What to Expect

One moment you are driving down the street, minding your own business, trying to concentrate on getting yourself to your destination, and the next moment you see the flashing lights in your rearview mirror and hear the sounds of a siren getting louder as it gets closer. What should you expect if the police want to pull you over? For some, this is a minor inconvenience, and for others, this is a very scary and dreadful occurrence. Either way, it is important to know exactly what to expect when you are stopped by a police officer.

Getting Stopped – What to Expect

Once you see the lights behind you and hear the sirens, you need to pull over to the right side of the road as soon as you safely can. The police cruiser will stop behind you, and you should immediately turn your car off, turn the internal lights on if it is dark outside, and place both hands on the steering wheel in front of you. Upon request from the officer, you need to give your name and your driver’s license and registration.

The officer may ask other questions about where you have been, where you were going, or if you were drinking, which you have the right to politely decline to answer. The officer will likely go back to the cruiser to run your information, and you should remain still with your hands on the wheel until they return with your license. If the officer believes that you have violated the law, the officer may issue you a traffic ticket, which will have a court summons. In some cases, the officer may arrest you for more serious offenses.

Protecting Your Rights – What to Expect

You have several rights when stopped by police officers. Most notoriously, you have Miranda rights which are the right to remain silent, the right to be told that anything you say can and will be used against you, the right to an attorney, and the right to be appointed an attorney if you cannot afford one.

The right that is most relevant to a traffic stop is the right to remain silent. Many times, police officers will pull drivers over for something like failing to stop at a stop sign or speeding, in which case, trying to talk your way out of it will likely not change the officer’s mind about issuing a ticket for the violation.

However, if the officer believes that the driver was driving while under the influence, the officer may start asking the driver questions like if the driver was drinking, why they are driving late at night, and other questions about driving under the influence. The driver has the right to not answer these questions, and it should be noted that trying to get out of a DUI by saying “I’ve only had two beers today,” will only help the state’s DUI case against the driver. It is best to give the officer your name and license number and remain silent afterward.

Stop Categories – What to Expect

All traffic stops are categorized by the police officer and placed into an investigative, equipment, or motor vehicle violation category. Investigative stops are generally used by police officers who have suspicions that a driver is in possession of drugs or has weapons in their vehicle, and they use a traffic violation like speeding as a pretext to stop the driver and investigate.

Equipment violations are stops that occur when a police officer notices that a vehicle has something wrong with it, such as a broken tail light or a missing license plate. Finally, motor vehicle infractions are the most common stops that occur when the police officer witnesses a vehicle violate a motor vehicle law, like speeding, failing to stop, or following too closely.

Regardless of the reason for the stop, the police officer is in a position of power over the driver, and any driver stopped by police must remain calm and respectful while also knowing how to and when to exercise their rights. If you have been pulled over by police in Connecticut, or if you have been charged with DUI, contact Lady DUI to find out more.