Dear Playboy Advisor: Questions From Men and Women to the Advice Column of Playboy Magazine Read Online Free PDF Page B

earned chits by cleaning the car, waxing it, etc. You’re not doing that for her benefit. Don’t make us come down there to straighten this out, because we’ll take both cars away.
     
    How to avoid a ticket
    What is the best way to get out of a speeding ticket?—P.L., Spokane, Washington
    Let’s start with the strategies that don’t work. We asked Robert Snow, a police captain who has stopped thousands of motorists in and around Indianapolis, to run through his list: (1) Giving the officer a lame excuse you concocted in the 30 seconds it took him to reach your vehicle’s door. “I’ve heard them all,” Snow says. “The brakes failed, though they work now; you were racing home before your tire went flat; a foot spasm made you hit the gas; you were going too fast to stop. The problem with excuses is that they all fall apart with the slightest investigation.” (2) Feigning bewilderment. “A stop sign? Where?” Any driver that inattentive or careless deserves a ticket. (3) Blustering about your connections. “Just wait until the mayor/chief/governor hears about this!” A driver with real clout would accept the ticket politely, then get it fixed. (4) Denying the charge, which implies that you consider the officer to be corrupt, blind or stupid. It may not always work, but the best strategy to avoid a ticket is to admit your error. “Only two drivers have ever done that to me,” Snow says. “I was so flabbergasted, I sent them on their way.”
     
     
     
    Standard procedure requires officers to write down relevant comments made during stops, so admitting your guilt may not be wise if you later decide to fight. Beat Your Ticket , a guide written by a California lawyer, advises drivers who are stopped to be pleasant but never to admit guilt. You also should be as forgettable as possible—if the officer is honest and can’t remember you in court, you win. Furthermore, many officers and prosecutors are as confused by traffic laws as drivers are. Here in Columbus, a posted speed limit of 35 mph is presumed safe. But if an overzealous officer gives you a ticket for going 43 in light traffic on a wide roadway with no pedestrians and clear weather, a judge may decide that your speed wasn’t unsafe. (This happened to me.) The law you are accused of violating will be noted on the ticket, so make sure you did what the officer accuses you of doing. You may save yourself money on the fine, insurance and work-related problems if you drive for work.—T.D., Columbus, Ohio
     
     
     
    I am a lawyer who used to be a highway patrol officer and traffic-court marshal. Arguing that your speed wasn’t unsafe only works in states that have presumed speed limits. Some states have absolute limits—one mile per hour over and you’re guilty. Others have absolute limits on freeways but presumed limits elsewhere. As for avoiding a ticket, you should never attempt to manipulate an officer, because it creates resentment. This includes women who shift their clothing to reveal their assets and drivers who threaten to waste the cop’s time by calling him to court. He’ll just earn overtime for being there.—H.F., Richmond, California
     
     
     
    I received a ticket in North Carolina for driving 15 mph over the limit. What would have happened had I not mailed in the $111 fine?—T.C., Royal Oak, Michigan
    If you ignore a ticket for a moving violation, it’s sent to a judge, who could revoke your license and issue a bench warrant for your arrest, making you a fugitive from traffic justice. If you pay the fine, you’re pleading guilty. In either case, the DMV notifies your home state under a reciprocal agreement called the Driver License Compact. If your state also is a member of the Non-Resident Violator Compact, it’s obligated to suspend your license until the fine is paid. The last time we checked, only two states (Michigan and Wisconsin) didn’t belong to one or the other.
     
    Renting Luxery Cars
    Is it possible to rent a