We all know speeding on the road can lead to serious consequences. Yet, plenty of drivers still take the risk, hoping they won’t get caught.

When they do, law enforcement often hears a flood of excuses. Some are predictable, others more creative—but every now and then, they turn out to be completely true, impressing even the police officers who hear them. So much so that they’ve shared these surprising stories online.

Read them below, and remember—stay safe out there!

#1

I stopped a car going about seventy in a forty five zone and the guy was panicking when I got to the window. I asked what is wrong and he said he was dying. What? Yes I am dying..and need to get to the hospital…He was very white and sweating badly too. So I said I will call a ambulance for him. But before I could do any thing he collapsed onto the steering wheel and stopped breathing. I opened his door got him out an onto the pavement and started CPR while getting dispatch to send a unit to my location.

The Unit arrived and paramedics took over for me. Transported him to the hospital where he was treated for a heart attack. He survived but only because he stopped for me. The hospital was over 5 miles away and he would never have made it on his own.

I visited him later at the hospital, he thanked me. and we chatted a few mins. Then I left. I later found out he died two hours after I left there. His heart seemed to have just exploded the Dr Told me. So this would be the best excuse for speeding I have ever heard that turned out to be true. He WAS dying.

Cheers

Image credits: Robert Hershgeer

#2

I'm not a cop, but I was in the US on holidays and driving from Chicago to Wisconsin when a cop pulled me over.

I was driving what i considered to be a huge SUV. It seemed a normal size compared to other cars when i actually got on the road. Anyhow, i get pulled, and he asks me if I knew that I was doing 80 in a 55 zone? I was honest and said i didn't see the speed limit signs and that I'm used to kmph. I thought i was driving at a safe speed. I told him that at home, you could do 120kmph on a road like this…. If my car could do 120kmph. This piqued his interest and he asked what i drove. I told him i had a small nissan micra and the SUV had a much more powerful engine than I was used to, so I thought I was just tipping along. He asked what size engine was in a micra, and i told him it's a 1L.

He stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing and told me that his lawnmower has a bigger engine.

He let me off because my excuse was so odd that it must be genuine, and I think i brightened up a dull day. Before he walked away, he just said… a 1L engine and started laughing again.

I sold the micra about a month after coming home.

Image credits: Ian Stewart

#3

I’ve been one to work much traffic enforcement because I refused to be a revenue generator for a city that told us what laws we can/cant enforce. Well back 10–12yrs ago a Small SUV blows by me on the highway (60mph limit )Stopped the car once it hit 100mph. I immediately asked *driving a little fast, is everything ok? The super nervous but extremely polite 19–20yr old female wearing a Fedex uniform, quickly explains “I work for Fedex & if im late one more time. I may lose my job. Im working & going to school full time at community college, has a class one day a week that always gets out late & has put her in this predicament, etc…After confirming she was valid, I told her no more driving that fast because I promise this will be the ONLY time you will be given a police escort to work instead of a very expensive ticket. a feW weeks later, she & her Dad tracked me down to thank me & would hear from her every few years. Ebony went on to graduate from Ohio State and became a Pharmacist 6–7yrs ago.

Image credits: Mike Airborne

#4

I’m not a police officer but this actually happened to me as the driver. I was taking my girlfriend to the beach so that I could propose to her. We lived about 30 mins away from our favorite beach and boardwalk and it closes at sundown. We had made plans to go to the beach that day but when we got home from work she was dawdling and Iwas so keyed up to propose to her that I practically forced her to go. When we got close to the beach and the sun was hanging low on the horizon I decided to speed and immediately got pulled over. The officer came to the car I I explained to him I had a reason but needed to get out of the car to tell him. He begrudgingly let me out of the vehicle and my gf was completely flustered at this point. The officer says this better be a good one and I tell him I’m proposing to the lady in the car and knew our favorite spot and parking lot would be closing at dusk. He asked me if I had the ring and I said I did in my front pocket. He said he wanted to see it so I pull the box out and open it up like I’m proposing to him and he just nods at me. Slaps me on the arm and says good luck and keep it safe. I said thank you and off we went. I made the proposal and she accepted but the story of it was the police officer who made out night. This was on Long Island in 2004 and l hope he reads this. Thank you!

Image credits: Delta31Heavy

#5

My department got a call of an erratic driver, exceeding speeds of 100 mph on I-5. I waited for the vehicle to pass one of our overpasses and waited for the vehicle. When the vehicle drove past it was definitely at a high rate of speed. I bumper paced the vehicle at around 110 mph. After conducting the traffic stop and contacting the driver, he told me he was a surgeon from the Bay Area and had been called to do an emergency heart surgery at a hospital in Redding. The law allows medical personnel responding to medical emergencies to expedite their response. I took his information and sent him on his way. I contacted the hospital in Redding and sure enough he was sent there to do heart surgery. The surgery ended well and the patient survived.

