How to Handle Getting Pulled Over Without Losing Your Cool
Posted on December 7, 2007
Filed Under Police, Tips |
Getting pulled over is a stressful experience for anyone. You will be able to handle the process better if you understand what to expect. Here is guide on what to expect from the officer and what steps you should take to make the encounter as pleasant as possible.
1. Getting Pulled Over – When you see a police officer pull behind you with his light on, put on your blinker, and pull your vehicle over to the side of the road. Then put on your hazards, roll down your window and keep your hands on the wheel.
2. Officer Approaching – If the stop is performed at night the officer will keep his light on your side mirror. This is for his safety so the driver cannot tell his exact distance from the car.
As he approaches, it is important that you keep your hands on the wheel until the officer asks you for your license and registration. If he sees you fumbling in the car before he gets there it will look like you are trying to hide something — or worse: that you are getting a weapon. Don’t do this.
3. License and Registration Please – Don’t ask, “What is the problem officer?” this assumes that there is one and sounds accusatory to the officer.
The officer may ask if you know why you’ve been pulled over. This is his way of getting an admission of guilt out of you, so don’t fall for it.
When the officer asks for your papers take them out of the glove box (they should already be organized) and leave the glove box open. This shows you have nothing to hide. Place your hands back on the wheel and wait for the officer.
4. Back to the Squad Car – At this point the officer will go back to his car to run your information and possibly write a ticket. Here is a partial list of information can they get from the database:
Your name and aliases; your Social Security number; where you live; when you were born; the color of your skin and eyes; any scars, tattoos, or identifying marks; your height, vision, and gender; what kind of car you drive, whether it’s a stolen vehicle, and your license and plate numbers; your traffic violation history; your local, state, and federal criminal history; and your fingerprints.
5. Sign the Ticket and Move On – The officer will return to your car with your license and registration and maybe a ticket. Your hands should still be on the wheel until he hands them back to you. You maybe have to sign the ticket, but this requirement varies by state. At this point the ticket is written and can’t be undone. If you plan on contesting a ticket it is time to hire a lawyer.
6. Contesting the Ticket – Depending on the offense it will be cheaper in the long run to hire an attorney than to just pay the ticket. When you consider the increased insurance costs of a speeding ticket and the points fighting the ticket might be your best option.
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9 Responses to “How to Handle Getting Pulled Over Without Losing Your Cool”
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I’ve been told (in various self-defense classes) that if it’s nighttime and I’m driving in an area with not many people around, the safest thing to do is not to pull over right away. Rather, I’ve been told to put on my blinker and slow down (as an indication to the cop that I’m not trying to get away, that I’ve seen him and am planning to pull over) and then drive to the nearest gas station/supermarket/well-lit area with people around. Anyone know if this legal, especially if I need to exit the highway, or drive for more than a minute or two? Is there some charge akin to resisting arrest like resisting getting pulled over or something, with which they could charge me if I do this? Am I just going to piss off the cop and make him more likely to write me a ticket? Should I explain to the cop once we finally do stop why I drove on for so long?
This is very useful information. I have never been pulled over before, and I am sure that it is a scary time. I have recently enrolled in a class called “street law” in which they teach you useful things like this, your rights, what you can do in this situation, etc..
As far as the poster above me, I would say that if they taught that in multiple classes, you would be allowed to, given that the place you are driving to is not ten miles down the road.
Excellent advice. I have also learned that once you have slowed down and put your blinker on, you should look for a SAFE place to pull over. You don’t have to pull onto the shoulder right away; look for a parking lot with empty parking spaces, and if you are on a busy street consider turning right onto a less busy street before pulling over.
Katie, the safest thing to do would be to call your local police department and ask them that question. - they will be more than happy to assist you. If you fail to yield to an officer for an extended period of time your justification will be pretty weak. The problem some women had on rural roads is that rapists driving ‘unmarked’ cars with a single light that is placed on the roof or dash pretend to be officers. If you can see a full lightbar or official markings on the car behind you it would be best to stop.
Per Katie’s question, you should use your indicators, slow down, and pull over at the first safe place you can. Safe basically means a position where the officer and yourself are not in danger of getting struck by passing vehicles. If you take more than a minute or two to chose one though, especially if you accidentally missed a few, the officers stress level, and suspicion, will be escalated, and this will usually affect the contact in a negative way. Remember that this may only be an aggrivation for you, but it is always a life or death situation for the officer until he knows otherwise.
Katie,
Yep, real cops will never rape a woman in a secluded spot. Just forget about those State Troopers in N.J. and any other stories you may have read about. If I were a woman, I’d rather take my chances with the judge (or possibly jury in some states) than these Tazer-happy thugs that fill so many police positions these days.
In most states, if you refuse to sign a ticket, they can, and will, take you to jail.
A few years ago there was a rash of rapes in my area by imposters driving “unmarked cars.” A police spokesman was asked what to do if an unmarked car car tried to pull you over and you were uncertain about it. He said you should never pull over if you are unsure. As a follow-up, he was then asked what would happen if it was a real police officer: “Oh, then we’ll probably shoot you” was his response.
almost all these cops r crooked and they get away with everything and lets not forget about there friends. what i want to know is what makes them better then us why do they bully people