CPD Academy Practice Test

During a lawful traffic stop, officer safety allows the driver to be asked to exit the vehicle. This principle was established in Pennsylvania v. Mimms, where the Supreme Court held that ordering the driver to step out of the car during a routine stop does not violate the Fourth Amendment. The rationale is that stepping out reduces the risk to the officer from movements inside the vehicle and the intrusion is minimal given that the stop is already in progress. This rule focuses on safety during traffic stops rather than on searching or arrest procedures. For additional context, Maryland v. Wilson later extended the concept to passengers as well, but the core idea remains that requiring the driver to exit is permissible for safety during a stop. The other listed cases deal with different aspects—Miranda v. Arizona with interrogation rights, Terry v. Ohio with the standards for stop-and-frisk based on reasonable suspicion, and Brown v. Texas with issues of stops lacking reasonable suspicion in pedestrian contexts—so they don’t address ordering a driver out of a stopped car.