The flashing blue lights in your rearview mirror rarely mean that a police officer is going to pull you over and congratulate you for safe driving. A Texas traffic stop occurs when the officer has seen you allegedly violating a traffic law.

If you are pulled over, here are some tips for making the Texas traffic stop as painless as possible:

• Be courteous. You may not think you have done anything wrong but being confrontational is not going to help.
• Do everything the police officer says. You can worry about whether or not a search is violating your civil rights after you have talked to an attorney. If you disobey the officer, he or she could arrest you for obstruction.
• Stay calm. Sometimes the officer will just issue a warning. You will be more likely to get a warning if you are calm, polite and you obey the officer's commands.