Have you ever wondered why cops touch your car's tail light after they pull you over? It seems to be one of the many things they do that everyone hates after being stopped. The other thing is, of course, how they take their sweet time and giving you the ticket, almost like they don't really care that they're wasting your time. But usually when they perform routine actions like touching our tail light, it can make us feel nervous as hell, even when we know we have nothing to worry about. But there's a reason behind why they do the things they do. There's a reason for the infamous daylight tapping that has plenty of history behind it. The act of touching a tail light goes back to the humble beginnings when cops started patrolling the streets and highways. This ritual was a super sneaky tactics used before the invention of dash cams. Cops were doing it in the hopes of catching a driver or passenger off guard. After all, it's not uncommon for people to try and hide guns or drugs right after they've been pulled over. So it started out with the whole tail light tapping being intended to startle criminals. This would prevent them from hiding their stash just long enough for the officer who stopped their vehicle to find the contraband and confiscate it. There's another interesting reason behind light tapping that will blow your mind. The reason they touch your tail lights is to lead lots of evidence behind, particularly, that they've been there, in case you're a crooked as hell and incapacitate the cop and foolishly try to get away with murder. The most obvious advantage here is that he or she will leave their fingerprints behind. So when they do find the vehicle of the owner responsible for attacking or killing an officer, they'll be able to match it and the owner to those responsible for the incident. Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar and a ritual is simply done out of habit. Keep in mind that this is an old practice, and most police vehicles come fully equipped with cameras. So the tail light tapping is really in a necessary step. In some instances, tail light tapping can put a cop in serious danger. The noise made while tapping can help criminals identify the exact location of the police officer, especially if it's at night and dark. The noise acts like a homing beacon which is a huge advantage for criminals. Unfortunately, it's bad news for a cop as it can make it easier for a criminal to shoot or harm them if they know where they're standing at that moment. This is why police departments are asking cops not to tail light tapping anymore. You could even say that it's ritualistic for cops to do this. Some might even call it a ride-of-passage or a way of honoring those officers who came before them. Either way, it's simply not something they have to do, and some officers have even done away with the tradition. Another reason why cops do this is to provide initial shock. You know you did something wrong, especially if you're hiding something you shouldn't have in your car. The tapping boosts a bit of surprise inside the people who are in the vehicle. Although obsolete, this practice has proven to be quite efficient in routine stops. In fact, many cops claim that it's increased the arrest of intoxicated drivers, drug dealers, and drivers possessing unlicensed firearms. Cops continue to practice this ritual despite the use of traffic cameras and dash cams. With the conflicting feelings some people have about law enforcement, some cops feel that it's necessary to practice this physical safety precaution anyway. It can be used to identify a car that has fled the scene of a routine stop. Most shady drivers don't bother trying to harm the officer. Instead, they foolishly try to drive away due in 90. But with the risk of there being more than one model with the same metallic paint color, this method allows cops to verify that they have the right vehicle. Sometimes it's not the tail light that officers are really interested in at all. Sure, they might tap the tail light, but they'll also push the trunk lid down to avoid having someone pop up out of the trunk and ambush them. And yes, this does happen sometimes. It also allows the driving officer to observe what the motorist has on his or her lap. In cities like New York, niped officers often drive with a partner. So when they stop someone, the passenger cop will knock on the fender or trunk. This will make the drive turn his head towards the right rear, allowing the driving officer to take a peek at his lap, hands, and forward to make sure they're not carrying a weapon. This practice was invented decades ago and was known as the pop-up theory. It was actually more useful in the 60s and 70s when radical crime groups ambushed officers out of the blue. Of course, today most trunks are lightweight wouldn't stay down if unlatched while driving. In most cases, police academy instructors teach cadets not to touch the rear of the vehicle. They do, however, suggest that they put their hands on the side of the vehicle, where most tail lights curve into any way. This will prevent the owner of the vehicle from backing up and running the officer over. In some instances, the danger of tail light tapping could be completely accidental. Officer Jason Shaw, K9, THI, patrol supervisor, and firearms instructor, claimed that on two separate occasions, an elderly gentleman fell to put the shift stick all the way in park and it slipped back down into reverse. When the driver hit his gas instead of the brake, it crashed into the patrol car, nearly hurting him in the process. Of course, there is another reason why cops will tap your tail light. Sometimes, it's simply the best position to see in the backseat in case the driver is hiding something back there as well like alcohol, drugs, or weapons. It's more difficult to twist around and shoot from behind. This is why tail light tapping is such a tactical advantage because they driver my team and allow you those precious seconds to duck, or his aim might suck, giving the officer a chance to draw his weapon and fire. Tail light tapping also gives an officer a chance to see if the car has been stolen. In most cases, the trunk lid won't be secure and the key lock will be punched out if the vehicle has been stolen. So the tail light tapping simply gives officers time to do a proper inspection to check for anything out of the ordinary. Most of us probably assumed that cops checked out tail lights to make sure they weren't hacked. It just comes to show you that you're never too old to learn something new. At least the next time a cop taps your tail light you can just sit back and relax, cause there's really nothing to worry about.