Forgive me if you have heard this before. A state trooper has stopped thousands of speeders and only ever let someone off if they gave the right reason. Only one guy ever did which is this. " I am sorry to be speeding officer but my wife left me last month for a policeman and when I saw you in my rear view mirror I thought he was trying to give her back ".

The best way to encourage a traffic officer to let you off is to say to him-her the opposite of what the officer is expecting and is so used to hearing, Which are lame excuses. Say something like " You are absolutely correct officer, I was going too fast, I am not in any hurry, and I do deserve what you are about to give me."
The officer may be so surprised that he-she will probably take the opposite tack and say, " Oh it's not that bad, just drop your speed and take care. { I have been let off twice by using this tactic. ]

Maybe it's because you have that kind grandfather vibe that maybe reminded him of his own father.

It's just the luck of the draw

I'm sleeping in my Jeep for now, and have a few favorite spots to camp. Last night a sheriff pulled into where I was planning on crashing. He asked what I was doing, and I explained that sometimes I camp there, instead of going any further up the road to the actually campgrounds.

He wanted to know why I camped around here, and I informed him that I am gainfully employed in the area. He asked where, and I told him. So, now the local police dept and the local sheriff's office know, and a police officer said he we going to check on me sometimes. I've never had the bad luck to run into any of the law enforcement that give the profession a bad name.

I honestly think cops know that not everyone they come into contact with in the course of doing their jobs is a criminal and they don't want to give people a legal hassle if they don't have to.

Then again, I'm a cute, young-looking white female so I can afford to have that attitude. If I were a 6'2" 275 lb black man, I probably wouldn't feel exactly the same way.

I got pulled over today and got caught doing 70 in a 50. He wrote it for only 60. I thanked him and shuck his hand. I guess I'm getting older cause in the past I would've felt like a tool.

In my state they usually give you a warning the first time. So as long as the past couple years are clear you usually don't actually get a ticket.

A few years ago, I drove around the U.S. alone. And was pinged three times for speeding. Twice, the highway patrolmen let me off with a warning after realising that I was a tourist with my AUS drivers license.

The third one, somewhere in Utah if I remember correctly, asked me to follow him to the nearest town (from the interstate highway) so that I can pay the fine. He pulled out an envelope, wrapped my cash in a some pieces of paper so that it won't show through the envelope. He put the ticket in the envelope and addressed it to which ever office takes the fine. He handed the envelope back to me so that I can put it in the mailbox (the post office was shut at this time, being around 6:30pm) in full view of him.

Is speeding a state-by-state misdemeanor? As in: fines incurred in one state can't be collected while the person is in another state.

You got lucky.

always nice to get a warning