How do you deal with a police officer during a routine traffic stop?
A traffic stop can be stressful and scary. This is what you need to know to protect your rights and improve your odds of driving away safely.
The most important thing to remember when you are pulled over by a police officer is to remain calm and keep your cool.
If a police officer flags you down, pull over immediately, turn off your car, put your keys on the dashboard, and place your hands on the steering wheel. Police like to see your hands for their own safety -- so wait until they request your license and registration before reaching for them. If you’re pulled over at night, it’s also a good idea to turn on the car’s interior light, so the officer can see you're not armed and that you are calm.
Always greet policemen and policewomen as "Officer". For example, you may start off with "Good afternoon, Officer. How may I help you?" Under no circumstances should you ever talk back, raise your voice, or use profanity with a police officer. Being hostile with the police is stupid and dangerous. You can't win that game! If the officer asks you questions, keep your responses short and speak slowly. If the officer is all business and does not want to hear what you have to say, remain quiet. When the officer requests your license and registration, slowly reach to the location where they are kept, slowly give them to the officer and place your hands back on the steering wheel.
If the officer writes you a ticket, accept it quietly and never complain. Listen to any instruction on paying the fine or contesting the ticket, and drive away slowly.
Being pulled over can be very scary, but if you play your cards right, you can keep it short and simple and not make matters worse than they already are.
I'm attorney Eric Rudolph with Your Legal Buzz!
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