When a person is pulled over for a traffic stop, he or she has certain constitutional protections. The US Supreme Court has ruled that a traffic stop, although a minimum detention by law enforcement does trigger Fourth Amendment guarantees of unlawful search and seizure. During the course of a traffic stop, the officer is allowed to ask for your travel documents, things like driver’s license, insurance, registration or rental agreement.
The officer is allowed to run your name through their computer to check for any warrants that may be out for your arrest or to verify that your driver’s license is in fact valid.
