Speed can kill your wallet
By Julie Sturgeon • Abridged from Bankrate.com

Consider radar detectors the devil rather than your savior. Mathisyahu Wolfberg, a former police officer and now a traffic attorney who owns notspeeding.com, knows they won't stop pacing, clocking, helicopters or any visual speed estimation techniques.

Instead, focus your thinking on how to put the patrolman at ease. Curran starts by keeping both hands visibly on the wheel with his fingers out to indicate a non-threatening stance. If it's night, turn on your dome light, and always leave your seatbelt fastened lest you invite a second write-up. Scrap any thought of what Wolfberg calls the "bologna excuses":

"I have to pee," "My mother is sick," and "I couldn't possibly have been going that fast" rank among the more tired reasons. Instead, engage the officer with friendlier 30-second openers to establish camaraderie before you fork over the license and registration:

• "Officer, I'm very sorry. I think you guys are doing great work."
• "Good afternoon. I understand the procedure here, since my uncle is a retired sheriff's deputy."

Warning: chatty Cathys irritate officers, so make your greeting germane. "Nice weather we're having," only gets you a blink, and a request for the paperwork.

Do practice your answers to an officer's routine script:

• "Do you know why I stopped you?" The correct response, says Wolfberg, is always a polite no.
• "Do you know how fast you were going?" Turn the question back on him with "Do you believe I was speeding?"
• "I clocked you at 80 miles in a 65 zone." Gently say, "I see," or the even simpler, "Oh."

If you have a legitimate reason, offer it in a calm tone.

Otherwise, ask for a warning ticket or let silence reign. But do not admit guilt, especially through back-door confessions such as, "My speedometer registered only 78" or "I couldn't be going over 75." It instantly shoots your chances of wiggling free from the financial consequences in court.

Skrum suggests drivers use the time the cop checks your paperwork to take note of the area and the circumstances. Did you see the officer? Where was he when he pulled into traffic with his sirens on? What is the terrain?

If you do end up in court, it just might help.