How to avoid a search of your vehicle
Thomas Wadley • January 30, 2026
HOW NOT TO GET YOUR CAR SEARCHED AND GET ARRESTED
A frequent issue motorists run across is traffic stops that lead to searches that lead to arrests. There are a number of common-sense rules to avoid traffic stops, but more equally important are steps to take to avoid arrests.
First, your car. Are all your lights working, is there a headlight out or tag light out. Check your car every time you get into it to make sure these lights are functioning properly. It is extremely common to get pulled over for a tag light or headlight out.
Is the registration sticker on your tag valid. People overlook this all the time. If your registration is expired you should take care of that immediately. There is a yellow sticker, in Florida, that is affixed to the tag and this sticker has a month and year that usually corresponds to the birth date of the person the car is registered to (but not always).
We see many traffic stops based the claim that window tint is too dark. This is purely a judgment call by police officers and it appears there is no real criteria by which officers are examined or tested to know if they really have the ability to judge whether a tint is unlawful just on eyesight. At this point it doesn’t seem like courts in Florida are too concerned about mistakes officers make on judging whether tint is too dark or not. Officers do make traffic stops based on tint where they are wrong. Police officers carry a device that allows them to measure window tint after a traffic stop. So what is the solution? There is not a real black and white answer to this question. My suggestion is if you having the windows on your car tinted make sure the people doing it have testing devices that verify the tinting complies with the law. If you are stopped based on a claim your tint is too dark I would highly suggest you ask to officer to test the window.
Some other common-sense suggestions are: know where your driver license is, know where your proof of insurance is and know where your registration is. Not being able to retrieve these items in a reasonably timely fashion can lead to suspicion which can lead to further investigation. It is also common that when people move they do not update the address on their license. This is actually a violation of the law. You have a very short window to do this. Try to take care of this as soon as possible.
Don’t have open containers of alcohol in the car. Don’t drink in the car. Don’t have joints, blunts or other marijuana items in the car that create a smell. Smell of marijuana will get your car searched.
If you have a firearm in the car make sure it is securely encased, preferably in a holster with the fastener snapped. An open firearm seen by police is going to create a potentially dangerous situation. If you are stopped it is probably advisable to tell police you are legally in possession of a firearm and let them know where it is. If you have a felony conviction do not drive a car with a gun in it.
Drug paraphernalia is going to get your car searched. Don’t have it in the car. Remember the police can look through windows open or closed, they can use flashlights to look into your car.
In short, make sure your vehicle’s registration is up to date, have required documents like your driver license, don’t have tint too dark, make sure the equipment on the vehicle is in proper condition, don’t have open alcohol in the car or drugs and have firearms secured. Use your common-sense and stay safe.
It is extremely common to slip, trip and fall in a situation where there is an unexpected hazard. This can be in a store, a business, restaurant, a sidewalk or someone's home. It is important to understand that if you are injured and want to consider whether you should attempt to hold someone responsible for your injuries you must take steps to protect yourself immediately. What can you do to help yourself. So first, in most situations. particularly in a store, an employee or passerby will show up almost immediately. It cannot be emphasized enough, GET THEIR NAME AND NUMBER WITHOUT DELAY. Second, if you have a phone photograph what caused the fall whether it was liquid, a crack in pavement or whatever. It cannot be emphasized enough that witnesses disappear and the identify of employees in stores, for example, become forgotten within days of the incident. I cannot count the number of times a client has told me there were people all around, including employees and they didn't get anybody's name. In follow up claims or litigation the store cannot seem to produce the names of employee who was not only present, but sometimes actually caused the incident. it is extremely important to understand a business is not liable just because you fell on their premises. For them to be liable there has to be negligence. Indeed, even the fact that you may have fallen on liquid in an aisle at store does not make the business liable. There has to be proof of negligence. For example, in the scenario of falling on a liquid, how long had it been there, what color was it, is there circumstantial proof that it had been on the floor long enough for employees to have discovered it and cleaned it before you fell. It cannot be emphasized enough. KNOW WHY YOU FELL. The best time to figure this out is right after it happened. Was there water leaking from a cooler, was there spilled liquid from an item stocked on a nearby shelf. Look at your surroundings. Were there shopping cart tracks in the liquid, (showing that it had been there for a while). Whatever it is, is going to get cleaned up almost as soon as you report it and then the evidence will be gone. The name of the employee who cleaned is likely to disappear as well. These cases are difficult. The more you do to help yourself on the scene the better your chances of a favorable outcome. If there are no witnesses or an employee does not show up on the scene of your fall, report it to management immediately. Don't finish shopping, don't go home and come back. REPORT IT IMMEDIA'TELY. Demand a copy of the incident report. They may not give it to you, but ask for it anyway. Stores and businesses typically have management fill out incident reports. Get the name of the manager or person who took down information from you. Again, the identity of these people has a way of becoming a mystery later on that the business can't seem solve. Don't delay in seeking medical treatment. If you're in pain do something about it. Going to a lawyer before you seek medical treatment is a bad idea. The more you help yourself the more we can help you.
The difference between bodily injury coverage and uninsured motorist coverage and why it's important
In Florida, neither bodily injury coverage (BI) or uninsured motorist (UM) coverage are required by law. Bodily injury coverage in the type of insurance that pays you for injuries, medical bills, pain and loss of enjoyment of life from the insurance company of an at fault driver. If an at fault driver injures you the bodily injury coverage carried by that at fault driver may determine the value of your case, or what you may potentially recover. For example, if that driver carries bodily injury limits of $10,000 your claim may only be worth $10,000 no matter how hurt you are. For this reason, it is always important for you to buy uninsured motorist coverage from your insurance company in the highest limits you can afford. Using the same example, if you are hit by an at fault driver who is again, only carrying $10,000 in bodily injury coverage, but you have uninsured motorist coverage of $100,000 now you can potentially recover up to $110,000. We repeatedly meet with injured accident victim client who were hurt by careless drivers who had NO BI and the client had NO UM. In this case we have to tell people, again, no matter how hurt they are there is no recovery. Insurance companies are required by law to offer you the option to purchase UM in the same policy limits as the BI you are carrying on your car. If you aren't carrying BI and UM you are not protecting yourself. I don't know over the years how many times I have heard people tell me they have "full coverage" and yet had no idea whether they had UM or not and frequently didn't. Check your insurance coverage and if you aren't carrying UM do so at once. It could be the difference between being fairly compensated or getting nothing.
