A police officer pulls over a vehicle that is speeding down the interstate. The driver explains that he’s on the way to the hospital because it’s an emergency and his wife is in labor. The police officer pulls in front with the flashing lights on and gives them an escort all the way to the hospital.
This is probably a story or example that you’ve heard from time to time. People sometimes say that you can speed in an emergency or that the police will help you in a situation like this, rather than pulling you over and giving you a ticket. But is that true? Is it actually legal to speed if you can justify it?
You can always get a ticket
The truth is that there is no reason why it’s legal to speed. Once you’ve broken the speed limit, you have broken the law. You can always get a ticket for doing so, and the police do have the right to pull you over.
Of course, the example above has likely played out for some individuals. The police officer who pulls that car over may decide to help and then opt not to give them a ticket. But, getting a compassionate police officer who understands the situation and decides to provide an escort instead of a speeding ticket does not mean that the officer is obligated to act that way. They would still fully be within their rights to give you the speeding ticket, even if they agreed that it was an emergency and you did have a reason.
So don’t assume that this type of excuse is automatically going to get you out of that ticket or that you weren’t breaking the law. Instead, take the time to look into all the legal options that you have.
