Can I Legally Get Pulled Over For Flipping Off A Cop In New Jersey?

Ahhhhh....the bird.

One of the most well-known forms of sign language in New Jersey.

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NO NOT THAT TYPE OF BIRD.....stay with me here!

I am talking about the finger you flip when you are enraged on the Garden State Parkway because some bougie looking car cut you off without using their blinker.

Hate those guys....

Now using "the bird" is a common from of communication among us "normal folk" New Jersey drivers.

But an idiotic friend of mine started the discussion: "Have you ever wondered what would happen if you flipped off an actual New Jersey officer?"  Would they be allowed to pull you over for that?"

Let's call this friend Bob.

The entire room went: "Shut up, Bob!" 

But after everyone left, my mind started to wander so I did some research.

I looked in a few different places and here is what I found.

According to AERLawGroup.com, "you may be surprised to learn that flipping off a cop isn't actually prohibited by law."

Wow. I'm so surprised.

All my life, my parents have taught me to respect police officers, anyone in law enforcement and to do what they tell you.

If I placed a bet on this, I would have lost money.

But what does this mean for New Jersey drivers?

This means that cops cannot technically pull you over for simply giving them the bird.

According to SearchandSeizure.com, to pull you over, cops must have, "probable cause" which means that a police officer must have, "reasonable intelligence [that] would [lead them to} believe a crime was being committed."

Because simply giving the bird to an officer isn't illegal, this isn't considered enough to pull you over because technically you are not breaking the law.

This also means that an officer cannot arrest you for just flipping them off.

So in a way, I guess you are safe if you really feel the need to but you and I both know it is not the smartest idea.

If you flip one off, couldn't you technically get pulled over for careless driving since both hands were not on the wheel?? You see how that can get spun....

That was just an idea but I do believe that cops let things slide i.e.: not pulling someone over who is going 7 mph over the limit.

But be mean to them? You ain't getting away with NOTHING.

So use this information how you please but use it wisely.

P.S. Maybe instead of giving cops the bird, maybe thank one instead?

Sources: SearchandSeizure.org, WKLawDUI.com and AERLawGroup.com.

And while we are discussing the laws in New Jersey....