Walk It Through: The Stop on the Interstate
Blue lights at night, a safe place to pull over, a license and an insurance card on a phone, and a question about the trunk.
Blue lights come on behind a car on the interstate after dark. The shoulder is narrow and the next exit is close.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A speeding stop on an interstate that ends in a warning. A DUI investigation, a dog sniff on its own suspicion, and a search on probable cause are on their own pages.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Evidence of insuranceAn insurance card, a declarations page, a binder or certificate, or a rental agreement naming the coverage, carried in the vehicle and shown on demand.
- Probable causeThe ground an officer needs to arrest for a felony without a warrant, and the ground a search warrant issues on, supported by an affidavit.
- Reasonable suspicionThe ground on which an officer may stop a person in a public place, when the officer reasonably suspects the person is committing, has committed or is about to commit a felony or other public offense.
- BailRelease from custody on a judge's order, which a defendant is entitled to as a matter of right before conviction outside the charges listed for a detention hearing.
- FelonyAn offense for which a sentence of imprisonment of more than one year is authorized. Felonies are Class A, B, C or D.
- ViolationAn offense below a misdemeanor, punished by up to 30 days in the county jail and a fine of no more than $200.