Image credits: James Bubba Dodge

#6

I was on the other side, as a civilian driver.

It’s January 1990, after dark, and I’m driving north on the NYS Thruway, in the vicinity of New Paltz.

My car was a 1978 Ford Granada, four doors, 98 horsepowers on the day it left the factory.

I see the lights right behind me, so I pull over and open my window.

Cop comes over, I ask why I was stopped, he says speeding, I look back at my car and say in this.

He thinks for a moment, and then says that he caught me more easily then he thought he would.

That area was hilly, with short hills, so the cop lost sight of the actual speeding car, and when he saw my taillights, they were similar enough for him to think my car was the one he wanted.

So, with that realization on his part, he gave me back my papers, and let me go, as he headed back to his car.

Image credits: Andre Lieven

#7

I once was led on a five-mile car chase through busy city streets at 20 MPH over normal speeds with the driver refusing to stop. The path they were taking made me realize they were trying to get somewhere quickly, not trying to evade me. Finally the driver, who turned out to be a middle-aged woman, stopped in front of a house where an ambulance was waiting. The woman leapt from her car and ran to unlock the door to allow the medics entry to the house that had security barred windows and doors. She burst into the house ahead of the EMTs obviously trying to find the occupant with them. I entered behind them to offer assistance and found myself assuming the role of comforter to the woman as the paramedics declared her mother’s death. The woman had a major breakdown and I wound up holding her for over a half hour as she cried inconsolably until her husband arrived. She tried apologizing for her driving actions between sobs but I assured her I would have done the same thing and that she wouldn’t be getting a ticket from me that day. Sometimes traffic laws simply do not apply.

Image credits: Mark Woods

#8

I observed a car traveling 94 in a 45. It took me a minute or so to catch up to them, and when they finally stopped we were at the entrance to a local hospital. As I approached the car, the driver jumped out, which is a big no no, and obviously puts officers on edge. I asked him why he was driving so crazy, and to get back into the car. He was yelling that his friend had just been shot. So I worked my way around the passenger side of the vehicle, noticing multiple bullet holes in the rear quarter panel of the car.

At that point I saw the passenger sitting covered in blood with at least 2 gunshot wounds. One to his hand, and another to his calf. At that point it was fair to say his excuse was valid. During my time as a patrol deputy, I was amazed at how many shooting victims drove themselves to the hospital. Way more than you would think.

Image credits: Timothy Fay

#9

I’m not a cop but this is a funny story. In 1986 I was in the Marines, got stationed at Kadena AFB in Okinawa. They drive on the left side of the road there. I returned stateside in ’87 and immediately took 30 days of leave. I was driving around town when I made a right turn into the left lane of the street I was turning onto, as soon as I did this, I realized what I did and corrected for it but got pulled over anyway. I told the cop that I had a good reason for the mistake and he replied, “If you can tell me one I haven’t heard before, I’ll let you go.” I explained the situation in Okinawa and that I had a brain fart and turned into the wrong lane. He said I was the first guy to give an honest excuse he hadn’t heard and let me go with a warning.

Image credits: Andy Malish

#10

My sister told me her account after being called at work and told her oldest son has passed away. She got pulled over, was in hysterical tears, and this state trooper (after verifying everything) had my sister get into his car and he brought her home.

My nephew was only 9 years old. So you can imagine why my sister was absolutely hysterical. I'm glad that trooper had the decency to take her home rather than jail. She said she was doing close to 100 mph trying to get home in a state that she shouldn't have been driving in.

Image credits: Human Psychology Facts

#11

Quite a few years ago, my husband, who was probably 55 years old, had a ‘66 Nova that he'd spend hours to make it go faster, and then more hours to make it more stable. One day he took it out on our only local highway in our rural area to see how fast it was. Thankfully, I was not with him.

The needle in the speedometer was pegged when he said he saw a state cop traveling in the oncoming lane. He flew past him, glanced in his rear view mirror, and saw the cop do a fast u-turn and put on his lights. As soon as he found a safe spot to pull over, my husband stopped and waited for the trooper.

“Do you know how fast you were going?” asked the policeman. As the speedometer was pegged, my husband could honestly say, “Not really.”

The trooper said, “Just cleaning it out, I assume. Well, at least you didn't make me chase you down. Thanks for that.” And all he got was a warning, and a reminder that the posted speed is 55.

