Reckless Driving Traffic Stops in Hampton

In most cases, someone should expect a traffic stop to be very quick and efficient, even if it is for a reckless driving charge in Hampton. There is not really a lot that needs to happen except getting the driver’s information, issuing the citation and formalizing a charge.

You should immediately start looking for a safe place to pull over. Generally, when a Hampton law enforcement officer has put his lights on somebody, there’s going to be a safe place to pull over pretty immediately. If there’s no shoulder readily available, then you can take the nearest exit and find somewhere safe to pull over like that or any other location that’s going to be a good place to be out of the way.

The Initial Stop

When a Hampton police officer has put his lights or siren on, you should immediately pull over as safely as you can. If you’re unable to, then you should turn your hazards on so that the police officer knows that you’re looking for a place to pull over and aren’t just trying to elude the police officer.

Once you’ve pulled over, you should roll down your window at least enough to be able to speak with the officer and be able to pass documents back and forth. You should keep your hands on the steering wheel and you should keep still and wait for the officers to address you before you start saying anything.

When the officer asks you to grab your registration and your license, then it’s okay to reach to the glove box. But until then, you should keep your hands on the steering wheel so the officer doesn’t have any reason to be alarmed or suspicious of you. You should leave your vehicle running so that when the stop is complete, you don’t run the risk of your vehicle not starting again. If the police officer indicates that you are being placed under arrest for reckless driving and continues to ask questions, make sure you verbalize that you would like to speak with a Hampton reckless driving attorney before you answer any of his questions.

Interacting With Law Enforcement

When the officer approaches your vehicle, generally, the officer will always ask you for your license and registration. Then the officer will take this information back to his cruiser to run your information and either issue you a citation or let you off with a warning. It is always better to not say anything to a police officer during this initial stop. You want to avoid making any mistakes and potential admissions that might negatively impact your case further down the line.

Sometimes the officer will asks you additional questions related to the stop and why you were pulled over. The officer may ask if you knew why you were pulled over or why you were speeding, or weaving, or doing whatever it is that he pulled you over for. These kinds of questions aren’t required to be answered by you. The best thing for you to do is to not answer them so that you don’t accidentally admit to anything that can later be used against you in court.

Where Should Your Hands Be While The Officer Approaches The Vehicle?

Your hands should be on the steering wheel. You want to make sure that you’re not alarming the officer in any way or doing anything that’s going to be cause for suspicion. The risk of reaching around your vehicle or doing anything that might be suspect is that then the stop could be extended and the officer might end up having probable cause to pat you down for weapons or to search your vehicle.

Being Issued a Ticket

When you give the officer your insurance and all your documents, the officer will take the information back to his cruiser where he will either issue you a citation or decide to let you off with a warning. He will come back to let you know that he’s either giving you a warning this time, or he’ll ask you to sign a summons and then let you go after you’ve signed and he’s given you a copy of it.

Is There Anything You Need to Look For On The Ticket?

It’s okay to just look at the ticket later. There’s nothing that’s going to be on that ticket that needs to be addressed in that moment. It’s better to just put the ticket aside for the moment and get back on the highway safely as soon as possible.

Getting Pulled Over at Night

If it’s nighttime, then the only difference is really going to be what area is safe to pull over and a lot of people are concerned that if they pull over on the side of a busy highway at night, they might get hit. They could also be concerned for their own safety because they don’t know this police officer and they don’t want to pull over somewhere completely secluded.

In situations like this, it’s okay to go a little bit farther to find somewhere safe to pull over or somewhere that’s a little more well-lit or populated like a gas station.

Additionally, it would be smart to turn on the interior light of your vehicle so that the officer can clearly see you, which should put him more at ease. It also shows the officer that you don’t have anything to hide in your vehicle.