Getting pulled over by the police while driving is not a pleasant experience for too many due to the anxiety, wasting precious time and even fear of the unknown even if they know they did not commit any traffic violations.
If it is so, then what time of the day are you more likely to get pulled over? Let’s share our experiences.
In this article, you will easily realize what time of the day the police are likely to pull you over and avoid driving those times.
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What time of the day are you more likely to get pulled over?
The most likely time of the day to get pulled over by the police while driving is after the rush hour period.
When people are rushing to go to their respective places of work in the morning, the traffic is usually very high and the chances of getting pulled over are minimal because the large number of vehicles moving will usually prevent the driver from doing things that will attract the attention of the police.
Moreover, during rush hour traffic, the police are aware of people trying to reach their offices on time, reducing the possibility of pulling people over so that they can get to their offices without being late.
The time were you are most likely to get pulled over have been categorized into the following:
- Immediately after shift change.
- After a rush hour to or from work.
- When most bars close for the day
- Past midnight.
- When traffic is less busy.
- After the rain has stopped.
- When a crime has been committed.
- When conducting stop and search operations.
- Monday morning.
- When police pay for overtime.
- When living in a city that sleeps at night.
1. Immediately after shift change
The police are working on duty-shifting bases, they are working for some specific amount of time in a day and then hand it over to another group of officers who will take over while the first ones go to their homes to have a rest.
You may likely get pulled over immediately after changing shifts between officers because the new ones are at their full capacity, refreshed, relaxed and not distracted at all from either hunger, too much work or desire to sleep.
The policy change of shift period generally is between 6:30-7:30 am, 3:30-5:00 pm 10:30-11:30 pm every day except in emergency circumstances where the officers may be summoned out even if they are off duty. These may also change due to different factors.
However, the time of the shifting change period is not a fixed issue globally. It varies from country to country, division to division, country to country and according to different time zones.
This method is done to improve efficiency, remove the possibility of physical and mental draining and keep to the internationally agreed labour laws for the benefit of the police personnel, the government and the general public.
2. After a rush hour to or from work
The majority of vehicles get pulled over by the police after the rush hour period of going to or from work is over.
During the period after rush hour, vehicles are less on the road, traffic is not congested, and low pressure or a stretch from the job demand. They can easily find traffic infractions and pull the driver over to make inquiries.
You are advised to always have your documents and drive in a normal way so that you will not attract the police’s attention if you want to reach your destination on time.
The period after rush hour starts from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm of the day. When movement is minimal on the road because people are already at their various places of work performing different functions.
3. When most bars close for the day
The period after 2:00 am always grabs the attention of the police and leads to more being pulled over because it is the period when most bars close for the day and drunk drivers want to find their way back home under the influence of alcohol.
From 2:30 am, police focus their attention on the road for two reasons, one is looking for drunk drivers that may likely endanger the lives of other road users through avoidable accidents.
Two, the amount of vehicular movement is drastically reduced because the majority of the residents are asleep trying to get enough rest for tomorrow’s activities.
In such situations, any suspicious behavior while driving easily attracts the attention of the police officers on duty which may lead your car to be pulled over for inspection.
4. Past midnight
Another period of likely pulled over is past 12:00 am in the night.
This period is significant for police asking you to pull over for inspections because the traffic movement is less, irregular driving patterns are easily detected, suspicious behaviors are recognized easily and it is the time when most of the robberies take place in both commercial and residential neighbourhood.
Therefore, police are more likely to ask you to pull over for inspection especially if you happen to be driving in areas that have high robbery statistics.
5. When traffic is less busy
When traffic is less busy in an area, the police are more alert and have the luxury of observing any incoming or outgoing vehicle in their area of jurisdiction.
This gives them the leverage to observe vehicles without the pressure of disrupting traffic and inconveniencing other people from reaching their destinations on time.
You will likely get pulled over by the police if they find you suspicious or if your vehicle has a visible dent or broken item because they are less busy and sometimes bored.
6. After the rain had just stopped
When it is raining, the probability of police asking you to pull over is minimal because fewer people drive while it is raining and drivers are extra careful on the road due to the usual road being slippery among others.
However, after the rains have stopped, the police are likely to pull more cars over for several reasons ranging from driving too slow on the road, not sticking to your lane, malfunctioning wipers, or moving too fast on a slippery road.