Image credits: Chris Williams

#12

I pulled over a guy for going 88 in a 55. Oh, he was going to get a ticket, that’s for sure. He looked utterly defeated when I came up to his window and when I asked why he was going so fast, he said, “It’s a new car and I wanted to see how it accelerated.” (It was a Volvo station wagon and did indeed have a Dealer Tag on it). I asked if he knew how fast he was going, he said, “About 90 miles per hour?” I said your speedometer is about 2 mph off, don’t do it again - and I gave him a verbal warning.

As a cop, just about everyone lied to me, for often trivial reasons. To have someone so honest was refreshing and I gave him a pass.

Image credits: Mark Forrest

#13

I had a guy at 127 mph at 2:00 AM on the interstate. I actually caught up to him and pulled him over. He told me he had tuned up this El-Camino to sell it in the AM, and that car had gotten him in a lot of trouble. He wanted one last run. He acknowledged that he was going to get a ticket, but had one request. He wanted to see what I had under the hood that I was able to catch him with. Back then we actually had “police interceptors”. His hands were all greasy, so it was obvious he was telling the truth about the tune up. During the whole encounter we never saw another vehicle, so as no one was endangered, I turned him loose acknowledging it was a good thing he was getting rid of that car. A final note: That cruiser was sold at the end of it’s PD life and the buyer put a new set of plugs in it and immediately began winning trophies at Dover drag strip.

Image credits: Rick Staebler

#14

It wasn’t an excuse but the driver didn’t get a ticket:

I was talking with a group of highway patrol officers and the discussion turned it this subject. One HP said he clocked a man in a Camaro dead on 110 MPH in a 60 zone. He said, “When I walked up to the driver’s window I decided to be a jerk instead of a professional. I said, You were really flying back there, lets see your pilots license pal.”

Another HP officer said, “Oh no and …?”

The first one said,, “Yep, had about a dozen certifications too. Multi engine, instrument rating, props, jets, types of planes I’ve never even heard of. I felt like a complete idiot when I handed his papers back and said, Okay just keep the speed down to the limit when you’re not in the air.”

Image credits: Reggie None

#15

A friend of mine did this. He’s a doctor and was late evening and he was on his way home from the hospital. He was speeding. He was pulled over by a police officer who saw the hospital parking sticker on his windshield. The officer said, “I suppose you are going to tell me you are on your way to an emergency.” My friend replied, “No, I’m on my way home.” The officer shook his head and gave him the ticket. My friend’s lawyer suggested that he show up in court since the fine also included points. The lawyer told him that it was not unusual for the officer who issued the ticket not to show up so the judge might then dismiss the charges.

So he went to traffic court. When it was his turn, the judge asked, “Why were you speeding? Were you on your way to an emergency?” And my friend, being the honest sort, said, “No, your honor. It was late and I was rushing to get home.” The judge replied, “That is the first honest answer I’ve ever heard from a doctor! Charges dismissed.”

There are times when it is useful to tell the truth even when everyone would say you are crazy for doing so.

Image credits: Steven Horii

#16

I was a cop in Richmond Virginia in the late eighties. I pulled over this guy that said he was afraid he was going to have diarrhea, so he was driving 55 in a 25 mph zone. While he was sympathetic to his problem, I had heard a version of this story probably five times in the four months I had worked there. So it took his license and registration and went back to my car to write the ticket. When I came back to his car, the smell was horrible! He had an accident in his pants. I tore up the ticket, and sent him on his way. I later got written up for the missing ticket, but it was worth it!

Image credits: Ben Davis

#17

I stopped an older farmer doing 50 in a school zone, but no kids were around. His clothes were stained, was missing a finger tip or two and some teeth, looked like life had been hard. When I asked why he was going so fast he told me he was visiting his grand daughter and having a tea party when his grand daughter gave him some chocolates, he ate quite a few. When he asked where she got them, she said she found them in mommy’s nightstand, and showed him the package, it was a laxative and as he told me this, I could actually hear his stomach gurgling….I told him to have a nice day and be careful.

Image credits: Tim Beinert

#18

A friend of mine is a cop, and was on traffic when a car passed him at lightspeed on the motorway (M5 heading North).

He did whatever radio things bobbies do on these occasions, and gave chase.

Long story short, the guy in the car had his passenger calling 999 to ask the cops to clear the way - his car had a system failure that meant the throttle was at full, and for some bizarre reason his brakes weren't working either. He did something like 100 miles until he worked out some method of stopping, or maybe ran out of fuel.

Image credits: Steve Prozor

#19

My friend’s first day as a traffic officer, using the speed gun, he stopped a chap who was going approx 30 mph over the speed limit. When the fellow pulled over he stated he was having a heart attack, and my friend and his colleague’s initial reaction was to say “Yeah sure, you think we were born yesterday?”

