You don’t know it at the time, but a split-second before you notice the red and blue flashing in your rear view mirror; a siren’s scream makes you flinch. Your cell phone leaps from your right hand and falls to the floor. The Diet Coke can in your left hand free falls into your lap, pooling into a cold, foamy puddle in your crotch.

How long had the cop been there, you wonder. You also wonder what the heck you did wrong. Did I run a stop sign? Did I signal my turn? Was I speeding? What is the speed limit, anyway?

You continue to wonder what you did wrong; you forget about your cell phone sliding around on the floorboard and about the fizzy brown liquid soaking through your jeans, but instead of pulling over, you continue to drive. You just don’t feel this is a good place to stop; you’re going to keep going until you find a better place to stop.

Now, strangely, your thoughts turn from, what did I do wrong, to, I didn’t do anything wrong, and, why is this cop stopping me for no reason? I say, strangely, because presumably you’d prefer a friendly little warning to a nasty, and costly, ticket—right? Well, seems you’re off to a bad start.

For one thing, the officer’s already provided you with an excellent clue as to where to stop your car; it’s where he first switched on his emergency lights. For further clarification, let’s eavesdrop on Johnny Law’s thoughts for a moment: Geez, he cruised right through the stop sign—barely slowed down. Better stop him and have a chat. This looks like a good place to stop; the officer thinks as he reaches down and flips on his red and blue lights.

Wonder why this guy won’t stop? I wonder if he’s trying to hide his dope, or a gun? The officer’s mind is buzzing. I wonder if his license is suspended, so he’s trying to find a legal spot to park his car, so it won’t get towed. I wonder if he’s wanted and is trying to lure me to a place where he can ambush me, or escape on foot. I wonder if…

Now look what you did? Do you think you’ve put Officer Friendly in the mood to give you a warning, or do you think you’ve just created an Officer Nasty who’s now in a ticket-writin’ mood? Yeah; that last thing.

If an officer stops you for a minor traffic violation your best bet is to keep the officer in the best mood possible for when he ambles up to your window. You know how they say you only get one chance to make a first impression? Well, “they” are pretty smart and perhaps you should listen to them—or “they.” The first impression the officer gets of you is what you do the moment after he turns on his emergency lights.

Well okay, it could be argued that it’s the second impression after whatever bone-headed move he stopped you for, but for our purposes, you can redeem yourself by doing the following directly after you see the police car’s lights or hear its siren: slow down, safely pull to the right side of the roadway, and stop your car. You’d be surprised how often this seemingly simple task is stretched, twisted, skewed, or simply discarded.

Later we’ll discuss what comes after you’ve safely pulled over. And no, it’s not you saying, “Don’t you have anything better to do?” to the nice officer who stopped you.