How To Pull Over

By Damon Dallah

The actual act of pulling over is a very crucial moment of the traffic stop. If you do this wrong, you can write your own ticket.

The tips that follow will give you a better idea of how to properly pull over when those red and blue lights start flashing.

As soon as you notice the officer signaling for you to pull over, immediately acknowledge his presence with a friendly wave. Then, wait till it's safe to do so and pull to the right of the curb.
It is important that you pull over to the right as far as possible. He would greatly appreciate all the space you give him so that he can place his car as a barrier from oncoming traffic.
Once you have pulled over, DO NOT get out of your vehicle! If you don't want to ruin your chance of driving away with only a warning, then I suggest you stay in your car. There's no reason to get out and you may just startle the officer!
Also, once you have pulled over, do not fidget, move, reach, grab, turn your head or do anything the officer might find suspicious. Remember, he is not sitting next to you and doesn't have a clue as to what it is you're doing. Look at it from his point of view.
Turn your engine off. It gives the officer that reassurance you won't be driving away unexpectedly.
If it is dark outside, turn your interior lights on. Also, if the weather allows and you have power windows, it might be a good idea to roll all your windows down. Especially do this if you have tinted windows.
Do what I like to call the common courtesies: get rid of that gum in your mouth and extinguish your cigarette. So many people forget to do this and end up pissing off the officer which makes it easier for him to write the ticket.
If you have passengers in the car with you, instruct them to sit still and not to speak unless spoken to.
Place both hands on the steering wheel. This is very important that you do this. By keeping your hands in plain view, you allow the officer to feel more at ease with the whole traffic stop. He isn't worried about you pulling out a gun because he knows you are purposely showing him your hands. They take notice of these things and instantly begin to like you.

If you've observed, there is a common theme among all of the elements. By pulling over this way, you lower the officer's apprehension and achieve the all important purpose of getting the officer to perceive you as a non-threat.

By doing things differently than most other people would, the officer takes notice and immediately begins to lean towards issuing a warning instead.

Unlike everyone else he's pulled over that day, you were significantly considerate and subtle in your actions. You did things the right way. Every cop will greatly value this and (in some cases) ultimately decide in not writing you a ticket.