To be on the safe side, they accompanied the man to hospital, writing out his speeding ticket on the way ready to present it to him when it was found he was putting it on. However, when they got there, they were gob smacked to discover he was telling the truth! Let’s just say that many donuts were had by their colleagues the next day for not initially recognizing the signs and providing treatment!

Image credits: Max Wells-Pestell

#20

This didn’t happen to me, but a friend of mine. He caught a person speeding down the freeway. He hit the lights, the car pulled over.

The driver jumped out and yelled, “Hurry! The baby’s coming!”

My buddy ran around to the other side, where legs were now sticking out the door. A woman was there spread eagle, and sure enough the baby’s head was crowning.

He called for an ambulance. It arrived about ten minutes later, where it got to transport mommy and her new daughter to the hospital.

Image credits: Dennis Manning

#21

First off, I was one who would not stop anyone until they were going 18 or more MPH over the speed limit. At that point, most don't even bother, a lot of my stops were in 30 MPH zones. One time, I stopped an executive looking lady in an all white dress suit and skirt, she jumped out of her car and stated she was rushing home because her period had just started and she needed a pad or tampon to keep from bleeding all over her outfit. I looked at her, thought to myself this was one excuse I did not want to check further into, and I just told her to head on home but slow down. There are just things we should just take at face value, and this was one of them.

Image credits: Thom Lease

#22

I was called to assist medical for a baby not breathing. By the time I arrived the ambulance was transporting the baby to the hospital. So I typed in my notes, cleared the scene and as I was at the stop light pulling out of the location the person in front of me sped away from the light really quick. I stopped them for speeding. I got up to the Window and the lady says “they just took my baby to the hospital” so I said “go” and walked the other way. I let dispatch know about the stop and then called out the make and color of the car to let others on the shift to not stop her if they saw her speeding on the way to the hospital.

Image credits: Hasting Jarnos

#23

101 in a 65. Guy was running late meeting his future mother in law and his his future wife to pick out wedding colors, flowers, place settings, the whole deal.

He was shocked when I told him he going to have a bad enough day, he didn't need a ticket to add to it. LOL

Nice kid, in the National Guard, only time I ever gave a warning for doing 100+.

Image credits: Joel Weeks

#24

As a pet owner, I was once stopped like this:

My eight-pound Papillon fell under the railing of a stairwell and landed on the concrete at the bottom. I don’t know how high a fall that was, but high enough to potentially smash a little dog up very thoroughly.

I was 20 miles from my vet when this happened. I hit around 90 mph — the speed limit was probably 60, maybe 65. A cop pulled me over. I explained, probably incoherently, while pointing at my limp dog on the passenger seat. He waved me on. I probably hit 90 again before I was out of his sight.

Long story short, my dog was extremely lucky. He wasn’t badly hurt. The shock had knocked him for a loop and he was pretty stiff, but he hadn’t broken anything. My vet and I were both astonished.

Anyway, my story was absolutely true and apparently constituted a good excuse in the opinion of the cop. I’ll always be grateful. If my dog had been seriously hurt, that cop might have saved his life by letting me go.

Image credits: Rachel Neumeier

#25

Not a Cop, but in about 1973 in Liberal, Kansas, a friend's Dad was a farmer and lost his thumb and 2 fingers while working on somre farm machinery. He quickly wrapped his hand in a handkerchief and walked to the house. My friend's Mom heard him yell for her. She looked outside and saw the blood. She grabbed pickup keys and shoved him in their pickup and headed for the hospital in town. She came into town and hit Western Avenue. It was a 30 mph zone and on the edge of town. She had her foot to the floor, and the pickup was probably doing 85 mph or more and still accelerating when one of Liberal's finest pulled alongside with his lights and siren going. My friend's Dad held up his hand. The Mom said later that the Cop turned white and waved for her to follow him. He got in front and she saw him pick up the hand microphone for the radio. A Doctor and two Nurses met them at the door to the ER. They got my friend's Dad out and took him in immediately. The Cop helped her get parked and escorted the Mom in to the ER desk. She gave them the information needed. The Cop said no ticket as he left.

#26

Not a cop but a cop did let me go with this story….

Was 16–17. Coming back 11ish from a date. Cruising down a country road and I hit a skunk. The smell is completely different when you actually have it on you. So I’m now driving 90mph with my head out the window. And I see the lights behind me. I pull over and start to get out of the car and start wretching.

the cop on his loud speaker yells at me to “get back in yo….. no no no. Come to me”. So I run up to his passenger door and jump in. The cop throws his car in reverse and backs up a few hundred yards. I’m still dry heaving. He asks me, “what the hell are you doing driving so fast”. I told him it was the only way I could breath. He asks me how far to my house and I tell him just up the road a mile or so.

he tells me. “ I don’t have the heart to give you a speeding ticket. But you can’t drive that fast the rest of the way. Understand?”

