What should you do when you get pulled over?
Signal, pull to the right when safe, engine off, interior light on if dark, window down, hands visible on the wheel. Announce reaches before making them: my registration is in the glovebox, I am getting it now. Passengers keep hands visible too. None of this concedes anything; it lowers the temperature of an encounter that is statistically tense for both parties.
You must provide license, registration, and proof of insurance. Beyond that, you have the right to remain silent past identifying yourself, and you may decline a vehicle search, said calmly: I do not consent to a search. Officers can still search with probable cause, and refusing consent preserves your lawyer's arguments later. Do not argue the ticket at the window; roadside debate has a zero percent success rate and court exists precisely for that.
Sign the ticket if asked, it is a receipt, not a confession, note the details afterward, and contest it before a judge if you believe it is wrong. That is the venue where being right counts.
Pull right, engine off, hands on the wheel, and move only when asked. Provide license and registration, skip the roadside debate, and save every argument for court, where it can actually win.
- ACLU know your rights
- NHTSA traffic stop guidance
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https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/what-to-do-when-pulled-over/Everybody Asks. (2026, July 28). What should you do when you get pulled over? https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/what-to-do-when-pulled-over/“What should you do when you get pulled over?” Everybody Asks, 28 July 2026, https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/what-to-do-when-pulled-over/.“What should you do when you get pulled over?” Everybody Asks. Last modified July 28, 2026. https://frequentlyaskedquestions.us/q/what-to-do-when-pulled-over/.This page summarizes the primary sources listed above. For academic or encyclopedic work, cite those primary sources directly wherever possible.