Would you allow a cop to search your car without a warrant?

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I have nothing to hide, but I'd still refuse on principle.

[pbrower2a]

A man's home is his castle, but his car is legally fair game. Unless they are living quarters, motor vehicles do not require a search warrant.

[MaxQue]

A man's home is his castle, but his car is legally fair game. Unless they are living quarters, motor vehicles do not require a search warrant.

Well, in that case, US law is wrong.

[VPH]

Yeah. I don't have a darn thing to hide

[ProgressiveCanadian]

Obvious no on principle.

[Joe Biden 2020]

They won't find anything in my car, so I say search to your heart's content.  I don't drink, so there'd be no risk of open containers and I don't do drugs, so there's no risk of contraband in my car.

[7,052,770]

I had a cop (a Louisiana highway patrolman) pull me over and ask if I had anything in the trunk. I told him no. He looked at me funny but then was like "whatever" and didn't ask to see inside.

This was 2008 maybe. I probably would have let him see inside the trunk if he'd asked -- it was empty of course. Not sure what I'd do today. The guy was really intimidating, and while it's easy to sit here today and type that I wouldn't, I could see myself chickening out and just showing him the trunk. He would presumably just see an empty trunk and send me on.

[Donerail]

A man's home is his castle, but his car is legally fair game. Unless they are living quarters, motor vehicles do not require a search warrant.

Well, in that case, US law is wrong.

They don't require a search warrant, but there is the same requirement for probable cause before a search can be conducted.

[RFayette]

Yes.  No need to rock the boat.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Never.  Never.  Never!

I do not like them in a car
I do not like them in a bar

I do not like them, Sam I Am
I do not like  these cops of ham

[Leinad]

Never.

I don't care if I have nothing to hide, that's irrelevant. Without a warrant, I view that they have as much right to search in my car as I do in theirs.

In fact, I might would actually say "you can search mine if I can search yours." However, that would be idiotic, so I hope I'd let a simple "not unless you have a warrant" prevail.

[HAnnA MArin County]

I've only been pulled over once where he asked to search my car, and I said yes. Here's what happened:

It was late one night/early morning and I was, um, visiting a friend. Well, as I walking out and getting into my car from friend's house, a cop drove by. He slowed down and saw me getting into my car, and I was leaving town, sirens went on. He pulled me over and asked what I was doing out so late and I said I was visiting a friend. Gave him my license and proof of insurance, and he asked if he went to the friend's house and asked if I was there if the friend would say I was (?) and I said, well yeah, and he let me go. So as I was leaving town again, about five minutes later, he pulled me over again and said that the friend said I wasn't there, and then he asked if I was on drugs or if I had drugs in my car and I said no, and he asked to search my vehicle, and I said okay because I had nothing to hide. So he searched and found nothing, he apologized and was just "wondering" why I was there so late (I was about an hour away from home). I told him he probably didn't want to know but that I could assure him that I was not doing anything illegal, and with that, I finally left Malden.

[Vosem]

I've allowed an assistant principal to search my car without a warrant. Mercifully the day they chose to spring that surprise on me there was nothing objectionable in there.

[RINO Tom]

Fu-- no!

[pbrower2a]

A man's home is his castle, but his car is legally fair game. Unless they are living quarters, motor vehicles do not require a search warrant.

Well, in that case, US law is wrong.

They don't require a search warrant, but there is the same requirement for probable cause before a search can be conducted.

If the cop sees the silver-colored can of Diet Coke he has the right to verify that it isn't instead Coors Light, which also has a similar color. A large amount of cash? Why? It could be proceeds of a drug deal or a bank robbery.

[ChainsawJedis]

No but I feel they would find some excuse to do it against my will.

[TJ in Oregon]

Probably yeah. It would bore him or her out of their mind.

[Simfan34]

Yes, of course.

[dead0man]

le sigh


Of course not.  It doesn't matter if you have illegal things or not, you should never allow a random traffic cop to search your car during a typical traffic stop.  I mean, he may anyway, but not with your consent.  This is Very Important^TM and it's kind of sad to see people that don't know this.  This is much more important information to have than not knowing that the passing lane is for passing only (my biggest pet peeve when driving).

[pbrower2a]

A motor vehicle is not a living space. Police have a reasonable right to inspect it at a traffic stop should there be prima facie evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Someone stopped might have a concealed weapon. If there is one offense, there might be more.

Cars are excellent means of going to and from the scene of a crime and means of concealing evidence and contraband. 

The distinction might be an RV with a fixed position and an RV in movement... I'll leave that to legal experts.  Also,  to search a motor vehicle inside a garage one needs a search warrant -- but one for the abode would be good enough.

Know well: a search warrant is assumed in an arrest. If someone refuses a search without a warrant, then a search warrant is easy to get from a sympathetic judge. 

[Republican Michigander]

No probable cause, no search.

I would never consent to a search.

[Crumpets]

Yes. (law abiding citizen who wants to get on with their day)

[Brewer]

Yes. (law abiding citizen who wants to get on with their day)

[Badger]

A man's home is his castle, but his car is legally fair game. Unless they are living quarters, motor vehicles do not require a search warrant.

Well, in that case, US law is wrong.

They don't require a search warrant, but there is the same requirement for probable cause before a search can be conducted.

If the cop sees the silver-colored can of Diet Coke he has the right to verify that it isn't instead Coors Light, which also has a similar color. A large amount of cash? Why? It could be proceeds of a drug deal or a bank robbery.

no

[Badger]

If I'm not in a hurry and the cop is respectful I have no problem with it.