You may be in your neighborhood or a thousand miles away from home but getting pulled over by law enforcement is embarrassing and scary. How you act on the traffic stop could determine whether you get a warning, a ticket or arrested. What should you do?

• Do everything the officer tells you, especially if he or she tells you to stay in your car.
• Try to have your license and insurance information ready before the officer approaches your window.
• Be careful what you do. If an officer sees you quickly reaching toward your glove box, he or she may think you are reaching for a weapon.
• Even if the officer is not being nice, be very polite. Show that you respect them.
• It is okay to sign the ticket. This doesn't mean you are pleading guilty and you will still have your day in court. In some jurisdictions, if you don't sign the ticket, you could go to jail.