I got stopped a lot when I drove my red Beetle. Only got a ticket when I happened to be going 80 in a 55 (I had just passed someone on a two-lane and hadn't slowed down, yet). They can't let that kind of speeding go.

The other times I got warnings only. This is what I do: I make it easy for the officer to see inside the car, and I don't make him ask me for my license or insurance card.

If it's night time, I turn on all the interior lights, turn off the car, and if it's not cold, I roll down all the windows. After I do that, I keep one hand on the steering wheel and throw my purse up on the dash so they can see what I'm doing as they approach. I hope to have my license out and in my hand out the window before he gets there (I've never been stopped by a female officer). When gets there, if I haven't gotten it yet, I ask if I can get my insurance card out of the glove box.

By then, they're usually so disarmed and not feeling threatened, that they laugh and joke with me, and usually end up giving me a warning.

I got stopped in OK last summer, while driving dh's pick-up (red). I had the cruise set on 80 and I was in a 70. I didn't see him until it was too late, and I never slowed down. He finally caught up with me, and his first question was "How many speeding tickets have you had in the last 3 years?"

I looked him in the eye and said, "None." Pointed at my husband and said, "He has lots!" Laughing, the officer said, "Are you sure? Because even I'VE had ELEVEN in my life!"

"Nope, none, " I said. "OK." Then he went to his car with my cards. In the meantime, our son asked, "how many tickets can you get before they take you to jail?" We thought about it a while, and I said, "Apparently you can have ELEVEN and still be a state trooper!"

When the cop got back with my *warning*, I related the question and the answer to him, and we all had a good laugh.

I think it's important not to be nervous, and to talk to the guy like he's a human, and make his life easier. And never lie to a police officer.

Karen