Cop stops - rascals report

Recently, a company in California (of dubious standing) reported hybrid owners get more tickets, 0.38/100,000 miles, than ordinary drivers, 0.23. Based upon the number of Prius sold, over 600,000, and 15,000 miles/year, that would be nearly 37,500 tickets each year. Also, there was a report in Motorweek about driving styles and of course, the "bell the hybrid" crowd is looking for a hook. So I began to wonder, "What sort of tickets are hybrid drivers getting?"

This anonymous poll is just seeking information about traffic stops, where the officer initiated the stop even if there was no ticket. This is not a Spanish Inquisition nor a confessional although 'lessons learned' are welcome.

In my case, a tail-light fuse blew after towing a rented jon boat trailer. The cop held his flashlight while I swapped in the radio fuse and proceeded home. I had no idea the brake lights were not working.

The second stop happened at 2:00 AM after going to "House of Pancakes" for a late-night breakfast. I was doing 20 mph on a 40 mph posted, two-lane, access road that paralleled a four-lane, limited access road while fiddling with the radio. The cop checked to make sure I wasn't intoxicated (think "Ground Hog Day".) No, my wife wanted something I fetched it but not fast enough to avoid notice.

There was a third stop when I was doing a mileage test. I was driving 20 mph on a 1.1 mile road that circles a parking lot and has no stop signs, yield or traffic lights and three lanes. I was on the outer two lanes on a Sunday afternoon. The officer noticed I was driving around the building and parking lot and wanted to know what was going on. ... Curiosity stop?

There are a host of other tickets possible. If it isn't on the list, don't worry about it, and pick something 'close enough.' This really isn't an accuracy poll, just a curiosity.

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

 

Any stop even if no ticket is issued. We are unlikely to have enough tickets in this community to make a significant study. But a stop, even just a warning, well it is 'close enough' for now.

Mostly I'm looking for clues ... the types of tickets or warning we are likely to see in the Prius or hybrid community.

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

 

For those curious, the first two entries came from personal experience. The rest came from:

• Statistics On Traffic Violations | TrafficViolationLawFirms
• What are the Different Types of Traffic Violations?

I had thought briefly about including "none of the above" but the ticket rate was reported as a rate per 100,000 miles driven and would take more data. This is a non-scientific poll, just trying to understand the distribution of traffic stops rather than any absolute or accurate rates.

Bob Wilson