Most students don’t know what to do when pulled over by an officer. Where should the passenger put his or her hands? Where should the driver put his or hers? All of these questions are answered in the new section of the driver’s handbook that will be given to students starting this year.

  The General Assembly has asked the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to edit its guidelines about traffic stops and the state Department of Public Instruction teach teens about the new guidelines in the classroom portion of the Driver’s Education.

   The DMV also issued a video about the new guidelines. Captain Michael Bruce of the Raleigh
Police Department instructs students about what to do with a demonstration of man being pulled over. It covers all of the basics about what to do and what not to do when stopped by an officer.

  “I think people get in bad situations because they don’t know what to do when a police officer pulls them over, and I think those bad situations are preventable when people are prepared,” junior Natalie Bodenstine said.

  Any passengers should keep their hands visible. The driver should keep his or her hands on the steering wheel, and if asked to get their license and registration, the person should inform the officer before reaching in a pocket or glove compartment.

  The driver should also inform the officer if they are carrying a registered concealed weapon. Most importantly, both the officer and the driver (and passengers, if any) should treat each other with mutual respect so the traffic stop can go smooth.

  Michael Foran, Broughton’s SRO officer, was asked how he felt about the new DMV law.

  “I believe it’s a good idea; it tells people exactly what to do,” Foran said to WCAP TV. He also likes the idea that it goes into detail about what an officer would do during a traffic stop and for the driver to remain calm.  

  “If I would’ve been taught what to do in Driver’s Ed, I would have been more prepared if I ever got into a run in with the police,” junior Trinity Harris said.