Traffic Stop Do's and Dont's
Continued from Page 1
Maintain constant eye contact
A cop can detect a lying person from across the room. One way they do this is to observe physical behavior.
All cops are trained that a lying person will avoid eye contact. Therefore if you avoid eye contact, the officer may perceive you to be lying to him (no matter how truthful you may be).
By maintaining eye contact you are showing the cop that you are telling the truth and have nothing to hide.
Some important points to remember:
- Never stare glaringly at the officer. He may take it as a threat.
- Always remove sunglasses during the stop, so the officer can see your eyes.
- If the officer is wearing sunglasses, look directly at them. The officer wears his sunglasses for psychological reasons. If he can see your eyes, but you can not see his, then he has a mental advantage over you.
- VERY IMPORTANT: Always avoid making eye contact when you are reaching for something in your vehicle. Police officers know when someone is about to shoot, they will focus on their target. The last thing you want to do is have the officer thinking you are about to shoot him. Break eye contact immediately when reaching for something.
Beware of trick questions
It makes the cop's job a lot easier if he can get you to admit whatever it is he pulled you over for. There are a number of ways a cop can get you to do this. One way is with trick questions.
How you answer these questions is very important. Remember that what you say on the side of the road can make its way to the courtroom if you choose to challenge the ticket.
Here are some common guilt admitting questions the officer might ask and how you should respond to them:
- Do you know how fast you were going?
Here he wants you to admit to any speed over the posted speed limit. Most people do. Instead, you answer like this, "Honestly officer, I don't know how fast I was going." This way you avoid admitting any guilt. - Do you know why I pulled you over?
Even if you know why you were pulled over, never tell this to the officer. Instead, give a genuine look of uncertainty and say this, "Honestly officer, I don't know. Why did you pull me over?" - Why are you speeding?
Here is the all time killer... the "why are you speeding?" question. The driver makes the obvious assumption that since he's being asked this question that he has been caught red-handed. Never give the officer your admission that he is right. Answer like this, "Speeding? I didn't know I was." Of course it helps to not have been going 100 mph!
As long as you don't give direct answers to these questions you should be all right. Remember, he's asking you these questions with one goal in mind... to get you to admit guilt!
Remain as inconspicuous as possible
Aside from the fact that you want to avoid this potential ticket, you should also refrain from doing anything that may stand out in the officer's mind later on.
This is important for many reasons, but the most important one has to do with your time in court. If the officer doesn't remember certain aspects of the stop, it may have a damaging effect when he goes to court to give his testimony.
By you remaining 'behind the scenes', the officer will immediately begin to forget major aspects of the stop. He may fail to write any notes about his encounter with you and this will only work to your advantage.
Conclusion
Now that you have a general idea of what to do when you get pulled over I suggest that you implement the preceding pointers during your next traffic stop. Simply by following what you have learned, you greatly decrease your chances of getting a ticket.
Main points to remember:
- Pull over immediately
- Concentrate on the traffic stop only
- Lower the officer's fear
- Be friendly
- Don't admit to anything
- Don't act stupid
(Page 2 of 2)
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Related Articles:
How to Avoid a Speeding Ticket
Should You Fight a Speeding Ticket?
Speeding Ticket Myths
Are We Ticketed for Safety?
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