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do police officers forgive Prius drivers easier?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by supernova87a, Dec 29, 2008.

  1. supernova87a

    supernova87a Junior Member

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    this has occurred to me after being pulled over recently for a bad u-turn (and forgiven). Are police officers more forgiving of Prius drivers? maybe, my thinking is, Prius drivers are not as likely to be dangerous gang bangers, more likely to be considerate (?), and not in general, troublemakers (at least compared to other kinds of cars).

    Do you think?
     
  2. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    You obviously are not a fan of the TV show, "weeds" where the gang leader character bought several prii after doing a drive by in one that was running on the battery. I believe he said they were "good for sneaking up on M***erF***ers".... :D
     
  3. Froley1

    Froley1 New Member

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    I think so...
    vehicles are considered an outward signboard of interal concepts....

    Not to say that we don't speed---but i imagine that overall---- soccer mom's in SUV's speed more often than the average prius driver....at least they are constantly trying to push me out of the way while driving the legal limit.
    Please bear in mind this is only an opinion....

    regards
    Froley
     
  4. PriuStorm

    PriuStorm Senior Member

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    Uh, no. I recently got a ticket for exactly the offense you are describing. And although I gave a good excuse (IMO... I was late for a doctor's appointment and needed to go the other direction), the officer didn't even hesitate a second to write me up.

    Then again, Davis has got to be pretty close to the Prius capital per capita in the United States. So, seeing someone in a Prius isn't perhaps the novelty it is in other areas of the country.
     
  5. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I've gotten two moving violation tickets in Priapus.
     
  6. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    u-turns are not only legal, but encouraged here. there are actual u-turn lanes less than a mile from where i live.

    i doubt the officials here would be very nice to me, i've got out of state plates, and not the neighboring state kind. i focus on not getting caught.
     
  7. PriuStorm

    PriuStorm Senior Member

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    We have those here, too. I just neglected to notice the 'No U-Turn' sign at the light I committed the violation. And the officer happened to be first in line of oncoming traffic opposite to where I was. I neglected to see him, too.

    Maybe I should get my eyes checked...lol.
     
  8. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    maybe he thought "no point giving you a ticket, you wont see it cos your blind.

    I think the copper took pity on you, poor blind motorist.

    Seriously, U turns are not permitted here at traffic signals. It is permitted in other states but not here. We have some U turn lanes here too but they are rare.
     
  9. rigormortis

    rigormortis Active Member

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    no, they do not give us any breaks. Heh

    a popular way to get out of speeding tickets is to become a RN or Doctor. btw
     
  10. stemchick

    stemchick Montana Rocks!

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    Since I am a dispatcher for a Sheriff's Department, I am required to say "no." lol. Actually, out here, they didn't even know what a Prius was! I had to explain the hybrid part, and they were amazed when I left it running accidentally one day outside the Sheriff's Office for a 12 hour shift and no one heard it! hee hee.
     
  11. donee

    donee New Member

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    Hi All,

    Umm, not in my experience. I had a cop pull the U turn to chase down my hypermiling Prius! Offense? The judge sided with me however. More details in the Cleanmpg Prius forum...
     
  12. swi66

    swi66 Member

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    I was not forgiven for crossing pavement markings.
    Don't think it mattered a bit to the officer what I drove...............
     
  13. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    Nah... it's just you. I have never been ticketed, as long as I get a chance to talk to the cop. They've got a job to do, but they're people, too. I'm polite and just try to agree with the message they are trying to convey, at the time. The only time I've received a ticket, despite being pulled over a dozen times, is when I got into an accident, and the jerk handed me a ticket right when I got out of ICU.
     
  14. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    A car is a car. I don't think police officers care what car you drive. However, I must note: the specs of the car may increase the likelihood of you breaking the law by "accidentally" pushing too hard on the accelerator :)
     
  15. Rxmxsh

    Rxmxsh Member

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    Uhm. No. I got a ticket for crossing a double yellow (didn't even see it) and no hesitation for at $150 ticket.
     
  16. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Don't you hate those invisible double yellow lines?
     
  17. speedntktz

    speedntktz New Member

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    I honestly feel like the CHP and Sherrifs actually target prius owners, like the car is a hybrid and if it is keeping up with other cars, "it must be speeding. My wife and I have been written up in the Prius 6 times since getting the car. With two other Porsches well cappable of attracting law enforcement and to date have not even been stopped in those cars.:( For the same driving habits in all of our cars, we have found that we are more likely to be stopped in the Prius than in either of our other P-cars. Same driving, same speed, just a different car.
     
  18. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

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    I also don't think Prius matter in the traffic violations....Don't forget it's not the CAR which violated the law, it's the driver did.

    However; some violations (like wrong U-turn, no signal at turns, etc.) can be slightly more forgiving but all depends on the officer you are facing at that time.