Lawyer says there is one question you should 'never answer' if pulled over by police
Being pulled over in your car by a police officer can be a paralysing experience for many drivers out there.
However, even if you know that you're in the wrong, it's vital to maintain some essence of calm.
Should you ever find yourself in a sticky situation such as this, YouTuber-cum-solicitor @Lawbylawson has urged everyone to compose themselves and avoid answering a commonly asked opening question once the driver's window is wound down.
In a YouTube Short, the content creator revealed: "Here's a police question you should never answer: 'Good morning sir, d'ya know why I've pulled you over today?'"
Advert
@Lawbylawson proceeded to explain why this on-the-surface politeness is actually very leading in nature, and often trips people up into confessing to something the officer wasn't even getting at.
"If an officer asks for the reason why they've pulled you over, don't answer this question," he said.
"Instead, say: 'No officer, please tell...' because unless you're a mind-reader, you cannot be sure of the exact reason that the officer has stopped you.
"The issue with this opening question is that it can trick you into admitting an offence that you weren't aware of. For example, if you were eating, smoking, or on your phone, you don't want to admit this before the officer has even told you why they stopped you in the first place," continued the YouTuber.
"The officer may not even have an offence in mind, as they are entitled to stop you whenever they want. Keep in mind that your speculative answers could be considered confessions to offences such as careless driving and can be used against you in a court of law. So keep it nice and simple, and just say: 'No officer, please tell...'"
This helpful insight echoes exactly what TikTok lawyer @tiktokstreetlawyer shared a couple of years ago.
"You don't know exactly what's going through the officer's mind, right?" he told his millions of followers. "The problem with this classic police stop opening question is - it can be a trick question."
According to this particular lawyer, the question is designed to 'catch drivers off guard before they realise they are not legally required to answer this question'.
@tiktokstreetlawyer noted: "Imagine it's not a trick question and without knowing the offence you were accused of you answer: 'Because I ran a red light. Because I was speeding. Because I was eating a kebab. Because I am the Muffin Man'.
"You've just admitted to four criminal offences when the officer was only thinking and maybe only had evidence about one offence - assuming they had any offence in mind in the first place.
"Answering police questions based on ignorance and speculation increases the risk of you going to court and you having to plead guilty to being the Muffin Man."
Some serious food for thought for all the erratic drivers out there...
Dan Seddon