I say, yes sir.

Then he tell me, “get the hell out of my car, you stink”. He drives off leaving me a couple hundred yards from my car.

#27

In the late 1980s I stopped this brown, 4 door, Pontiac, sedan for hauling a*s down a city street. I walked up to the car and asked the young lady for her license and registration. She handed them to me and I observed that she looked bad and was sweating. I asked her if she knew why I stopped her. Yes said that she did and that she had to poop really bad and was trying to make it home. The evidence suggested that she was telling the truth. I handed her her documents and said be careful. Down the road she went..

Move forward a decade.. I was looking around in a book store and I overheard this lady telling that story. She told the lady that she was talking to that she really was sick and needed to get to a restroom. I walked around the shelves and said; “That officer was me”. She didn’t believe me till I told her the exact vehicle description, time of day and location of the stop. We became friends and still laugh about it all these years later..

She sent me a bumper sticker that says: “I’m driving this way because I have to poop!”

#28

He is one you never heard…my father got pulled over for speeding one time when I was around 10 years old. He always drove fast and this time was caught by a state trooper. The trooper came up to the car and says to my father…Sir do you realize you were driving 75 in a 55 mile per hour zone. Without missing a beat my father reaches up and removes his glass eye and places it in his hand. ( He lost it at 7 years old when someone threw a glass bottle into a camp fire). He said officer “I only have one eye. The officer says “ Wat does that have to do with speeding? My father asked him…”What do you want me to watch the road or the speedometer? The cop started laughing, turned around and walked away. Never said another word.

Image credits: Lee Kellar

#29

Not a cop, but I got pulled over once in a well-known speed trap in my neighborhood. The cop set me up perfectly. He asked, “miss, where’s the emergency?” To which I replied, “well, my house has just been robbed.”

It was true. My dad had called to let me know and I was on my way home. I have the officer my address and after confirming with dispatch he let me off with a warning. What he didn’t know was that I had already been home, been told that there was nothing I could add to the situation, and gone out again. I got an entire haircut (my hair is long and thick) and the cops still hadn’t arrived at the scene.

Frankly, the ticket would have been less expensive - those a*sholes took everything, including a number of items that were irreplaceable.

Image credits: Alexandra Berkowitz

#30

I'm not a cop but I have been pulled over a few times. One time I was going extra fast. I don't remember what my speed was because that was like 20 years ago. I do remember that when the cherries came in my rear view mirror I obviously pulled over right away. The cop did the usual “do you know how fast you were going?” Routine. He asked me where I was heading to and I asked him a question. “How long have you been sitting there officer?” He told me something like he had been sitting there for 20 minutes or 30 minutes (again it was a long time ago so I don't remember exact details). My response to him after he told me that was “I apologize officer but I got here as quick as I could.” He had a good laugh at that and he told me that made his day. Then instead of giving me a ticket he just gave me a verbal warning and told me to keep my speed down. When I asked him why he wasn't giving me a ticket, he told me he wasn't going to give me a ticket because I was being a nice guy and not being a jerk and I actually made him laugh with lightened his day just a little bit.

#31

I had a cousin who was racing to the hospital to say goodbye to his grandfather. He was very close to him and he was expected to pass any minute. The trooper asked his grandfather’s name and what hospital he was at, gave him his condolences and let him go. There was only one problem, that story was completely made up. The trooper had someone look into it only to quickly learn there was no one in that hospital with that name. They tracked him down and gave him a larger fine.

#32

My partner and I were returning from a meeting at the County Seat, some 40 miles from our home town, we had driven down in the patrol car, and as is true in many States, the State says a police officer in any town of the State is a Police Officer in the entire State. So it was, we were about 15 miles from town when this tan Mercury blows by us, rocking our unit as she passed by. I was passenger, and could clearly see the lady driving the car was transfixed on the road ahead, I doubt she even noticed the markings on our patrol car, let alone the light bar and such. So my partner made a quick stop and I locked the old radar unit on her at 87 MPH in what was back then the national speed limit of 55 MPH. Well it was time to go hot pursuit the lights all lite up, and my partner accelerated till we were behind her, she kept up the pace for a bit, then noticed us, and pulled over. My partner went up the drivers side, as I approached from the other, the lady nearly screamed at my partner, “I WILL MET YOU AT THE 66 STATION IN TOWN I GOTTA GO!” then sped off once more. Well we followed her into town, with the red lights going, and true to her word, she stopped at the 66 gas station, ran in and used the ladies room, then came out and got her ticket. She explained that she thought she could make it to town but things were getting pretty bad and she didn't wish to stop on the side of the highway to relieve herself. When we went to court, the judge was understanding and gave her a verbal reprimand with no fine.

