Questions are a common part of any traffic stop. Maybe you were just breaking the speed limit. The officer will probably ask you if you know how fast you were driving. In many cases, officers will just ask: “Do you know why I pulled you over today?” It could be any reason at all, from suspicion of impairment to an equipment violation.
In this situation, you may not be sure what you should say. You don’t want to cause any problems or make the officer angry, but do you actually have to answer their questions? You don’t want to incriminate yourself, of course, so you may be wary about telling the officer how fast you think you were driving or if you’ve had any alcohol that day. How should you proceed?
You are not obligated to answer questions
It is wise to be polite when talking to the officer, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything that they say. They are probably going to ask for your driver’s license, proof of insurance and registration. These are required, so you need to provide them to the officer upon request.
Beyond that, though, just politely tell the officer that you’re not going to answer any questions without your lawyer and that you are using your right to remain silent. They cannot arrest you for doing this. You don’t have to guess how fast you were driving or provide any other information. After all, the officer may intentionally be trying to get you to incriminate yourself, so answering could just make your situation much worse.
If you are facing charges, then it’s important to know what legal rights you have and what steps to take moving forward.