Massachusetts driving lesson · Special Situations & Crashes
Traffic Stops
A 4-minute lesson from the Massachusetts course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
State law requires you to pull over and stop when signaled by a police officer, whether in a car or on foot. Stops can make both you and the officer anxious; calm, predictable actions keep everyone safe.
Know the rule
Don't ignore the officer's signal. Turn on your signal, check your mirrors, and move carefully and completely to the right side of the road; do NOT pull over to the left. If the officer drives by, return to the travel lane when safe.
Wait until the officer asks for your license and registration before you or a passenger reaches into the glove compartment, and don't hand them over in a wallet or holder. Sudden movements, or reaching under seats or into unlit areas, can look threatening.
If you refuse to give your name and address, you can also be arrested and face criminal charges. An officer not in uniform will show credentials, or you may ask to see them.
Outside Massachusetts, an officer may ask for proof of insurance. Massachusetts doesn't issue insurance cards; your registration identifies your insurance carrier.
Give the officer your full attention and don't use a cell phone. Stay in the vehicle when the officer returns to the police car; if you find something requested, hold it out the window and wait.
If you get a ticket, don't argue: once issued, the officer must file it and can't take it back, but you may challenge it in court. Massachusetts doesn't require you to sign a citation; where you do sign, it only confirms receipt.
When told you can go, signal, check your mirrors and return to the travel lane; on a highway, speed up in the breakdown lane before merging. If you believe you were stopped because of race or gender, report it to the officer's department.
Stopped at night, you remember your registration is in the glove box. Keep your hands on the wheel with the interior light on, and wait until the officer asks for your documents before reaching for it.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
When a police officer signals you to pull over, where should you stop?
In the travel lane with hazards on
To the left side of the road
In the nearest intersection
Fully to the right side
Answer: Fully to the right side
You must pull your vehicle completely to the right side of the road.