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PULLED OVER
What You Do CAN Make A Difference
When you are pulled over by a police officer, here are 20 things that you can do to avoid making the situation
any worse:
You might be nervous about what's going to happen, but remember, the officers are the ones who have every right to be
nervous since they never know what to expect. Generally, the more you do to help ensure the officer's safety, the more
you ensure your own.
Pull over as soon as you think that you might be the motorist the squad car is after. Slow down, put your turn
signal on, and pull over. Quickly pulling over demonstrates that you have respect for the right-of-way of emergency
vehicles. It does not mean that you are admitting guilt!
Always pull over on the right side of the road when traveling on divided highways. Signal and move over to the
far right lane, and then to the shoulder; without guardrails, if possible. Many officers will appreciate the
consideration.
Roll down your driver's side window, and any windows that are tinted. If it's dark, turn on interior lights.
If you have electric windows, remember to roll down your window before shutting off your engine! If you forget to do this,
and have to start the car again, the officer could take it as sign that you are going to run.
Jump down to Speeding Ticket Resources
Place the car in "park" and turn off the ignition. Put your keys on the dashboard. Doing so gives the officer more
confidence that you will not suddenly flee. Sit still; any suspicious movement from you (even a sudden lowering of one or
both shoulders) can prompt a search.
Make all your movements slowly--the officer is watching you carefully to make sure you're not drawing a weapon or
hiding something. Do not reach for anything in the passenger compartment of your vehicle or under your seat.
Stay in the car. Keep your hands in plain sight, preferably on the top of the steering wheel, with your fingers
visible.
Let the officer speak first. He or she will usually ask for your license and registration. Know where they are
beforehand and produce them slowly and deliberately. If you're in a dark area, the officer will follow your hands
with his flashlight. Finish this process before anything else, then put your hands back on the wheel.
While the officer checks your license and vehicle status via radio, keep your hands on the steering wheel.
When you get pulled over, keep your answers non-committal and brief. Open-ended questions can get you into trouble, and the officer may be
trying to extract admissions out of you that can be used against you in court.
If you're asked "Do you know why I stopped you?" say "No."
If you're asked "Do you know how fast you were going?" say "Yes." Answering "No" to this question will lead the
officer to believe that you are ignorant of the speed limit or how fast you are going.
If the officer asks, "Do you have a good reason that would make you need to hurry?" say, "No." If you say "yes," then even if you were not speeding the officer will believe that you were, and you'll probably get a ticket.
If the officer tells you how fast you were going, say "I see" or don't say anything at all. Silence is not an admission of guilt.
If the officer asks "Have you been drinking?" (But, he/she does NOT smell alcohol.) Say Yes/or No, in case you were stopped, driving in a erratic manner. Tell him if you take medications or have an illness that can cause driving problems.
If the officer spots "open containers" of beer, other alcohol, or smells alcohol, you should expect testing and/or demonstrating your coordination and balance. Comply with any requests by the officer. Refusing to comply with an officer's orders will identify you as either resistant or rebellious.
If the officer sees any illegal objects in plain view, he or she can open the door, reach in, and get it.
In the USA, moving vehicles are pulled over, they are subject by law enforcement to search with reasonable cause. Reasonable cause may include observing occupants in suspicious activities, remarks and things that the officer can smell, see or hear like safety violations, open containers, potential weapons, etc.
Do not engage the officer in any unnecessary conversation! They know why they pulled you over, and anything you say may be used against you. You have a right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. Don't talk unless responding to a question from the officer. This goes for your passengers as well.
Do not exit the vehicle unless requested to do so. This is almost always perceived as a threat and it is safer for you inside the car than outside, near traffic.
Keep calm, even if you are upset about the traffic stop. The police officer may not be pulling you over for what you think he/she is. Let the officer talk first. React kindly and you may have more of a chance to be sent on your way without a ticket.
When you get pulled over, don't argue! If you do, you may receive more tickets, and the prosecutor will be less likely to negotiate in
Court.
When you get pulled over, remaining calm, courteous and demonstrating respect for the law and the police officer can
go a long way towards preventing an unpleasant experience from becoming worse. If you do find yourself with a ticket
in-hand, do your research and make some calls before pleading guilty. And remember, pleading NO CONTEST is the same as
pleading guilty. It still goes on your record.
The Most Impressive DUI Video You Will Ever See.
2 Minutes.
Be Sure To Share It With Your Friends.
Here's a link for free speed trap location software for your cell phone. It's compatible with:
*iPhone speed trap location software
* BlackBerry speed trap location software
* Android (the TMobile G1 and others) speed trap software
* Nokia N95, N96, N97, 5800, E71, and other Symbian s60 phones speed trap software
* Palm WebOS phones such as Pre and Pixi speed trap software
* Windows Mobile touch screen phones with 6.0, 6.1, or 6.5 OS and GPS
* Unlocked J2ME phones with GPS (for example the Sprint Samsung Instinct)
If you don't have one of these phones you can still get text message alerts with maps on any phone that supports text
messaging and report speed traps or camera ticketing locations that you see using our 1-800 tip line.
Here's another great resource that's completely free. This link is to a huge list of speed trap locations for all 50
United States and Canada as well.
Check it out and please use this easy copy and paste link to share speeding ticket tips with your friends
and family. They'll thank you and it could save them a lot of grief and money!
Resources For Speeding Tickets And Traffic Violations
Protect Your License, Your Freedom - Stay Out Of Jail
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