Traffic tickets are an almost-unavoidable part of life, and indeed, if you drive at all, you’re 48 percent likely to get a traffic ticket in the next three years. However, according to new research from legal guidance network avvo.com , there are times when you’re more likely to get a ticket.
The Quota Quotient
It’s something that law-enforcement agencies don’t like to talk about. And indeed, in some places – such as California and Florida – they’re illegal. But they still go on. We are referring to, of course, monthly ticket quotas.
So it should come as no surprise, then, that cops like to write traffic tickets at the end of the month. In fact, four of the top five days of the month for receiving tickets occur at the end of the month – pretty good evidence that they’re trying to make their monthly quotas. And the third-most-likely day of the month go get a ticket is the first day of the month – perhaps evidence that police want to start the month strong.
The days when you’re least likely to receive a traffic ticket are in the middle of the month. And statistically, the day of the month when you’re least likely to get a ticket is the 10th.
The Daily Disturbance
You might think that the most-likely days of the week for cops to write traffic tickets would be Fridays and Saturdays – after all, that’s when people are more likely to let loose and, sadly, to drink & drive. But as it turns out, Friday and Saturday are the days when you’re least likely to receive a ticket.
The busiest day for traffic tickets is, of all days, Monday, followed by the other weekdays. And when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. After all, the workday is when people are most likely to be on the roads, commuting to and from work. And Monday is the day when workers could probably be most expected to be running late and making use of the old Lead Foot.
The Hourly Hinderance
Knowing what you know about daily ticket trends, should it come as any surprise that you’re most likely to get a ticket in the early morning? But the research bears it out: 7-9 a.m. is peak time for getting traffic tickets. After that, it’s 2-4 p.m. – precisely when schools are letting out and you’re likely to find yourself in a school-zone speed-limit.
The least-likely time to get a ticket is when there are the fewest drivers on the road: very early morning, just after 4:00 a.m.
So, long-story short: if you want to avoid getting a ticket, do your driving very early in the morning, on a Saturday, on the 10th of the month.
Or, you know, just obey the speed limit.
