Lawyer shares the seven rules to follow if you are pulled over by police

A lawyer has outlined seven simple rules to reduce the chances of you being thrown in jail if the police pull you over.

Unless you're a truly terrible driver, getting pulled over by police is probably a rare and pretty stressful experience for you.

UK-based lawyer @tiktokstreetlawyer has a lot of advice for folks who do find themselves in the unfortunate situation of facing questions from police, where anxiety and fear can make it easy for you to say something you wish you hadn't.

The TikTok star has already let people know exactly what they shouldn't say when approached by a police officer and also alluded to the one question that you should never answer.

Although you might consider yourself a safe and sensible driver, there are so many rules on the road that it's easy to trip up, so you should always be prepared to talk to police in a way that you know won't land you in any more trouble.

Fortunately, the TikTok lawyer also has a list of seven rules that you need to follow if you are pulled over in the near future, and following them could be the different between not getting a ticket or landing yourself in jail, driving offence dependent of course.

His rules were as follows:

Don't talk too much

We all know someone who can't stop speaking when they're stressed and the last thing you want to do is blurt out something you're not supposed to when speaking to the police.

He advised staying silent if you have nothing good to say about your actions and responding: "No comment."

Breathe slow, talk slow

As worried as you might be, the police officer is unlikely to throw you straight in jail unless you've done something seriously bad.

If you avoid hyperventilating and ensure you don't speak like Vicky Pollard, then hopefully you also won't raise any suspicion of being on drugs.

Stay put, stay still

The last thing you want to try when police come knocking is to do a runner, as that's only going to make you look more guilty, and you could also face a charge for resisting arrest.

Just sit calmly in your car while you converse with the police officer.

Be serious

Personally this is the one I'd struggle with most as there's always the opportunity for jokes, but the police are unlikely to find it funny.

So maybe if the officer tells you you'll have to do a drugs test, don't ask them which drugs you'll be testing.

Don't get angry or swear

Being hot-headed is not what you want to do in this situation, no matter how unjust you might think them pulling you over might be.

The best way to leave the situation quickly is to show them respect and be calm, and if you don't the lawyer warned you could be arrested for a public order offence.

Don't argue

Unless you want to land yourselves with more than a ticket, you probably don't want to argue with a police officer's decision.

If you really disagree with what they are doing or sanctioning you with, you can always argue about it later, but this isn't the right place for that.

Instead, you can easily file a complaint to the relevant police force after the incident is over.

Know your rights

Finally, if you're not confident in knowing what your rights are, the best thing may well be to simply say 'no comment' and wait for a lawyer to be provided for you at the station.

The lawyer suggests asking questions such as 'am I free to leave?' and 'what law are you using to detain me?'.