[AMF]

This doesn't necessarily apply in all states/counties/jurisdictions.

Some police departments are smarter than others.

Why o why would you want to pull over on the side of the freeway with cars, tractor/trailers, buses, etc speeding by you at 70mph? Why not drive to the next exit and pull off at the onramp? Is there THAT big of a hurry to issue a speeding ticket? How many "craziest videos" have we seen where the officer or the squad car (or both) or some portion of the traffic stop are struck by passing vehicles?

Furthermore, this crap about staying in the vehicle. Most state police like you to remain in your vehicle. Why? Wouldn't you whole lot rather have someone standing in between the vehicles where your high beams can help show you just what the hell they're doing? I'd much rather have someone get out of the car and walk to the back of their vehicle so I can see that he's not armed (or at least I can see their hands). Furthermore, there's a better view for the camera that's installed in most cruisers now.

A lot of places now will approach the passenger side (to shield the officer from traffic) and obviously, if there's more than one person in the vehicle, it may or may not make sense to have them get out (either one or all).....

but it's probably much more likely for a criminal to start some shat if all of his buddies are in the vehicle than if one is outside the vehicle (to the rear)....unless he's just gonna drive off and leave him.

I think people need to understand that most seasoned officers are going to approach a traffic stop with a bit of caution and assume the worst, after all, even if your plates come up clean, one wrong assumption on the officer's part could mean his/her life. What seemed like a traffic stop could turn out to be an armed engagement.

For those of us who carry, it's always smart to simply remain still with your hands at 2 O'clock and 10 O'clock until the officer approaches or gives instructions. In my state, I'm not required by law to inform a law enforcement agent that I'm carrying, but if the gun is accessible to me, I always tell them..."I'm a licensed conceal carrier and I'm carrying a firearm" that way there are no surprises later on. (if it's in the console or packed away, obviously there's no need to offer that information).

As far as your response to a traffic stop....it doesn't matter. You could be doing 140mph or 85mph, whatever.....it all depends on what type of a guy the officer is (or gal) and what kind of a mood they're in....how busy they are...etc.

I've gotten out of tickets that I probably shouldn't have and I've gotten tickets that were complete bull$hit. I've admitted it, denied it, played dumb, all of the above...and the one thing I've learned is....there's no science to it. It's a roll of the dice.

The only bit of advice I can offer is if you're pulled over and it's something serious (like 20mph+) and you think you might fight it in court....then do NOT admit anything. Everything is on tape these days.

It's always better to fight every traffic violation, cause at a minimum you can get them knocked down, reclassified (to non-moving violations) etc and it all helps keep your insurance reasonable. And trust me, if you don't fight the ticket that you could have and just pay it, the next time you get pulled over for a ticket that's solid, you're going to wish you had.