Remain Calm and Be Polite
Video Transcript: What should you do if you’re pulled over by the police? My name is Jason Sorensen. I’m an Oklahoma attorney at Wirth Law Office, and today we’re going to be talking about what you should do if you’re ever pulled over by the police.
So this is a common situation for everyone. Everyone gets pulled over. People tend to speed. People occasionally make traffic violations, but what do you do when you are pulled over? Well, the first step is obviously to pull over. Make sure you’re doing it in an area that is safe for both you and the officer. Turn your turn signal on, and get over to the shoulder of the road as soon as you can. Once you are pulled over, turn off your car, turn off your radio, and be ready to give the officer your full attention. Along with that, be polite and courteous with the officer as well.
A lot of times you can get out of traffic tickets just by being kind and courteous to the officer, being compliant with them, not trying to argue with them. A lot of times that goes a long way with the officer. They appreciate people complying with them and being polite, so a lot of times doing that can potentially get you out of a traffic ticket. Another important thing to keep in mind is, if you are carrying a weapon, you need to let them know as soon as possible. At first contact, you need to let the officer know that you have a weapon on you.
You’re actually legally obligated to do so in the State of Oklahoma, so if you are carrying a weapon, it’s really important that you make that known to the officer. Also, don’t make any sudden movements for anything, especially if you do have a weapon. It’s generally a good practice to just keep your hands on the steering wheel, don’t make any sudden reaches for anything. Really you don’t want to give the officer any reason to believe that their own safety is at risk, so just keep calm, be kind and courteous to the officer, don’t make sudden movements that don’t need to be done. Wait until they tell you to get your ID. Yeah, just keep calm and be polite, and a lot of times it’s going to go a long ways to get you out. That is not the time to argue.
Let’s say that you feel that you weren’t speeding or you didn’t make the traffic violation that they’re accusing you of, and you disagree with the officer. Well, your car is not a court of law. That is not the time to be arguing with the officer. Sign the ticket and wait to fight it another day in an appropriate location because trying to put up a fight right there is not going to do anybody any good. If anything, it is just going to get you into more trouble, so just sign the ticket. You’re not saying that you’re guilty of anything. You can fight it another day in an appropriate location like I said.
If you have any other questions about this, if you need help with a traffic ticket, or anything like that, visit makelaweasy.com or give us a call at Wirth Law Office to speak with a Tulsa traffic ticket lawyer.