Most times the purpose of the pullover is to know if the driver and the occupants of the vehicle are okay in such conditions and why a particular component is not working such as the wiper, side mirror among others.
7. When a crime has been committed
Another period of likely pulling over of vehicles by the police is when a crime has been committed in a particular area.
During such a period, the police are stationed at different exit points looking for the possibility of apprehending the suspect and blocking the suspect’s chances of escaping far away from the crime scene.
The intensity of the police pullover during such a period is very high not because of your fault as a driver, but because of the police’s desire to provide security and safety to the public.
8. When conducting stop and search operations
Stop and search operations by the police are not regular, it is designed by the police to check vehicles going to or coming from a particular event or destination.
This is usually carried out in special circumstances like a high-profile meeting or events that involve political leaders, diplomats or high-profile individuals.
The period witnessed a thorough search conducted on vehicles and restricted access to specific places.
However, stop-and-search operations are very popular in countries where insecurity or wars are on the rise.
In conflict areas, stop and search operations are used to prevent the possibility of bombings and attacks by rival parties.
9. Monday mornings
How do you feel on a Monday morning when you realize that the weekend is finally over and you are heading to your tasking job?
That’s how some police officers are feeling too!
After all, they are still humans with emotions like the rest of us.
Usually, Monday morning is hated by a large number of people because they almost went on grumpy for the first few hours.
The police are also having the same effect and may likely pull you over even for a tiny minor offense and make it look like a very big issue.
10. When police pay for overtime
When police in a particular area are paying for overtime for work done, the police are more likely to pull you over to justify the overtime work done.
The police are more alert and dedicated when they know they will receive payment for the overtime job they perform and will like to justify why they need to be paid for the said job.
This will make them aggressively perform vehicle inspections by pulling over people driving more often than the average.
11. When living in a city that sleeps at night
We all live in different cities with different peculiarities and behaviors.
People that live in cities that sleep at night will likely get more pullovers while driving at odd hours than people living in cities that are 24-hour busy.
In some cities immediately after midnight, the streets will be empty, businesses will close for the day and everyone will be at home. It is the exact opposite for some cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and London among others that are available and open 24 hours a day.
Therefore, if you live in cities that are not always busy, the probability of getting pulled over by the police is very high due to the lack of traffic at night.
Are cops more likely to pull me over after 2:00 am?
Yes! The probability of police asking you to pull over after 2:00 am is very high than during other hours of the day.
From 2:00 am upward, police are more suspicious of movement, and traffic infractions and are alert at all times.
The reason for this is that crimes are more committed during the high, particularly around such periods and people are mostly asleep after a hectic period of the day.
Criminals and thieves are more prone to move at night.
Therefore, the police will likely pull you over to know why you are outside at such a period, where you are going and other relevant details in order to safeguard yourself and other people’s safety.
What time is the police busiest?
The police all over the world are busiest during the usual rush hour of the day. That is when people are rushing to go to their offices in the morning and when they are coming back after they close for the day.
From 6:30 am to 9:00 am and between 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm police are always super busy trying to control traffic, ensure safety and make sure that the public is comfortable enough to reach their destinations safely without any fear of Intimidation, robbery or snatching of phones, wallets or vehicles in the streets.
Also, it is the day when calls are mostly received for the police to respond to distress or to provide assistance to other agencies.
What days are drivers most likely to get a ticket?
The most likely day in a week for a driver to get a ticket is Monday morning, while in a month the most likely dates for a driver to get ticketed by the police for a traffic infraction are the last 7 days of the month.
The last 7 days of the month get the highest number of ticket issuance as a result of temperament, exhausted budget and grumpiness of some officers.
Moreover, some drivers are careless about carrying out repairs and renewal of their documents due to lack of money being the end of the month when most household budgets have been exhausted.
Conclusion
What time of the day are you likely to get pulled over is determined by the following parameters which include;
- Immediately after shift change.
- After a rush hour to or from work.
- When most bars close for the day
- Past midnight.
- When traffic is less busy.
- After the rain has stopped.
- When a crime has been committed.
- When conducting stop and search operations.
- Monday morning.
- When police pay for overtime.
- When living in a city that sleeps at night.
Most police pullovers are carried out to ensure the safety of the driver, and occupants of the vehicle and to safeguard the general public from having issues.