Video Transcription:
I want to answer a question today that I’ve been asked regularly by parents and other clients over many years. That question is: What do I do if I’m getting pulled over? In those situations, there are a number of things to consider.
First of all, identify that you are in fact the one being pulled over, and that it is you the police want. That’s an important element here. If this is happening and you’re sure of that, what you’re going to want to do is, at the very least, turn your signal on to the right and start to pull over. Slow down your speed and do so in a very non-abrupt way. When you do pull over, simply roll down your window.
The question reminds me of a client I had who got scared as soon as he realized the police wanted to talk to him. The reality of this young gentleman’s case was that when he saw that happening, the first thing he did was slam on the brakes, sliding to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway and causing the officer to have to avoid a collision. That’s what we don’t want to do under any circumstance.
You want to be slow, stay calm, and everything will be absolutely fine. Just do very normal things—roll down your window, put your hands in a place the officer can see them. The best place is at the “ten and two” position on the steering wheel, so the officer can see you’re no threat. The officer will come to the door and ask for your license, ownership, and insurance. Then slowly attempt to get those documents.
That’s the best maneuver you can make to ease the situation. There’s nothing to fear; everything is completely safe. I would remind you in that situation that you do have a right to remain silent, and I would suggest you exercise that. But that does not mean you do not talk to the officer. If he asks for documentation, you try to provide it or tell him where it may be.
