Seriously, be sure you and your family members know to TELL the cop where you are going to reach for your registration docs BEFORE you start going for it under the seat, etc.
Roger that!! I've told them all and it's usually not a problem. I've also taught everyone that if they are stopped at night to pull over in a safe area/position, stop the motor, turn on the interior dome lights, and sit still with hands on the steering wheel until the officer appears at the window and can see what you are doing. Seems to keep everybody a little calmer and relaxed.
Two short stories:
a. I was was stopped at one of those license/insurance road blocks once and I told the cop that I had to go to my trunk to get my paper work. She looked at me a little funny and I quickly added that I keep the paper work in the truck so thieves don't know where to look. She kind of chuckled and waved me on.
b. My college aged daughter was stopped by a small town policeman 4-5 years ago for "passing a police officer" (
no such law in this state). He was in the right lane at 5 under the speed limit, she passed him on the left at the speed limit. He pulled her over and when she told him that she would have to exit the vehicle to retrieve the registration he then chewed her out and told her she was violating state law because she didn't have the papers in the glove box (more
no such law in this state). She did the correct thing, didn't argue with this guy, and he eventually told her he was going to let her go with a warning. I told her not to sweat it, he had no violation to write in the first place, and he was either stopping her to investigate an out-of-town car or he wanted a closer look at one of the four coeds in the car.
