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".
Ha that happend to me also. Was driving to work and my brake light was out, I noticed the cop following behind me and could tell he was getting ready to pull me over so I pulled off. He came up asked if I knew my light was out then saw my uniform. Oh you must be heading to work, which hospital do you work at? told him and he said ok just drive safe and get your light fixed, have a nice night at work. Thank you Mr. Officer :)
The deputies in the county where I work won't usually ticket the nurses from the hospital unless the offense is really over the top. The state troopers are another matter. They would tickect their own mothers. (And a couple of them have done just that.)
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
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."
* CPL = Concealed Pistol License. Also called a CCW in some states. As a noun, can be the license itself or a person so licensed.
Hubster's had a CCW license (Carry a Concealed Weapon) for probably at least five years now. He does a LOT of highway driving for work (his office alone is over an hour from home, and he manages projects all over the USA), and he tends to exceed the speed limit on empty highways (never in town, though... I'm always nagging him to speed up because he gets caught at EVERY traffic light because he's not going the speed that they're programmed for).
He's been excused from AT LEAST two speeding tickets each year, based solely on his CCW, in multiple states. When he took his gun training class (which is required to get a CCW in Michigan) it was taught by a retired state trooper. The instructor explained to the entire class that if they ever get pulled over, to automatically hand the officer their CCW with their driver license, even if they don't have their weapon with them at the time. Not because its a rule for identification or disclosure purposes, but because it's a "get out of the ticket free" card.
According to the retired trooper, people who go through the steps to get a CCW permit are the type of people that cops WANT to have carrying guns. These people are safe with their guns (we've all heard of thugs who shot their own foot -- or privates -- off!), they paid tax on their guns and fees for the purchase permits (thugs don't do that, either), and they're certified crime-free (background checks are required for CCW and all renewals of a CCW -- thugs obviously can't pass a background check!).
After seeing the "CCW rule" in action, I was contemplating taking the class and getting a CCW myself, even though I would never be carrying a gun with me. The course and license fees total less than a ticket plus the increase in your insurance premium for the first year, and the insurance premium goes up for THREE years after the ticket, so you really come out ahead! Fortunately, I've not been pulled over in years now (knock wood!)... and now that I'm starting nursing school in September, it sounds like I don't need to worry about it after all!
Regardless of what the other respondants thought of this, I would not want to have encountered you on that road that night. Running a stop sign AND talking on your cell phone? What were you thinking? Definitely nothing "cool" in this story... Would it have "paid to be a nurse" if you had hit me, for example, coming home fron MY work as a nurse, on my bicycle, as I often do? Sure, I've committed the same stupid behaviors myself, but it's nothing to gloat about. Knock it off.
Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.
Regardless of what the other respondants thought of this, I would not want to have encountered you on that road that night. Running a stop sign AND talking on your cell phone? What were you thinking? Definitely nothing "cool" in this story... Would it have "paid to be a nurse" if you had hit me, for example, coming home fron MY work as a nurse, on my bicycle, as I often do? Sure, I've committed the same stupid behaviors myself, but it's nothing to gloat about. Knock it off.
You ride your bike in the dark at night? That's not exactly the most intelligent behavior now, is it?
But I'm glad to know that there are soooooooooooooooooo many people on this forum who have NEVER IN THEIR LIFE made any kind of mistake or had a lapse in judgment. Maybe some of your perfection will rub off on the rest of us. Then it would "pay to be a member of allnurses.com" at least!
Hubster's had a CCW license (Carry a Concealed Weapon) for probably at least five years now. He does a LOT of highway driving for work (his office alone is over an hour from home, and he manages projects all over the USA), and he tends to exceed the speed limit on empty highways (never in town, though... I'm always nagging him to speed up because he gets caught at EVERY traffic light because he's not going the speed that they're programmed for).
He's been excused from AT LEAST two speeding tickets each year, based solely on his CCW, in multiple states. When he took his gun training class (which is required to get a CCW in Michigan) it was taught by a retired state trooper. The instructor explained to the entire class that if they ever get pulled over, to automatically hand the officer their CCW with their driver license, even if they don't have their weapon with them at the time. Not because its a rule for identification or disclosure purposes, but because it's a "get out of the ticket free" card.
According to the retired trooper, people who go through the steps to get a CCW permit are the type of people that cops WANT to have carrying guns. These people are safe with their guns (we've all heard of thugs who shot their own foot -- or privates -- off!), they paid tax on their guns and fees for the purchase permits (thugs don't do that, either), and they're certified crime-free (background checks are required for CCW and all renewals of a CCW -- thugs obviously can't pass a background check!).
After seeing the "CCW rule" in action, I was contemplating taking the class and getting a CCW myself, even though I would never be carrying a gun with me. The course and license fees total less than a ticket plus the increase in your insurance premium for the first year, and the insurance premium goes up for THREE years after the ticket, so you really come out ahead! Fortunately, I've not been pulled over in years now (knock wood!)... and now that I'm starting nursing school in September, it sounds like I don't need to worry about it after all!
Sorry, but this makes no sense to me. Sure, you have to have a "crime free" background to get a CCW permit, but that has nothing to do with whether or not you were speeding, ran a red light, or whatever offense an officer pulled you over for. You may never have robbed a bank, wrote a bad check, whatever, but you can still speed. Handing your CCW permit over along with your license over, to me, would reek of arrogance and almost a threat. The officer asked for your driver's license, not for your CCW, and if you don't have your gun on you, why the heck would that even come in to play? It's like a, "look what I have...." Bully for you, ya know? That would be the same as, in the context of this thread, handing over my nursing license, even if I'm driving around in my street clothes. Completely irrelevant and out of context. You know how (most) nurses here get irritated by being told a certain patient is a "VIP" and should be treated as such? I see this as the same thing. Everyone is equal. The rules apply to everyone.
I'ts cool you got out of the ticket -- but drive safe, ok? We need ALL our nurses to be safe!
I also drive over the limit in some areas, always on my way to work, because I'm late. I don't know if I'd get outof it or not -- probably not. But I sort of take the risk. Not good.
KaTers419
14 Posts
Ha that happend to me also. Was driving to work and my brake light was out, I noticed the cop following behind me and could tell he was getting ready to pull me over so I pulled off. He came up asked if I knew my light was out then saw my uniform. Oh you must be heading to work, which hospital do you work at? told him and he said ok just drive safe and get your light fixed, have a nice night at work. Thank you Mr. Officer :)