There’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling you get when you look in your rearview mirror and see the red and blue flashing lights. You were speeding and now you’ve been caught.
Getting pulled over is bad enough but knowing how you should react when the cop approaches your window is even worse. It’s hard to know what to say and how to act.
The best way to handle an officer that has just pulled you over is to not volunteer any information. Don’t roll down your window and say that you knew you were speeding, that’s a confession of guilt and will hurt your case if you decide to fight the ticket. Let the officer tell you how many miles you were going over the speed limit.
Once they state that you were speeding, don’t argue with them about. Just say okay. Arguing pretty much ruins any chance of the officer letting you go with a warning. They’ll issue the ticket and get angry with you. If you think you’re being treated unfairly, accept the ticket, and then make a court date so that you can fight the issue.
Stay cool, calm, and relaxed when they ask for your license, registration, and proof of insurance. Ideally, you should already have these in your hand by the time you reach the officer. If you keep the information in a strange place such as the backseat, trunk, or under the seat, let the officer know before you start groping for the paperwork. You don’t want the patrol cop to think that you’re fishing for a weapon.
You should remain relaxed and friendly while speaking to the officer. It’s okay to smile a little bit, in a friendly manner, but you want to make sure you don’t say too much either. Don’t tell them that you always speed through the section of road, or that you forgot to look for a speed limit sign. When it comes to getting pulled over, the less information you volunteer, the better.