#33

Why do cops want excuses?

Once when I got pulled over for speeding, the cop yelled at me for how selfish I was for doing so.

I stayed calm, and just said “I’m sorry sir.”

Then he got angry saying: “you don’t even seem like you care! Why are you so nonchalant?!”

I said: “I don’t have any excuse for speeding, so I don’t know what else to do rather than accept the situation… I don’t deny that I was speeding.”

He kept getting angry until I started crying.

And then he was annoyed, and told me I needed to “calm down!”

Then he asked me personal questions that led him to discover that I was new to the area, and 3 hours away from my family.

He said he felt bad for me being so far away from home, and he let me off with a warning.

Honestly….. what the f**k.

#34

I may have mentioned this before in a similar question.

We got a speeding complaint for a particular subdivision… People were “cutting through” at high speed.

I set up radar and shortly a car came through at almost 50 mph. I stopped the lady… Who swore she was only going 30.

I looked at her, a nice middle-aged professional type, and the car, a sporty muscle-car….

“Is this your car, ma’am?”

“No, mine’s in the shop. I borrowed my son’s car.”

“Show me the speedometer.”

She pointed at the tachometer.

Did not know what the tachometer was, and thought that “30” referred to her speed, rather than 3000 rpm...

#35

This is not as a cop but as someone who was speeding once. It was a strange occurrence. I’d been visiting a friend of mine about 15 miles from home and it was after midnight. I was going 85 mph on a state highway with a 55 mph speed limit. I think I was in a hurry to get home as it was late, and didn’t expect a cop to be around then. But there was, and he pulled me over. He asked if I knew why he pulled me over. I played dumb and said “No, I don’t. Why?” He said “Your license plate light is out.” He had me get out and take a look at it. Sure enough, it was out. But I suspect he may have been checking to see if I was drunk (which I wasn’t). I told him I think I had a bulb in the glove box and could replace it now. He said no, just change it when you get home, and to be careful driving home. So I drove home at 55 mph after that.

#36

I was driving in New Jersey on a Saturday night, and a car pulled up right behind me and started flashing his brights. Naturally, I tried to pull over to the next lane and let him pass, but to do so I had to speed up even more. (I was almost certainly already exceeding the limit.) When I finally changed lanes, he pulled in right behind me again, and this time he started flashing his cop-lights and his siren. So we both pulled over, and I was angry. (Sure, angry about being caught, but something more . . .) When he walked up to my window, I took the aggressive position. “You pulled up behind me and started flashing your brights. It was dark - I couldn’t see that you were police. What else was I supposed to do but get over and let you pass? And to do that, I had to speed up.” He started stammering. I knew I had cracked his normal let’s-see-your-license-and-registration shell. “Well,” he finally said, “you were exceeding the limit.” I knew I’d used all my leverage at that point. “Well,” I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I realized it.” “Be careful,” he said, “stop speeding,” and started to walk away. Then he turned and came back. “You know your tags are expired.” It was my wife’s car. I glared at her. He wrote me up for that, but it was certainly less-costly than a speeding ticket!

#37

I stopped a lady for running a stop sign in a school zone during child pickup. I approached the vehicle and saw a bunch of furtive movement from the driver side. I made contact with the lady and she was screeming and freaking out. She stated, “ my dog just s***ted everywhere!”

I looked in the back seat and saw a giant dog that just had explosive diarrhea everywhere. The smell was horrendous. I told her to drive safely and have a better day.

Not speeding, but a noteworthy excuse lol.

#38

In 1990, I was 3 weeks late from giving birth. We lived in NYC and one fall friday, I had to go to our bank, the very private Bankers Trust on Park Ave. My husband waited at the curb in our car. I was in the waiting area when my water broke. This is a bank where everyone spoke in hushed tones. I said to the receptionist, “I don't want to alarm anyone, but my water just broke” OMG they rushed me through in record time. 2 security guards escorted me down the escalator.

Got into the car & Clifton took off. Except he was so flustered he drove UP 5th Ave when he picked 63rd instead of 66th to cross to the West side. We were trying to get to a cross street to turn when two police men on horseback rode in front of us. Once we explained *and now I'm in full blown labor* the two police escorted to 66th, and a police car met us on the other side of the park. We zipped up Amsterdam, with blazing sirens. Got to Women's hospital, my husband let me out and went to work. The next day all 6 of the police officers stopped in to see the “wrong way” baby.

