Why police touch tail light

So if you thought police officers were just like kids at the mall who feel the need to put their hands on every single bright, shiny object and every cool-looking toy at the store, you know now that's not the case.

Instead, they're making sure you're not plotting a murderous surprise in your trunk, and they want their prints on your vehicle in case you attempt to claim that they never pulled you over in the first place. Or maybe you know now that if you do flee the scene of a traffic stop, you should clean the back of your car very very thoroughly.

Are Randos Friending You on Snapchat? Here's How to Stop That. There are many reasons why US police officers touch a vehicle's taillight when they pull a driver over. According to Law Dictionary , before cameras were installed on the dashboards of most police vehicles, tapping the taillight was a way for officers to leave behind evidence of the encounter.

If something were to happen to the officer during the traffic stop, their interaction with the driver could be traced back to the fingerprints left on the vehicle. This would help other police officers track down a missing member of the force even without video proof of a crime.

Touching a taillight poses an unnecessary distraction for officers, not to mention it can give away their position, making them more vulnerable to foul play. BY Michele Debczak.

Cars law News. However, as digital technology becomes more widely used, there are more accurate ways for officers to gather information and record evidence in the modern era. Each time law enforcement pulls a driver over, they don't know what they might face. That person may carry a weapon, possess drugs or show impairment.

When an officer approaches, a driver involved in a nefarious activity may attempt to hide whatever contraband or prohibited items they have in the vehicle before the officer can get up to the window.

When an officer taps the tail light, it may startle that motorist from their momentary goal of hiding criminal evidence and give the officer the opportunity to witness their ruse. According to The Law Dictionary , this practice has shown success in increasing arrests of impaired or intoxicated drivers, sellers of prohibited substances and those in possession of unlicensed firearms or involved in other offenses.

Touching the tail light can serve as evidence for an officer in a vulnerable situation. In decades past, an officer touched a driver's tail light at a traffic stop to leave fingerprints somewhere on the car.