How To Behave If You Get Pulled Over For A Traffic Violation

Getting pulled over for a traffic infraction is a common occurrence. You should behave like a rational adult if you don't want to make things worse for yourself. This means you can't try to argue your way out of the ticket or act in a hostile manner – which could possibly lead to other charges and your arrest. Here is how you can help yourself when dealing with an officer of the law.

Stay Calm

You might be angry that you got pulled over (either at yourself or the police officer who pulled you over), but you can't let that anger show. Police officers are people, too, and they can get as tired of being mistreated as anyone else when people blame them for their own actions. Getting a police officer mad is a bad idea – since they can make your situation a lot more miserable than it already is. Remember, if you get hot-headed and start using obscenities or acting out, the police officer will note this for the judge to see. Judges, especially in small municipalities, often personally know many of these officers, and whatever break you might have gotten if you acted in a controlled manner could immediately disappear.

Explain Circumstances

If you are going to talk, try to appeal to the human nature of the police officer. You actually might have drifted through a stop sign because you are trying to get to the hospital as fast as you can because you just learned a loved one was taken there in an ambulance moments ago – but remember, this does not excuse your behavior. The police officer might understand your distress and let you off with a warning – provided you continue to the hospital in a safe manner. By no means should you lie about what is happening. A police officer can easily get on the radio and verify that the story you are telling them is true, and if it isn't, expect things to turn out much worse than if you really told the truth or just stayed quiet.

Stay Quiet

You can be polite and still refuse to answer most questions. The only thing a police officer really needs to know is who you are and if you're legally driving your car – for this, all you need is to provide them with your license, registration, and proof of insurance. You may ask them why they pulled you over, but you can stop answering questions at that point. You don't have to admit guilt or make any other self-incriminating statements. Once you have been given a ticket, or arrested, you should let your lawyer do your talking for you. Again, the police officer will be writing down any self-incriminating statements you make and they will provide those statements to the judge.

Once you get a ticket, or get arrested, the police officer is done. The next step is court going to court. If you feel you have been unfairly ticketed, you should call a lawyer, like Hogan-Kimrey LLP Attorneys At Law, right away to help you settle the matter for you.