Question: When you get stopped for speeding or something on the highway, it seems like police always start by asking, “Do you know how fast you were going?” or “Do you know why I stopped you?”
Why do they do this? And what’s the best way to answer? – Jeremy, Tacoma
Answer: They’re not just being curious.
“They want drivers to incriminate themselves by hopefully acknowledging that they have been speeding,” said Rob Freeby, a Tacoma criminal defense attorney who specializes in traffic issues.
The best way to respond, Freeby says, is to either say, “I was driving the speed limit” or “I don’t want to answer that question before talking to an attorney.”
Rob Carson, rob.carson@thenewstribune.com.
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