It pays to be a nurse.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

I got pulled over tonight for running a stop sign. I was coming home from Recovery Room call and talking about work on my cell when it happened--mind you this was on a back road with minimal lights so it wasn't hard to do.

I guess it helped that I accepted what I did ("mea culpa") and was preparing to give my DL and registration when he noticed my uniform.

"Never mind." The policeman said. "Just remember me if I'm ever in the hospital..."

He let me go.

I must've done something right in my life to have this "freebie".

So..yeah...it pays to be a nurse......

[ello7]

Lucky. Last 2 times I got pulled over, I was in uniform... and got a ticket. So way to go! :)

[CFitzRN, ADN]

Cool! What a lucky break!

[RedCell]

Maybe you are just easy on the eyes Jo. It never works for us dudes.

[chacomom]

The same thing happened to me while driving home at 3 AM in Tucson Arizona. I was so tired after a 12 hour shift that I forgot about the stop sign. The cop was very nice when he saw how tired I was and just told me to drive safely.

[CoffeeGeekRN]

In my area there is an unwritten rule that cops do not give tickets to nurses. I always keep my spare stethoscope hanging on my passenger seat and it has gotten me out of a couple of tickets.

[emnicams]

The only two times I have ever been pulled over, I had just come from work, had scrubs and nametag on me. Both times I just got a warning. And honestly, I rarely EVER break traffic laws. I'm the one people honk at and flip me off when they pass me, because I drive the speed limit. I just have bad enough luck to have a police officer nearby when I have messed up.

[NewTexasRN]

That's cool.

[MzMouse]

I was driving home from working nights years ago and got pulled over. It was rare for me to speed driving home but I was passing someone. Wearing scrubs and nametag and got a warning. Whew!

[Blove86]

Maybe you are just easy on the eyes Jo. It never works for us dudes.

Well I am a nursing student, and a guy (LOL). And I too got a freebie. My brake light was out and the cop pulled me over. I have my stethscope on my rearview mirror, and (Im paraphrasing) he said he didnt want me to see him in the hospital and remember I gave him a ticket, and he talked about how he respected the medical community (I didnt get a chance to tell him I was a student nurse). So he let me go with a warning

[murphyle, BSN, RN]

Been pulled over twice in recent history, and both times got off with a warning. First time, I was in a part of town I don't normally frequent, and got pulled over for speeding (45 in a 40 zone). The cop asked me what I did for a living to be so polite (I'm always very respectful in general, but particularly to police, fire and EMS - we in Emergency wouldn't accomplish much without them). I told him I was a student nurse, to which he handed back my license, and said "For 23 years, my rule has been never to write for three kinds of people: paramedics, nurses and CPLs.* Slow down next time."

A year later, I got pulled over for an illegal right turn on red (which had previously been legal at that intersection, but I hadn't noticed the new "No Turn On Red" sign), and I had my lab coat and clinical bag on the front seat. The cop asked "Are you a doctor?" I replied "No, a nurse," and he said "Never mind, then. Have a nice day."

Amusingly, both officers implied that they'd have no such compunctions about ticketing a physician...

* CPL = Concealed Pistol License. Also called a CCW in some states. As a noun, can be the license itself or a person so licensed.

[fiveofpeep]

Ive gotten out of a ticket because of being a nurse too. My mom has gotten out of tickets twice for having her EMS uniform out and a stethoscope hanging back when she was an EMT. It works...but it seems not for guys so much :-/