What you do whenever a police officer stops your vehicle can significantly impact what may follow. But whether legal proceedings take the upper hand, that’s solely based on what you do. Therefore, it’s critical to make the right choices if it’s a mere safety rule violation or a serious crime.
That’s why you must know what to do whenever traffic polices you. Let’s look at what you need to do if the police ask you to pull over:
Stop when a police car signals you to stop
Because of some reasons, the police may follow your vehicle with flashing lights signaling you to pull over. Whenever you see that, it’s critical to pull over safely and quickly.
When you pull over quickly, it doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong. But it shows your level of alertness to the surroundings. Also, when you do so, it enables you to stand a better chance if the police indicate that you violated any traffic laws. Most importantly, this action can be critical to your lawyer when filing a defense if you choose to file a complaint.
It’s necessary to stop your vehicle in a way that will not anger the police officer. Slow down diligently but not so quickly, prompting the police officer to make an abrupt stop. The best way is to stop further to the right to make it easy for the officer to get to you.
What should you do right after stopping?
Once you pull over to a safe place, you should turn off the engine. At this moment, you should pay the officer some courtesy. It may help to calm the officer. For instance, you should discard any cigarettes or chewing gum and roll down your window. Also, ensure to put your hands on the driving wheel and turn on your interior lights if it’s dark. Doing so will drive some concerns out of the officer.
After all, police officers have lost their lives during such traffic stops because it’s dangerous for police officers. You may be offended, but stopping is the right thing to do. You want to assure the police officer at this point.
Also, it would help if you did not get out of the car until the officer requests you to do so. It would be best to avoid looking for your license and registration documents until the officer asks you.
Could stopping be an excuse for a police officer to search your vehicle?
Traffic police officers often stop you because of violations—they are not allowed to search your vehicle. However, there are instances when the officer may want to search your car.
Besides that, officers may look for anything incriminating such as open bottles of beer, joints, and more. Any of such items may prompt an officer to research your vehicle.
If they choose to tow your vehicle, they will have to conduct an inventory search to check whether you’ve anything illegal inside your car.
Talk to the officer
It helps to respond in a friendly but not hostile manner. Many problems arise when you treat the police with some bit of hostility. Be smart and let the officer talk while you respond appropriately.
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