Getting pulled over sucks. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. Quick story – A friend of mine recently got pulled over while I was in the car with her. She rolled a stop sign, cop got behind her, activated the lights, and like a grown adult, she completely freaked out. Instead of pulling to the right, she quickly pulled into the center median and slammed on the brakes coming to a very quick stop. Being the friend that I am, I didn’t give her a hard time about it. But the cop was not happy and gave her a ticket. The second she pulled into that center median was the second she lost any chance of getting a warning. There are certain things you can do to avoid a traffic ticket after getting pulled over and it all starts with not pissing the cop off. That’s what I’ll share with you here.
Don’t Panic!
As soon as you realize you’re getting pulled over, take a quick second to figure out what you’re going to do. Don’t slam on the brakes and for crying out loud and do NOT pull into the left shoulder or median. Take your foot off the gas, check your mirrors, and figure out your options. If you need to drive a little ways to get to a safe area, signal to the right so that the officer knows you’re workin’ on it. If you’re in the far left hand lane with several lanes to your right, simply make the lane changes as you can safely do so. The officer understands what you’re doing. Often times, police officers will assist you in moving to the right and any traffic behind the cop will know he’s pulling you over. So just relax. Do NOT pull to the left! Cops hate that! A mad cop is a cop that will not give you a warning. If it takes you a little bit to get over to the shoulder for safety reasons, the officer isn’t going to start shooting at your tires. As long as you are making a safe effort to pull over, there’s no harm done. The officer would rather you go to the right slowly than pull to the left quickly.
Get Pulled Over As Soon As Possible
I know, I know! I just contradicted myself! The first thing you should be concerned with when getting pulled over is safety. Your safety, the officers safety, and the safety of all the people around you laughing because you’re getting pulled over (yes, you still need to be concerned with their safety, too). That’s why I said to not panic. The second most important thing is building your defense case. Remember, when getting pulled over, a police officer is trying to build a case against you right away. That’s what a cops job is. Your job should be defending yourself from the second those flashing lights are activated. If you’re able to safely pull over and stop relatively quickly, you will be more easily able to determine the exact spot the officer noted your violation as well as the exact spot you stopped. This is important if you want to fight the ticket in court. It may be important to your case to have precise locations. If you’re on a two lane road with wide shoulders, pull off as soon as you can safely do so without “brake checking” the officer behind you. If there’s a safer and more lightly traveled side street up ahead, put on your turn signal and pull over. Parking lots should be avoided if possible. I won’t get into the list of reasons why, but cops hate sitting in parking lots after pulling people over for safety reasons. The more uncomfortable the officer is, the less likely you’ll get a warning.
Record Everything
If you’re able to safely do so, take out your cell phone and hit the “record” button then place the phone on your dash. Before the officer comes up to the car, state the day, exact time, and your location. You can use the built in video camera or just use the voice memo feature on your phone. What we’re really looking for here is a recording of the conversation you have with the officer. This could help you in so many ways during your defense. Just remember, reaching around in the car when getting pulled over will make the cop feel really uncomfortable and rightfully so. Try to be inconspicuous about it.
Turn On The Water Works
I don’t care if you’re a dude or a chick, if you cry after getting pulled over, you stand a much better chance of being let go with a warning. I’ve spent many hours riding along with traffic enforcement officers. All of them have told me crying doesn’t help, but that’s not what I’ve seen with my own two eyes! It absolutely helps. Here’s a word of caution, though, especially if you’re a guy. Remember my last bit of advice? You’re recording everything. Say the cop still gives you a ticket and you need to use that recording in court. The entire courtroom gets to hear what a blubbering baby you are while you stand there. Cry at your own risk!
Keep Your Seat Belt On
Do not remove your seat belt. Keep it on until the officer walks up to the car and can clearly see you’re wearing it. Last thing you need is a bogus seat belt ticket on top of what you’re already getting pulled over for. This is also a way to help keep the officer feeling safe. It’s pretty hard to get into a physical altercation or run away when you’re strapped to your seat! If you weren’t wearing your seat belt, just leave it off. By the time the officer is behind you, it’s already too late. Putting the seat belt on after you’ve been pulled over is a dead giveaway and will just attract attention to yourself. Why someone would choose to drive without a seat belt these days is a mystery to me, but hey, to each their own!
Make The Officer Comfortable
Officers are killed all the time during “routine” traffic stops. You may be the nicest and most non-violent person on the planet but the cop doesn’t know you. A police officer must treat every traffic stop the same and unfortunately, in order to remain safe out there, they have to assume the possibility that you could be a threat. By making an officer feel comfortable, your chances of receiving a verbal warning vastly increases. Here are a few tips to make a police officer feel safer during a traffic stop:
- Turn the engine off: This helps to show the officer you have no intent to speed away.
- Turn on interior lights: The officer will be checking inside your car for other people or weapons. If it’s at night, a nice courtesy for the officer is to turn on your dome lights.
- Stay in your car: One of the surest ways to get a ticket after getting pulled over is to exit your vehicle. Unless your told otherwise, just stay in your car, trust me on this one.
- Keep both hands on the wheel: Police officers like to be able to see your hands. If they can see your hands, they know you can’t hurt them with a weapon. Keeping your hands on the wheel is a great way to put the officer’s mind at ease.
- Advise Your Intent: Don’t make any quick movements. If the officer asks to see your registration but your registration is in the glove box, let the officer know. Don’t just go digging around in the glove box. Give the officer a little warning first, “sure thing Officer Friendly! I have to reach into the glove box though. Would that be ok?”
Be Respectful
Sometimes, this can be a tough one. Just leave your ego at home. So many drivers get themselves a ticket after getting pulled over simply because they wanted to argue with the cop on the side of the road. If you argue with the officer, chances are you’ll get a ticket. Even if you don’t feel like you’re being treated with respect, now is not the time to handle that. If you are recording everything like in my earlier advice, you’ll be able to file a credible complaint against the officer if needed. Just remain polite, respectful, and keep your mouth shut as much as possible. The more you say, the more you will hurt your case. Remaining as silent as possible is your best chance of winning in court later. Arguing with a cop on the side of the road never works to your advantage. Never.
Don’t Incriminate Yourself!
As I mentioned above, after getting pulled over, it’s important that you remain as silent as possible. Police officers have been trained to solicit an admission of guilt. The old questions “do you know how fast you were going?” is a good example of that. If you say “no” the officer can claim in court that you were being negligent by not knowing the speed limit. If you say “yes” but admit to speeding, you just drastically decreased the number of ways you can defend yourself. Never admit to doing anything wrong at all but at the same time, never admit ignorance.
