Nothing ruins the fun of driving more than the sound of sirens and red lights in your rearview mirror. While we don’t condone speeding, and would like to believe everyone sticks to the speed limit, we know you have something else in mind. Read on to learn the best way to handle a cop, but more importantly, how to avoid getting pulled over to begin with.

Avoiding Detection

Knowing your surroundings well and acting accordingly can save you the trouble of getting pulled over. The key is to blend in with the crowd and to avoid attention. Stay out of sight with the following advice:

Your Ride

Nothing screams attention like a brightly-colored car. Sticking with discrete colors will help you blend in with the crowd, and less likely to draw attention. Other things like a loud exhaust or a two-foot spoiler can draw attention to the eyes and ears of a cop. Lastly, in the case that you do get pulled over, you’ll have a hard time convincing anyone that you didn’t mean to speed in your exotic two-door hot rod. Call it the price of being unique.

Your Road

Drivers who get speeding tickets are frequently unaware of their surroundings. Speeding in unknown territory is not only foolish; it also leaves you little time to notice the hiding spots a cop could be using to catch speeding cars. Take note of merging side streets, overpasses, parked cars, and blind corners, remembering to slow down as you approach them.

Your Timing

Peak traffic hours are frustrating, making it more appealing to bend the law whenever you can see cement ahead. The problem is, cops know this too, and the more impatient drivers on the road, the more cops on duty. Know the peak driving times for your routes, and exercise as much patience as you can muster. Speeding late at night can make you come off as a drunk driver, just another reason to pull you over. And finally, speeding during the holidays can bring you more trouble than you expect. Not only are you facing cops who want to make you pay for their holiday time away from home, but you’re dealing with the reaction time of those hung-over late-night partiers.

Your Neighbors

Staying in the center of your neighbors keeps you out of trouble. Do this by staying in the center lane and driving with the pack. Don’t be a leader or a straggler of a speeding pack, because you’ll be most likely to be picked off by preying cops. Also be wary of what your neighboring cars are doing; a sudden decrease in everyone’s speed is most likely the sign of a patrolling cop or an accident. In the case of having no neighbors around, it would be prudent to not speed at all, because any cop with radar will have nothing to detect but you.

Your Gadget

Getting a good radar detector can run you about $300, but it’s still much cheaper than paying for even one big speeding ticket, along with the insurance increase. Be sure to get a decent model, because nothing is worse than having a false sense of security and precaution. Also make sure to check for the legality of using radar detectors in your state.

Dealing with a Cop

Your Attitude

Getting pulled over doesn’t mean it’s over. Though slim, you can still get away with just a warning by having the right attitude. Show the cop some respect and start by addressing him by “Officer” and paying close attention to what he is saying. Though it may feel like you suddenly have a dead body in your trunk, remain calm and collected. Being nervous will only make it harder to prove your innocence. And even worse, getting angry and frustrated can escalate your routine traffic stop into an episode of COPS.

Your Honesty (or lack of)

Never admit to a police officer that you have broken the speed limit. You don’t have to lie, but you don’t have to tell the entire truth either. Why? Taking full responsibility will allow the officer to testify to this in court, and this admission of guilt will leave you with little power to fight the ticket. However, in a situation where you have been caught going 40 mph above the limit, weaving in and out of lanes in a fancy exotic car, telling an officer you had no idea you were speeding will be equivalent to writing idiot on his face. In that case, we suggest you be truthful.