Why Do Police Touch The Back Of Your Car On A Traffic Stop?

I hate to admit it, but in my youth, I was a bit of a speed demon, so I've had my fair share of run-ins with the police in Montana.

For those that have never been pulled over for a traffic stop, you've never gotten the chance to notice that before talking to you, the police will touch your car. Well, there are 3 good reasons for that.

REASON #1

The first one comes from Readers Digest, and they say the reason for a police officer touching your car is as follows,

Basically, if the officer’s safety were to be jeopardized by the driver, or if the car fled, investigators could track that fingerprint to the suspect in question. Who knew?!

This is probably the one reason you've heard of for the police to touch your vehicle upon approaching it, but the following two reasons I had never heard of before.

Reason #2

This reason comes from the website MotorVerso, and the reason they give as to why a cop touches the rear of your car during a traffic stop is because

Police officers may touch a stopped vehicle’s rear to check that the trunk is closed if they believe it to be risky. Although it might seem unusual, the police employ this tactic to ensure nobody lurks under the trunk who could emerge at any moment and harm them.

RELATED: A Tribute To The Fallen Peace Officers Of Montana

Reason #3

Once again from MotorVerso,

To terrify drivers is the third reason police officers touch the taillight or other areas at the back of cars during traffic stops. Police officers run the possibility of deadly circumstances during traffic stops.

One solution to this issue is to touch a car’s back. The driver may not have anticipated the tap. Consequently, the officer will probably frighten them when it occurs. The motorist will then stop and wait a short while.

The little wait allows the police officer time to determine whether the driver is making any attempt to conceal anything.

All 3 reasons are to keep the officer safe and allow them time to observe and assess the situation at hand to help make the right decision. You can make the right decision too by learning what NOT to do when pulled over, thanks to the gallery below. 👇