I was driving on an interstate highway with a speed limit of 60 miles per hour. Being a cautious driver, I set the cruise control just below the limit, allowing me to relax, enjoy the scenery, and avoid speeding. Suddenly, I noticed two dark pickup trucks with flashing blue and white lights appearing close behind my vehicle. Thinking I hadn't done anything wrong, I continued driving. After about one mile, even though I had overtaken a few cars, those two trucks continued to follow closely. I decided to pull over to the shoulder and stop. I rolled down my window, placed both hands on the steering wheel, and just as expected, the two police vehicles stopped behind me. Two officers exited their trucks, hands hovering over their holstered weapons, and slowly approached my car door. They were from the Alabama State Highway Patrol.
One officer leaned in, asked for my driver's license, and then requested me to step out of the car. He confirmed I wasn't carrying any weapons, then politely asked me to stand still for a weapon search. Afterward, he invited me to sit in the passenger seat of the police vehicle, while he took the driver's seat. The cockpit was equipped with a computer, and the interrogation began. Meanwhile, the other officer remained at my rental car and started questioning the rest of my family.
The questioning lasted about 20 minutes, covering a range of topics: why I was in the US, who I was traveling with, where I had been and where I was going, when I flew in and out (requiring flight tickets), if I had ever driven in the US before, if I had ever been stopped by police. They also asked about my profession, company, my children's school in the US, their major, and even if I smoked (because they saw a lighter in my pocket) and what type. During the interrogation, I noticed a K9 unit behind a perforated steel partition directly behind me, occasionally growling in its confined compartment.
After the interview, the two officers huddled for a few minutes, then asked my entire family to exit our vehicle. It was then that they clearly explained the reasons for the stop:
First, my vehicle had made a lane change. Although I used the turn signal, the timing was slightly delayed, potentially creating a hazard for myself and other vehicles on the road.
Second, when a vehicle displays blue and white flashing lights, it means you must pull over to the side of the road immediately. Continuing to drive is considered non-compliance and resistance.
I explained that, from watching American movies, I was used to seeing police officers use loudspeakers and sirens to signal a vehicle to stop. The two officers explained that this practice is outdated; now, they primarily use light signals because high-speed highways make it difficult to hear a loudspeaker. They added that a few days prior, a German family on a road trip also misunderstood the signals, so they could understand my situation. The important thing was to acknowledge the mistake and not repeat it.
However, to complete their procedure, they requested permission to open our luggage and search the car to ensure there were no weapons or prohibited items. They mentioned that it's common for immigrants to transport illegal goods or stolen items across state lines for sale. My car had Colorado plates, I had been driving continuously across multiple states for several days, and I had initially failed to comply with their stop signal, so a search was necessary. This added another 15 minutes to the process.
Reflecting on it, their request for me to sit near the K9 unit was not without reason. If there were any illicit substances, it would be impossible to get past that keen-nosed "gentleman". Similarly, it wasn't arbitrary that they separated our group for parallel interviews in both vehicles. If anyone lied, they could easily detect discrepancies between the interrogation results from each car.
Naturally, they only found our personal belongings and the food supplies we had brought. Consequently, they returned my documents and wished us an enjoyable road trip. For me, this encounter with them had already become a truly interesting highlight. As they left, they also warned us that security in Birmingham, where we were headed, was not good, so we should avoid staying out too late at night.
The entire process took about 40 minutes and was a significant experience. If you ever encounter US traffic police and see blue/white or red flashing lights close behind your vehicle, remember to slowly pull over to the side of the road, stop, roll down your window, place both hands on the steering wheel, and calmly and honestly answer their questions. If you have only inadvertently committed a minor offense, they will likely give a warning and let it go. However, if you panic and intentionally provide false or evasive information that they discover, the situation will surely become more complicated.
Before this incident, I had already driven more than 10,000 km on road trips across nearly 20 US states. Yet, on every journey, there are always new things to learn daily.
John Nguyen Minh
