Whether you get a ticket when you get pulled over may all come down to your attitude.

“Recently, I stopped a guy who was in the middle of an intersection” after failing to stop soon enough for a stop sign, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said. “I was talking to him and he says (with a bit of attitude), ‘You’re going to write me up for that?’ I said, ‘I wasn’t going to, but I am going to now.’ ”

So if you get stopped by an officer, Sloat suggests keeping these tips in mind:

–Don’t be hostile, such as: Why are you pulling me over?

–Don’t protest your innocence immediately.

–Don’t have an attitude. If your attitude is such that the officer thinks a verbal warning won’t have any effect, then you’re going to get a ticket.

Sgt. Doug Schlief of the Santa Rosa police agrees your attitude can make a difference.

“Don’t argue with the officer,” he said. Remember the Golden Rule and be respectful, he said.

The goal of a traffic stop is to correct the driver’s behavior, Schlief said. If it seems to the officer that the driver isn’t taking responsibility for his action, then he’s going to get a ticket, Schlief said.

But Schlief warned that even though “officers are armed with discretion,” some offenses will result in a ticket no matter what.