#39

Once I was driving around 1:30–2am on the way back from a girls house. Not a single person on the road. Driving down a county road that had a 35mph speed limit doing 55–65. I saw headlights on the horizon and thought ‘wouldn’t it be funny if that was a cop… can’t be….’ and kept speeding. Approaching the car the lights flashed, my luck. As I pulled over, rolled down my window (electric) and turned off my car I waited for the officer. Turns out he approached my passenger side, so I had to turn the key to the battery position and roll that down. As that was going on he asked “do you have a good reason why you were speeding?” Shortly after, my radio acquired the signal and the song I was blasting came thru the speaker “Hold the Line” by Toto. My quick witted response was “Officer, I was clearly just trying to hold the line.” As he tried his best not to laugh he took my info, let me off with a warning. Definitely was one of my more memorable police encounters.

#40

I was just returning from the Bosnian War and went to visit my then-fiancee in Montana. Turns out that she has moved on and we broke up. I was leaving Montana getting back to California as fast as possible when I was pulled over (righteously). Turns out that my roommate had removed the registration and insurance from my car while I was gone and that Florida (state I entered the military in) no longer had an indefinite limit on drivers license for military… so there I was speeding, no valid license, no insurance and no registration. When the cop walked up he saw my military cap sitting on my dashboard. I was honest and talked to him. He told me that if he saw me driving he would have to arrest me, so I had better wait a couple minutes after he left before I drove away. Turns out that he was a combat Vet with a similar story after he got home. Most cops are good, compassionate people when given the chance.

#41

I’m not an officer, however I can give an example I was an integral part of.

I was on my way to work, riding an older sport bike. The road I was traveling down was about to merge from two lanes to a single. There was an older driver in front of me in a large older sedan experiencing some difficulty with the lane merge. She was slowly changing position from one lane to the other. I had noticed her doing this since the merge was announced. I had been several car lengths back, not giving any indication of encroaching her at that point. I accelerated to pass her feeling my location, given her erratic driving, would be safer in front of said driver. I passed the speed limit by 10 mph, 50 in a 40 posting, as I rounded the corner and there sat an officer with a radar gun.

I immediately pulled over; he was pleasant and professional. I posed the question to him, given he was a motorcycle officer, with these circumstances how would he have reacted. He stopped writing and told me: I’ve already called this in and written the ticket. I understand your reasoning so… I’m going to ‘forget’ to print my badge number on this citation. If you take it to court they’ll toss it on grounds of being incomplete.

That is exactly what happened on my court date a month later. I was nervous thinking this was a trap, I was only 19 at the time. I was pleasantly surprised by his reaction to my honest question, and that ticket was removed.

Several subsequent tickets were deserved but I appreciated his understanding in this circumstance.

#42

I’m not a law enforcement officer, but this story was told to me by a close friend of an Arkansas State Trooper. He was sitting in a parking lot one night while on patrol, eating his lunch, when a car flew past at far over the speed limit.

He said the driver appeared sad, had his head hung, and in a woeful tone of voice immediately admitted guilt and apologized. He could tell the driver was distressed about something other than being pulled over, and told him, “I’m in a good mood tonight, and if you can give me an excuse for speeding I’ve never heard before, I won’t write you a ticket.”

With his head still hung, the driver said, “Well, my wife went off the Pill some time back, and her hormones are all weirded out and she doesn’t ever want to have sex any more. She just told me she was in the mood, when I discovered I was out of condoms. I was on my way to buy some before she changed her mind.”

The trooper said he was bent over at the waist, slapping his knee, and laughing so hard he couldn’t even talk; he could only motion with his hand for the guy to go on.

#43

Many years ago, my uncle’s hand got smashed by a press in the factory he worked at. It was very messy. Instead of calling an ambulance (which may take 30 mins to get there) his colleagues dragged him into a car and sped to the hospital.
A few minutes later, two motorcycle cops caught them speeding, and put the driver to the side of the road. When they noticed what was going on, they put on their sirens, and gave them a speedy escort to the hospital.

#44

When my daughter was about 10 or 11 she got a nosebleed late at night that we couldn’t get stopped. My wife and I put her in the car and we took off for the hospital. ‘Took off’ in this case meant over the speed limit but not superfast. We came to a major intersection just as the light went from yellow to red and I blew through it. A cop was at the light, saw me and took off after me. As soon as I saw the blue light, I pulled over, cut the engine, rolled down my window and put my hands on the steering wheel.

When the officer came up to the window his first question was did I know I went through the light? I answered yes and explained why. He shined his light on my daughter and escorted us to the hospital. I did not even receive a warning. In almost any other circumstance I would have gotten the ticket I deserved.

#45

Not a police officer. I was pulled over once at over 100, and the trooper said “We’re gonna get your buddy, too.”

I said, “What?”

