"But Officer..."

If you get pulled over by the cops, stop talking!

The next time you get pulled over by the police – trying to talk your way out of a ticket will only make things worse. Officer Steve Pomper, author of “Is There a Problem, Officer?” says all that talking is more likely to annoy an officer who might have let you off with a warning. Here are the 6 things to never say, unless you WANT a ticket:

• “Whatever.” It’s disrespectful.

• “I wasn’t speeding.” You could be implying that the officer is lying.

• “I know the Mayor.” Most police officers are NOT afraid of your powerful friends.

• “I’m calling my lawyer.” Officers deal with lawyers all the time, go right ahead.

• “I’m headed to the DMV.” They hear that all the time. The only place you could be headed that might help would be the hospital, and it had better be an emergency.

• “Others were driving faster.” If others were robbing a bank or jumping off bridges, that line wouldn’t help much there either.

Your best bet is to admit you did something wrong, if you did, and be respectufl. Don’t make the officer’s job any harder, you could save yourself a lot of talk, time and maybe even a ticket.