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WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE PULLED OVER BY A
TRAFFIC OFFICER FOR A TRAFFIC VIOLATION
When you see the police officer signal for you to pull over,
pull over. Look for a safe area where the officer can stand
beside your car and not risk his own life with passing
traffic. Pull into a parking lot if you can, but always signal
to the officer to show that you are not avoiding him. If you
must pull over to the side of the road, the right shoulder is
almost always safer for both you and the officer.
Put your vehicle in park so that you cannot drive forward.
Then the officer can park right behind you without
worrying that you will try to drive away and escape.
Turn off the car, and possibly remove the keys from the
ignition. If it is nighttime, turn on as many interior lights
as possible. Remain in the car. Do not move to leave the
car at any time during the stop unless you are asked to do
so.
Sit still with your seatbelt on, and place your hands on the
top of your steering wheel, in plain sight. Do not fidget
around before the officer approaches the vehicle or at any
time during the stop. The officer will request your driver’s
license, registration and insurance card. Leave your hands
on top of the steering wheel. Describe to the officer where
the papers are, and ask permission to get them. When the
officer permits it, move slowly and deliberately to retrieve
the documents for the officer. Avoid sudden movements
that may make the officer feel you are reaching for a
weapon.
If you have a medical emergency and really do need to get
to the hospital fast, continue to show the police officer
respect, but request the officer’s assistance to get to the
hospital quickly. Remember, the police officer is doing the
job you want him or her to do. You may not like that you
are on the receiving end of his or her duties, but they are
important duties.
Try to look as sad as possible. Do not say any of your
problems, just look sad. It just may be enough to get you
off with a traffic warning. Use respectful language, like
"Yes, sir" and "No, sir". Do not lie. The police officer is just
going to get mad. Act natural, and calm.
Traffic stops are the most unpredictable and dangerous
part of normal police work, and officers are trained to
approach vehicles with extreme caution. Be polite and
cooperative when you get pulled over. Being belligerent or
indignant may make you feel better but it might cost you
more. By being polite and cooperative, the officer may just
write your traffic ticket for a less costly offense instead of
what was actually committed and with luck, you might just
get a warning.
Avoid admissions of guilt and never make excuses or
create outlandish stories. When you are asked if you know
why you were pulled over, just respond with a simple and
polite, "No officer, I do not". Keep in mind that honesty is
the best policy especially when you prefer to get off with
merely a warning. On the other hand, if you do get a
traffic citation, and decide to contest it, remember that any
admissions you make, can be used against you later.
Ask the officer if you can pay for the traffic fine by mail.
The officer will immediately see you as a low probability to
go to traffic court and may take fewer notes. When you do
challenge the ticket, the officer's sparse notes will make
him want to skip the hearing.
Question the officer more directly, after you are handed
the traffic ticket, about how the offense was detected and
verified. In the case of a speeding ticket, find out where
the officer was positioned when he clocked you and what
type of speed measurement device was used and if it was
radar or laser. Gather as many specifics as possible,
including the serial number of the radar device, if already
not indicated on the traffic citation. If, however the officer
estimated your speed by following you, then find out what
the location was when he began to follow you. Make sure
you write down the patrol car's license plate number and
his badge number. If you were cited for an offense other
than speeding, make sure you understand exactly why you
were pulled over, especially if you were cited for
something that could not have been easily seen. Do note
that the officer does not have to actually give this
information at the time of the traffic stop.
If the traffic officer relies on radar for a speeding ticket,
ask to see the display of your speed on his radar unit.
Often the officer has either cleared the result from his
display or is fudging. This will not lead to a dismissal by
itself, and in some jurisdictions the officer is not required
to show you the display but discrepancies or lack of
evidence may help as part of your defense.
Check your ticket for accuracy by reviewing it immediately
upon receipt. Make sure that the information is legible, if
not, ask the officer what he wrote and make a note of it on
another piece of paper, not on the ticket.
If there are inaccuracies that may hurt your case (i.e. if
the officer notes on the ticket that you crossed two lanes
of traffic when you only crossed one, or if he says traffic
was heavy when in fact it was light), ask him immediately
to correct them. Be very polite when requesting changes
to your traffic citation. However, if you find that the officer
is not accommodating, do not argue but record the actual
circumstances in your mind, and after he leaves, jot it
down on another piece of paper.
On the other hand, if there are inaccuracies that may help
your case or get the traffic ticket dismissed, you do not
want to call attention to them. Such as, the direction of
travel is not consistent with the traffic control device that
you allegedly violated.
Once the police officer has given you your traffic ticket and
left the scene, record relevant details, such as traffic and
road conditions, weather, time of day, and any extenuating
circumstances. If you have a camera or cell phone camera
take pictures, especially if your defense depends on
something like an obscured speed limit sign or a huge
pothole that you had to swerve to miss. Without
compromising your safety and the safety of the others, go
to the officer’s original position (whether stationary or
moving) and check for any obstructions that might have
caused them to have a poor view of the alleged offense or
that might have caused the speed radar to malfunction.
Make a diagram of the road showing where the officer was
positioned, which direction you were traveling, where you
eventually stopped, and other important details.
Read the fine print on the ticket after you get home, as
there is useful information on there that might help you.
Make sure you understand all of it, as it will give you
instructions on how to proceed to the next step.
