Motor listed nine tricks of unscrupulous traffic cops when scamming drivers

Unscrupulous traffic police officers use various techniques to lead the driver to deprivation of his license or a large fine. Problems may arise when driving through complex intersections, during an intoxication test, when detecting an exit into the oncoming lane, and at railroad crossings. About what situations can easily lead a driver to deprivation of his license or a fine, see the material Motor.

In a large Russian city, modern drivers rarely find themselves face to face with traffic police inspectors: most traffic violations are recorded by traffic cameras. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2025, “automatic” fines accounted for 93% of their total number.

However, in absolute numbers, the number of violations recorded not by cameras, but by ordinary traffic cops, remains very significant (15.6 million in 2025). And since it is the police on the roads who draw up reports of violations, the punishment for which is the deprivation of a driver’s license, a meeting with a corrupt employee or an unsteady knowledge of the procedures provided for by law can be very costly for the driver.

Forgot to remove the signs

Temporary speed limit signs, which are installed on roads during repairs, often remain in place even after all the work has been completed, and their signs, including barriers, are missing.

Sign “Do not give a bribe”
Neural networks

Drivers on such sections of roads do not reduce the speed to the speed indicated on the sign, and may receive a fine for speeding, including materials recorded by an automatic camera. Theoretically, such a fine can be appealed if the repair work has already been completed and was accepted according to the act, but this will require a lot of effort from the driver or his representative: he may have to defend his case in court.

Overtaking a slow-moving vehicle

One of the classic schemes that provokes a driver to flagrantly violate traffic rules is a slow-moving vehicle on the road within the coverage area of ​​the “No Overtaking” sign and with a continuous marking line. A driver who has overtaken a tractor slowly crawling along the road is stopped by inspectors and pointed out that the tractor does not have a slow-moving vehicle sign, which means overtaking it is not allowed.

Horse with sleigh
Neural networks

In this case, the driver should remember the decision of the Supreme Court, which indicated that a slow-moving vehicle is recognized by its design features, and not by the presence or absence of a sign.

Overtaking on a bridge, stopping at a crossing

Some drivers get trapped on the road due to ignorance of all the intricacies of traffic rules. In particular, paragraph 11.4 of the rules prohibits overtaking in the oncoming lane on bridges and overpasses. At the same time, these structures themselves are inconspicuous, and the driver can only find out that the driver has driven onto the bridge from a small sign on a blue background with the name of a river or stream, which is easy to miss.

Driver on the road
Neural networks

Even if the markings on the bridge are intermittent or not at all, overtaking into oncoming traffic is prohibited in this case, and traffic police inspectors often set up ambushes in such places, taking advantage of the inattention of drivers and holding them accountable.

Inspectors are also regularly on duty in places where there are several railway crossings – as a rule, across the main railway line and lightly loaded branches laid to serve industrial enterprises.

Drivers standing in line in front of a highway crossing forget to stop in front of the barrier at a lightly loaded crossing and brake right on the tracks. Traffic police inspectors hold them accountable. And according to Article 12.10 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, stopping at a railway crossing provides for a fine of 5 thousand rubles or deprivation of a driver’s license for 3-6 months for a primary violation. If you do it again – only deprivation of rights for 1 year.

The traffic police inspector draws up an administrative protocol
Neural networks

Meeting or not

Unscrupulous traffic cops can interpret a U-turn through two solid marking lines as entering the oncoming lane and persuade the violator to give a bribe at the time of drawing up the violation pattern. The law is such that if a driver turns around or turns left across two solid lines at right angles, he faces an administrative fine for violating the marking requirements. If he drives even a minimum distance in the oncoming lane, he will be subject to deprivation of his driver’s license.

Also, inspectors are often on duty in places where the organization of traffic and the configuration of lanes is such that the driver can get confused and allow them to drive into the oncoming lane.

Don’t refuse to be examined

Another classic pitfall is that many drivers do not know all the intricacies of the intoxication test procedure. An unscrupulous inspector may seek to force the driver to sign a refusal to undergo a medical examination, the penalty for which is the same as for an established fact of intoxication.

The driver is tested on the road using a breathalyzer
Neural networks

A driver who does not want to undergo an alcohol intoxication examination at the stop and requires delivery to a medical facility may inadvertently sign a refusal to undergo a medical examination offered to him by an unscrupulous inspector.

Preliminary “purge” is also practiced not with a certified breathalyzer, the readings of which are recorded, but with an unofficial device, calibrated in a way that is beneficial to the inspector. Based on his testimony, the driver may be persuaded to “resolve the issue on the spot.”

Unscrupulous inspectors can also intimidate drivers with the prospect of registering with a drug dispensary if even insignificant traces of prohibited substances are found in their body, including if a long time has passed since use. Such arguments are used to ensure that the driver refuses a medical examination and receives a guaranteed punishment for this.