FukDatShhh.CoM

As a busy parent, it seems I’m always running behind.

I’m late for appointments, late for school and late for work either because I overslept or because a little person refused to get dressed in a timely manner.

And in my haste, my foot pushes the accelerator a little harder than it should.

I know that people who get speeding tickets are often guilty of more than simply driving too fast. That’s why I try to follow these common sense tips from AOL to fly under the radar — literally.

(And for the record, before my former California Highway patrolman father-in-law gets his knickers in a twist, the number one tip should always be obey the rules, drive the safe speed limit and you won’t get a ticket.)

1. Drive within 5-10 mph of surrounding traffic. Cops are usually looking for drivers who are going noticeably faster than the rest of the traffic. If you’re in a pack of cars all going 5 to 10 mph over the limit, you’ve automatically improved your odds of not being the one that gets pulled over, even though you’re all technically speeding.

2. Find a ‘rabbit.’ If you can’t find a pack of cars, the next best thing is to find a rabbit — a solitary driver traveling the speed you’d like to drive that you can follow discretely, about 50-100 yards back. If there’s a cop using a radar gun, hopefully the rabbit will trip the trap and get a speeding ticket, not you.

3. Don’t speed when you are the only car on the road. Even if you’re only doing 10 mph over the posted limit, if there’s a cop using radar, he’s got nothing to look at but you. And, by the way: never speed late at night. Drunk-driving patrols are heavy and police officers are more likely to pull you over to check for signs of alcohol.

4. If it’s legal, get a radar detector. Yes, they’re expensive (good ones, anyhow). But a one-time hit of, say, $300 for a decent radar detector is cheaper than even a single big speeding ticket and the higher insurance costs that will come with it.

5. Drive a nondescript vehicle. Bright-colored cars, those with loud exhaust or other pimped-out enhancements are the cars more likely to draw a cop’s initial attention than ordinary-looking, sedans. When I drove a Nissan 350Z I got way more second looks than I do in the grandma Camry I drive now. Also, if you do get pulled over while driving a sports car, your odds of getting a speeding ticket versus a warning have probably gone up, too. If you’re driving a fast-looking hot rod, the cop is going to assume you use it and deserve a ticket more than the guy in a family-looking station wagon.

Story From: OrlandoSentinel.com