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Cops don't like losing to a Model S!

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So the local TESLA STORE let me take a P85D home for my birthday since I ordered mine earlier that day. We went to the grocery store this morning and on the way home, I pull up to a light and a Deputy Sheriff pulls up next to me (pole positions and his lane ends in 1/4 mile). NOT in insane mode, I floored it - right up to the speed limit of 45 mph. I absolutely blew the doors off his cruiser.
Apparently, he didn't appreciate that. He pulled me over.



He asks me for my name, address, and date of birth and heads back to his cruiser.

Comes back and says he could cite me for an "unsafe start" @ $160 ticket. But, is citing me for not having my driver's license - $110 ticket, but will be $10 administrative fee if I can go downtown with my DL and show it.

But, here's the kicker. He wrote the ticket for another person that lives up in St. Pete! Some poor guy also named Robert (I go by my middle name Chris) up in St. Pete now has this on his record! Different name, different address, different date of birth than what I spelled out for the cop! I'll head downtown on Tuesday and hopefully get it straightened out.

Thought everyone here would appreciate this story. I'm 3 months away from my Model S and I've already gotten pulled over! I haven't had a ticket in 5 years!
 
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Unsafe start? I could see display of speed, but my S always seems pretty controlled. Unless you floored it of course, then I could see some tail-wagging.

Either way, not something I'd do right next to a cop, unless he gave me the nod and grin.
 
As a soon-to-be Tesla owner, one of the first things to know in telling Tesla stories is there is no such thing as a "local dealership". You bought the car at a Tesla store. That's one of the great things about Tesla-- direct sales, no dealers.
 
I can't believe you did a max acceleration run (even in Sport mode that is very quick in a P85D) right next to a law enforcement officer on a surface street. That can easily be interpreted as reckless driving.

You are lucky the fine was relatively small.

This^^^^. I , too, am puzzled as to why you would do this especially since his lane was due to end and he had to shift. Does not reflect well on other Tesla owners/drivers.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: Saxgod
It completely sucks, but most cops simply do not see the humor in anything that might even remotely be construed as challenging their "authority". Be glad he didn't call for backup and started shooting up your car. While some cops are great and cool, you never know when you'll get an *******, and *******s with guns who believe they have the right to use it are not to be trifled with.

There was another story here of a person gunning it on a freeway on ramp with a cop near them - same result, they were pulled over, but in that case the cop just wanted to chat.

So yeah, totally within the law, and you would have been able to fight the unsafe start BS (but of course, not the driver's license thing), but it isn't worth the risk of a situation that spirals out of control.
 
On the other hand, I have no problem passing a cop who is travelling 5mi/hr under the speed limit - even though often there are 50 cars behind the cop who it seems are either in a rally or too scared to pass a cop ever. My passing, however, is very carefully cruise-controlled right at the speed limit or maybe 1 mi/hr faster. :scared: