When the police pull you over, you nervously wait in your car, hoping that you do everything right. You do not want to get arrested. You do not want to escalate the situation because you’re worried that the police may resort to deadly force. You just want to get the traffic stop over with so you can go home.
Then the officer comes to your window and begins to ask questions. You do not feel like you want to answer the questions because you’re afraid you may incriminate yourself. Maybe the officer is asking you if you had anything to drink or if you know how fast you were driving. Answering these questions seems like a surefire way to admit guilt.
But is refusing to answer them just going to make your situation worse? Are you even legally allowed to refuse?
Identifying information
As a general rule, all you have to provide to an officer during a traffic stop is the appropriate identifying information. This begins with your driver’s license, which you are required to have to operate the vehicle at all. On top of that, the police will ask for paperwork about your vehicle, like your registration and proof of insurance.
But when questions go beyond the basics, you have a right to remain silent. You also have a right to an attorney. You can tell the officer that you don’t want to answer any questions and that you are not going to go through an interrogation until you have your lawyer.
This doesn’t guarantee you won’t be arrested, of course. You could be, and you need to know what legal defense options you have if you are.
