At the end of the day there is no excuse for speeding, but that doesn't stop people trying to get out of a fine, said ACT policing's officer in charge of traffic operations Marcus Boorman.
He's compiled a list of excuses Canberra drivers have tried to use as justification for bad behaviour on the road.
While being pulled over by the traffic cops elicits plenty of creative responses, there is one that stands out for acting station sergeant Boorman.
"We've had someone detected for speeding and they came up with an excuse: 'A magpie flew in front of my car and it was carrying a bit of foil, so that's what your speed detection device picked up'," he said.
"They were serious. So were we when we gave them the infringement."
Acting station sergeant Boorman said while there were plenty of excuses, none justified breaking the law.
He said police do have a sense of humour, but it's unlikely to get you off a fine.
"The odd excuse you have a chuckle about. We like a good joke like everybody else, but when it comes to breaking the speed limits and committing offences on the road, to us it isn't a joke. But police do have a sense of humour, we might say 'well, nice try'."
"A lot of the excuses are people saying, 'I never thought it would happen to me', or 'I'm a good driver, I was paying attention'.
"Well obviously you weren't paying attention if you hit something."
Acting station sergeant Boorman reiterated that speed signs were not there for entertainment.
ACT police caught more than 1000 people speeding on ACT roads in the three months from January to March. Of those, 715 motorists received a fine. While the figure was down on last year's, police are reminding drivers to take the road rules seriously.
"They are there for a reason. We all know speed is one of the major contributors to deaths on the road," said acting station sergeant Boorman.
Research shows the chance of surviving a crash decreases rapidly after certain impact speeds, said a spokesperson from the Justice and Community Safety Directorate.
"Even a small difference in vehicle speed can make a large difference to the likelihood of death or serious injury," the spokesperson said.
Acting station sergeant Boorman said people needed to be responsible for their own actions.
"Do the right thing and you'll get a smile and a wave from the police. Do the wrong thing and you'll get to talk to the police and then nine times out of 10 you'll end up paying a significant fine. And don't whinge to me about it."
"It only takes one act of stupidity to change everybody's lives and that's the way it goes, that's reality."