatbelt ... I said I heard it click
He said it's under her arm and it won't protect her in an accident.
I said GIRL; you just learned something real important.
I thanked him for teaching her that.
He saw my TDL/CHL/Insurance in my hand, didn't ask for ID, said ya'll have a nice day and left.

Very pleasant and great experience. I used the opportunity to explain to her how to behave if she is ever pulled over and why you don't jump out of a car (to walk to school) when an officer is approaching your car.


Very good experience and "a good time was had by all"

An important lesson for her...
Probably didn't want to be seen getting pulled over...
Wanted to jump out to avoid the embarrassment.
Did she turn red when she found out the stop was her fault?

Glad it was a happy ending.

RoyGBiv wrote:An important lesson for her...
Probably didn't want to be seen getting pulled over...
Wanted to jump out to avoid the embarrassment.
Did she turn red when she found out the stop was her fault?

Glad it was a happy ending.

Nah, but my smile got bigger, though I didn't rub it in but instead repeated how to behave.
She took it well, and I bet she always wear it properly now.

RoyGBiv wrote:An important lesson for her...

No matter how careful you are they can always find a reason to pull you over?

Yeah, thats good to know. Not very happy, but important.

I was taught and later verified by experience, that an officer can find a valid reason to stop a vehicle almost 100% of the time by following for two blocks.

I nailed a couple of guys who had stolen a bunch of little booze bottles from an airline caterer by being behind them at a red light. They treated it like a stop sign. OOPS!! Later I was laughing so hard.....

If your tail lights, brake lights, and license plate lights work, your inspection sticker is up to date, and you drive carefully (seeing the police car behind you is strong motivation), they might have to work too hard to find a reason to pull you over, to bother with it.

I've been followed for significant distances (several miles, country roads) and, by behaving right, had them turn away after they got sick of watching for a slip (or got close to the edge of their patrol area?).

It sounds to me like the officer stopped you because he wanted to have a better look at your niece.

BobCat wrote:If your tail lights, brake lights, and license plate lights work, your inspection sticker is up to date, and you drive carefully (seeing the police car behind you is strong motivation), they might have to work too hard to find a reason to pull you over, to bother with it.

I've been followed for significant distances (several miles, country roads) and, by behaving right, had them turn away after they got sick of watching for a slip (or got close to the edge of their patrol area?).

It sounds to me like the officer stopped you because he wanted to have a better look at your niece.

Very possible; she's one who looks a couple years older than she is. And boys of all ages at her high school probably talk of her crazy Dad and scary Uncle... due to events she almost got herself into before, but she's making better decisions now

One day earlier in the week a young man was waving at my car and she said "oh, he's not waving at me, he's waving at you ... he thinks you're a Wizard" (I do sorta look like a gnome with a white beard over 2 feet long .... might be due to my "mind-reading" abilities to catch them just "before" they get into trouble every time... Easy, I just think.remember what I would do at that age. )

RPB wrote: .... might be due to my "mind-reading" abilities to catch them just "before" they get into trouble every time... Easy, I just think.remember what I would do at that age. )

...and they can't guess how you knew...

RPB wrote:I got pulled over today for the first time in many many years by Burnet Police.

Quite an enjoyable experience.

I have never considered getting pulled over to be an enjoyable experience. As they say, YMMV.

...me either, sure gives my sphincter muscles a good workout when those blue lights come on...I think they're connected to my wallet...

speedsix wrote:...me either, sure gives my sphincter muscles a good workout when those blue lights come on...I think they're connected to my wallet...

According to my anatomy class, there is a direct link.

WildBill wrote:I have never considered getting pulled over to be an enjoyable experience. As they say, YMMV.

I've had a couple. In one case the deputy sheriff who pulled me over was a good friend, former employer, and former scoutmaster who I hadn't seen for a while. When he saw who he had, we sat on the side of the road and chatted for 10 minutes or so. I was sitting there with my DL in my hand. When I finally tried to hand it to him he told me "I don't want to see your license! I know who you are!"

OldCurlyWolf wrote:I was taught and later verified by experience, that an officer can find a valid reason to stop a vehicle almost 100% of the time by following for two blocks....."

Works the other way too. Follow a police car for a couple blocks, you will likely see a traffic violation.

But never a cop around when you need one.

Not long after I was married, we were driving to the Valley from San Antonio, and I was driving a smidgen too fast. Up north of Raymondville (google it), A Trooper pulled me over.

My DW was, of course, freakng out. After lookng in the rear-view mirror at the officer, I told her we woldn't get a ticket.

He asked me to get out of my car, so I did. He asked me for my driver's license, which I gave him.

One quick look at the last name, he let out a few obscenities, then we caught up on our families' statuses. I graduated HS with him.

We had our weiner dogs with us, and when he saw one of them (after giving me a warning), he asked why they weren't in pet car seats. We laughed and we went on our ways.

I got in the car, and handed my wife the warning. I had never seen someone relax that much that quick.

Jasonw560 wrote:I graduated HS with him.

A couple of LEOs I went to school with used to threaten that if they ever pulled me over they'd arrest me on general principle because the know I'm up to something.
One is a captain in the Border Patrol in South Texas (used to be a city cop in San Angelo) and the other, last I heard, is a deputy Sheriff in New Mexico.