He thought the guy drafting off me was a friend. With that cleared up, he asked where the fire was. I explained I was late for my grandfather’s funeral, which was in an hour and still about 70 miles away. He let me go.

#46

This story was told to me years ago by a highway patrolman. A highway patrol was working one evening and clocked a speeder. He got behind the speeder and turned on his lights. The speeder just kept going, not running really but not stopping. After a few miles the speeder finally stopped and pull over. The patrol officer approached the driver and asked if he saw the officer’s lights and that he was trying to get the speeder to stop. The speeder say yes I saw you. The officer then asked, why did not not stop when you saw my lights? The speeder said, “Well, my wife ran off with a highway patrolman a few years ago and I thought you were him and trying to bring her back.

#47

Not a cop, but a funny story. I was going a bit too fast through a Village. Cop pulled me over and said, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” I said, “Just going home from work.” These Village cops are known to be tough. He said, “I will let you go, but please don’t speed through the Village.” I said, “What’s your name? I want to write a nice letter to the Captain.” He said, “Don’t you dare! Don’t do me any favors!” I got it and went on my way.

#48

Not a cop. This happened to me 6 years ago. I was 20 at the time. My wife and I moved back to my home state and she was pregnant. When we moved my insurance company dropped me without notice. I had to drive around for a couple weeks without insurance.

So with all going on I did not have the funds to immediately get insurance. My wife went into to labour while out black friday shopping for Christmas. Hauled butt the hospital. After many hours she was admitted. We did not have the bags baby gear nothing. At about 3am I had to run home grab the bags carseat etc. On they way back I was speeding 10 over anxious to get back quickly. I see blue lights and my only thought was sh** I'm going to jail and missing the birth (in this state you get arrested and towed for no insurance). The officer comes to my window I put on my best frantic face. Told the officer “with all do respect sir, my wife is in labour the baby is coming right now do what you have to but I need to get there now.” I was only 3miles away. The officers shined his light at me and said follow me. He gave a high speed escort rest of the way.

That was the first and last time I have lied to law enforcement.

#49

Last week got told that “I have ADHD so I cannot drive and observe the speedometer at the same time.” Likely true about the ADHD part, not so sure about the other.

#50

A good friend of mine was an officer in a small town in southern Oregon. There is a speed limit of 30mph clear through town, and all the locals know that we might get by going 5 over, but might not.
One late night my friend was on duty when a man flew through town at over 55mph, my friend took pursuit. When he caught the man, after running his info, he asked him if he had a legitimate reason to be going so fast. The speeding driver responded 'YES'. My friend asked what the reason was, to which the speeder replied DWHUA. My officer friend was confused and said he wasn't familiar with that code and asked the man what it meant. The driver, nervously, looked the my friend in the eye and said "driving with head up a*s".
My friend laughed so hard he gave him a solemn verbal warning and told him to slow his a*s down from now on, which he did.

#51

I lived in Albuquerque New Mexico and drove to Santa Fe once a month to work on a committee for the Governor.

The Interstate had a 75 mph speed limit and was through mostly deserted Indian territory.

I drove by a car that I recognized, that had been stopped by a cop.

Later, at the office, I asked the woman, who was an administrative assistant for the Governor, what happened and she said she’d been stopped for doing 95 in a 75 zone.

She told the cop “I work for the Governor”.

The state trooper replied “So do I”…and wrote her a ticket.

#52

I got my appendix out when I was sixteen. I will never forget being balled up in the back seat of my dad’s car, in agony with appendicitis, and he was hauling ass through Barrington, IL, and we got pulled over. And he explained, and the cop still gave him a ticket. Prick. He was so pissed he dropped me off at the hospital and went back to the station to dispute it.

#53

I had a guy going 90 in a 65 a few years ago. When I got to the window, he said that he had a hot date with a gal he met on FoolRound. c o m and that he left his phone at home and had to go back to get it. Hence, the 90 mph speeding.

I gave him a warning because he did sound convincing and I was in a good mood because it was my Friday and was about to finish my shift.

Later that night I was out at the bar and actually saw the dude with this hot chic so I went and talked to them and sure as sheet they met online and were on their first date. Hope he got some.

#54

As a speeder, I had a pretty powerful red Mustang through college. I was leaving school one day, and beside me was a guy I went to school with and his girlfriend. The guy was a complete dick, and his girlfriend was really nice, down to earth and attractive. Leaving the light I ripped first and second gear. Of course in front of the local PD. When the officer approached my window, I responded that I honestly was trying to show off in front of the girl. Got a warning, and the officer told me the girl wasn’t worth wrecking. Well turns out the DM later that day totally was!

PS Having sports cars since I was 16 I’ve found out that an honest answer is always the best response to poorly timed decisions.