How do I stop police from harassing me on the way to a music festival? Avoiding police on the way to a music festival has become increasing difficult, as well as an increasing problem. Festival goers are becoming more and more of a target for local police along the road to a festival. For many festival goers, their trip is over before it has even started. By this I mean, they were stopped by police and have now been put in a position where they can no longer attend they festival and are in quite a bit of legal trouble. So the question has arisen, how, and what are the best ways to avoid the police on the road to a festival? Many people will read this blog and think, well I have no reason to be avoiding the police, so what’s the big deal? Well Ill answer it. The big deal is that a stop by the police while traveling to the festival can end up being a big ordeal, even if you do not have anything illegal in your possession. Police officers often discriminate against festival goers and believe you have something illegal in your car even if you do not. They will ask to search the vehicle and then proceed to tear every square inch of your car apart. They will mosey through everything that you have packed, all of your food, all your camping equipment. They may even take the alcohol that you have brought with legally, because it was purchased across state lines. From an experienced festival goer, there are a few tips that I can provide to help make your travels go a little bit smoother. First suggestion, and possibly most important is to make sure you download the app waze before you get the wheels rolling. Waze is a GPS tracking application, like a google maps of sorts, that provides the optimal route for your trip. One of the main features of the app, is that it has a cop spotter. The app allows its users to place markers at areas the patrol men are sitting. To do so when passing a cop, simply pin your location, and write that an officer is at that spot. Others can then provide up to the minute feedback as to if the police officer is still in the same position by providing a like or dislike. A like verifies that the officer is still indeed in the same spot, a dislike would suggest that the officer has moved to a different area. The app itself is very effective and accurate in describing where officers are and if they are actually there. Another cool feature about the app is that it allows its users to become friends and communicate while the app is open. This feature is perfect for warning friends that are also using the application if the police officer is still in his position or not. Another suggestion that I would have for those attending festival this year is to not act like it. My advice is to keep a low profile. Do not put any distinguishing markers on yourself or your vehicle to attract police. When I describe markers, I mean do not put a sign that says “headed to forest” on the back window of your vehicle. Also I would not wear any sort of hats, scarfs, pins, clothing, or necklaces that distinguish you as a festival goer either. These things along with other sorts of signs will flag police officers, and increase the possibility of you getting pulled over. The last important feature of waze is perhaps the redirection option. The redirection option allows users to plot a new course of path to reach their destination. This feature can be especially useful when there are a lot of police officers shown on the route that you are supposed to take, or there is a fair amount of traffic. Redirecting your route can be extremely useful in avoiding police, because police like to sit on the main roads. By taking an alternative route, you will be using mostly back roads, where the police are less like to camp out. Possibly the most important suggestion I could make to anyone attending a festival this year is to drive safe and abide by the rules of the road. To be put simply, the police can not pull you over, that is, unless you give them a reason too. Police will do anything they can to get probable cause to pull your vehicle over so make sure you abide by the rules of the road on your journey. Some frequent mistakes made by drivers are things such as speeding, not fully stopping at a stop sign, following too close, and driving in the left lane for too long. Now while some of these things may sound dumb and you would think you would never get pulled over for them, you will. Also I would suggest that you do a full vehicle check before embarking on the trip. What I mean by this is, check your brake lights, check your headlight, your taillights, the light for the license plate, and make sure all seatbelts are in working condition. These factors can again seem irrelevant, but I’m here to tell you that they arn’t because I’ve seen people get pulled over for these exact offenses. The moral of the story here guys, is just drive safe, and not only safe but smart as well. Do not make the stupid mistakes like speeding or a missing taillight, these things are immediate grounds to be pulled over, and nobody wants to deal with that. Driving safe and smart is your best defense for avoiding the police, but if you would like a little extra assurance, please download the app waze. I hope that this solves many of your problems and I would be extremely happy to receive your feedback as well as your advice. The more strategies you use to avoid the police the more likely you will not have a run in with them. Be safe everyone!
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