So ok, its like 10:00 and I'm going home from Kaitlin's house. I live right on the beach of Lake Ontario, here in upstate NY. So to get to my house, I have to drive through this little park along a short section of the beach. Well, in the summer time....all the part time cops that just graduated cop school patrol this specific area. They are notorious for pulling people over for the smallest and dumbest stuff.

Every year, I always get pulled over for either:

1. Tint (my fault)
2. Exhaust (within legal limits)
3. Rear shark spoiler
4. Something hanging from my rear view mirror
5. Some other BS reason

So anyway, the speed limit is 35 and every time I drive through there in the warmer months, I make sure to do the exact limit because Ive heard they have even pulled people over for doing 2 miles over the limit, and gave tickets for it.

So yeah...driving through and I see a car come flying up behind me, and bam...cherries come on. So I pull over. Windows were both down (they couldnt get me on tint), and I knew I was doing the exact speed limit. So the cop walks over to the car, and I swear to god...he looked like he could of still been in high school. He was that young looking. So he asks me if I knew why he pulled me over. I said no. Get this...his reason....one of my 2 rear license plate lights were out.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?!?!?!

So he starts asking me all these questions:

1. Anything illegal in the car? -- No
2. Do any illegal activities with the car (he was trying to see if I street raced I think)? -- No
3. Any warrants for your arrest? -- No
4. Any suspensions or points on your license? -- No

Tells me to hold tight and goes back to his car. Sits there for awhile, and I swear to god I thought he was gonna write me a ticket. He comes back, gives me my license and says to get the light taken care of and have a good night.

Now I go through the area every single day because its on my way home from and to work. Its just a pain in the ass to constantly be on the look out for cops because they pull people over for the absolute GAYEST reasons. I know the cops there are all new and they're trying to get some experience under their belts, but come on. Pulling someone over for having a license plate light out? They have entirely WAY too much time on their hands. mad.gif

 

That's stupid. As far as I know the reason that there are 2 license plate lights is to keep you legal if one goes out...

There's a place around here, a small town with little tax income, where they pull you over and ticket you for going 1mph over the speed limit. A semi-busy highway runs through the town and the one cop sits there writing tickets for his entire shift pretty much every day.

 

Our law requires for both lights to be working. But I never heard of a cop pulling someone over because one was out.

 

The Fiero I used to have, had 6 tail lights. I was told (in North Dakota) I could be pulled over if any of them was out. mad.gif

Also, if it's not REALLY warm out, some cops will assume that rolled down windows means you're trying to air out and not smell like booze if you get stopped. If an officer has that suspicion when they pull you over, expect them to get a bit closer to your face than normal as they try to smell your breath. rolleyes.gif

It sucks, but there's no law saying that can't pull us over. Likewise, they can book someone into jail for a bit (with no minimum level of evidence, it's a matter of "being worth their time" to book you) and then not charge them. Totally stupid.

And then police wonder why civilians look down on them. wink.gif

 

That's pretty lame man. I'm glad the cops around here don't get that bored.

 

I had the same thing happen to me. One of my bulbs were blown. I asked a couple of guys who knew people that worked as a police officer. Eveyone came back and told me the same thing. Thats what they do when they want to pull you over, is say your plate light is out. Its BS, i have had it happen a couple of times now. One time I even ran a stop sign, but it was dark and hard to see. But anyways it just another way for a cop to pull you over to see whats going on with you..

 

I have been pulled over for every stupid reason in the book. My favorite is you looked suspicious. LMAO!!! Not once but twice by the same cop within 2 weeks apart. Been pulled over because my plates were crooked still don't understand that one. Got a ticket for abandoning my car when it broke down. I WAS UP THE ROAD CALLING A TOW TRUCK. And I have more.

 

i know this post is a bit old, but i just wanted to chime in!

in my satty, the rear drivers side bulb harness was just the SLIGHTEST bit loose (the connections i mean) and every so often, when i'd hit a big pothole or something, the bulb would jar itself loose a fraction of a milimeter and the bulb would go out. well, i got three tickets in the course of 8 days or so. i took a video of the light, and of me manually pushing it back in, and showed it to the judge. turns out, there was a recall on that part that nobody at the dealership new about (suprise right?) and i was waved of all fines. i just remember the look on the cops face because 1) they never thought i'd fight something stupid like that and 2) he thought he got me good. lol

i have great respect for cops, but not stupid traffic things like that, especially when it's obviously just trying to make the district some more cash

 

I got tailed tonight for a mile or so. Wasn't doing anything wrong, but he had me turn for turn until I pulled into my community.

 

do like i did. spray the lights red.

glad you didn't get written up. they try to get street racers with warrants. they try to get money on everything.

the shark spoiler is OEM. you don't see celicas or wrx's getting pulled over for theirs! hmm what does that say?! that our spoilers are too hot.