TRAFFIC OFFICER FOR A TRAFFIC VIOLATION
When you see the police officer signal for you to pull over,
pull over. Look for a safe area where the officer can stand
beside your car and not risk his own life with passing
traffic. Pull into a parking lot if you can, but always signal
to the officer to show that you are not avoiding him. If you
must pull over to the side of the road, the right shoulder is
almost always safer for both you and the officer.
Put your vehicle in park so that you cannot drive forward.
Then the officer can park right behind you without
worrying that you will try to drive away and escape.
Turn off the car, and possibly remove the keys from the
ignition. If it is nighttime, turn on as many interior lights
as possible. Remain in the car. Do not move to leave the
car at any time during the stop unless you are asked to do
so.
Sit still with your seatbelt on, and place your hands on the
top of your steering wheel, in plain sight. Do not fidget
around before the officer approaches the vehicle or at any
time during the stop. The officer will request your driver’s
license, registration and insurance card. Leave your hands
on top of the steering wheel. Describe to the officer where
the papers are, and ask permission to get them. When the
officer permits it, move slowly and deliberately to retrieve
the documents for the officer. Avoid sudden movements
that may make the officer feel you are reaching for a
weapon.
If you have a medical emergency and really do need to get
to the hospital fast, continue to show the police officer
respect, but request the officer’s assistance to get to the
hospital quickly. Remember, the police officer is doing the
job you want him or her to do. You may not like that you
are on the receiving end of his or her duties, but they are
important duties.
Try to look as sad as possible. Do not say any of your
problems, just look sad. It just may be enough to get you
off with a traffic warning. Use respectful language, like
"Yes, sir" and "No, sir". Do not lie. The police officer is just
going to get mad. Act natural, and calm.
Traffic stops are the most unpredictable and dangerous
part of normal police work, and officers are trained to
approach vehicles with extreme caution. Be polite and
cooperative when you get pulled over. Being belligerent or
indignant may make you feel better but it might cost you
more. By being polite and cooperative, the officer may just
write your traffic ticket for a less costly offense instead of
what was actually committed and with luck, you might just
get a warning.
Avoid admissions of guilt and never make excuses or
create outlandish stories. When you are asked if you know
why you were pulled over, just respond with a simple and
polite, "No officer, I do not". Keep in mind that honesty is
the best policy especially when you prefer to get off with
merely a warning. On the other hand, if you do get a
traffic citation, and decide to contest it, remember that any
admissions you make, can be used against you later.
Ask the officer if you can pay for the traffic fine by mail.
The officer will immediately see you as a low probability to
go to traffic court and may take fewer notes. When you do
challenge the ticket, the officer's sparse notes will make
him want to skip the hearing.
Question the officer more directly, after you are handed
the traffic ticket, about how the offense was detected and
verified. In the case of a speeding ticket, find out where
the officer was positioned when he clocked you and what
type of speed measurement device was used and if it was
radar or laser. Gather as many specifics as possible,
including the serial number of the radar device, if already
not indicated on the traffic citation. If, however the officer
estimated your speed by following you, then find out what
the location was when he began to follow you. Make sure
you write down the patrol car's license plate number and
his badge number. If you were cited for an offense other
than speeding, make sure you understand exactly why you
were pulled over, especially if you were cited for
something that could not have been easily seen. Do note
that the officer does not have to actually give this
information at the time of the traffic stop.
If the traffic officer relies on radar for a speeding ticket,
ask to see the display of your speed on his radar unit.
Often the officer has either cleared the result from his
display or is fudging. This will not lead to a dismissal by
itself, and in some jurisdictions the officer is not required
to show you the display but discrepancies or lack of
evidence may help as part of your defense.
Check your ticket for accuracy by reviewing it immediately
upon receipt. Make sure that the information is legible, if
not, ask the officer what he wrote and make a note of it on
another piece of paper, not on the ticket.
If there are inaccuracies that may hurt your case (i.e. if
the officer notes on the ticket that you crossed two lanes
of traffic when you only crossed one, or if he says traffic
was heavy when in fact it was light), ask him immediately
to correct them. Be very polite when requesting changes
to your traffic citation. However, if you find that the officer
is not accommodating, do not argue but record the actual
circumstances in your mind, and after he leaves, jot it
down on another piece of paper.
On the other hand, if there are inaccuracies that may help
your case or get the traffic ticket dismissed, you do not
want to call attention to them. Such as, the direction of
travel is not consistent with the traffic control device that
you allegedly violated.
Once the police officer has given you your traffic ticket and
left the scene, record relevant details, such as traffic and
road conditions, weather, time of day, and any extenuating
circumstances. If you have a camera or cell phone camera
take pictures, especially if your defense depends on
something like an obscured speed limit sign or a huge
pothole that you had to swerve to miss. Without
compromising your safety and the safety of the others, go
to the officer’s original position (whether stationary or
moving) and check for any obstructions that might have
caused them to have a poor view of the alleged offense or
that might have caused the speed radar to malfunction.
Make a diagram of the road showing where the officer was
positioned, which direction you were traveling, where you
eventually stopped, and other important details.
Read the fine print on the ticket after you get home, as
there is useful information on there that might help you.
Make sure you understand all of it, as it will give you
instructions on how to proceed to the next step.
 |
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