Coffey Anderson is biracial, though often identified as black. He’s also a country singer. And he’s a gun owner. So, when he decided to post a video offering advice on how to handle one’s self when pulled over by police, people were bound to pay attention.
And that’s putting it mildly. The video has already been viewed more than 35 million times in less than a week.
“Most of the times when we get pulled over it’s a surprise, we’re not used to it, it’s not something that happens every day,” Anderson says in the video.
Some of his tips on how to make these interactions safer, both for police officers and civilians, include:
Make sure your car is completely turned off
Have your I.D. on the car’s dashboard
“You have to have your I.D. out before he approaches the car.”
Keep both hands on the steering wheel
“As he’s walking up to the car, if he’s able to see both of your hands, that’s safer for him,” Anderson explains.
Turn your radio off or have the volume at “0”
“At the end of the day, the policeman wants to go home safely; we want to go home safely,” Anderson says in the video.
Anderson also offers some tips on how to best pull your car off the road when being pulled over by a police car, such as using your turn signal, slowing to 15-20mph and finally pulling over to the furthest right hand side of the road. “If there’s no place to pull over, take the first exit and pull over on the shoulder,” he says.
The video can come across as a bit strict, with Anderson repeatedly correcting his actor on how to properly place his hands on the steering wheel and pointing out seemingly simple actions that might appear threatening to a police officer. But as Anderson says, “Guys listen, this is about going home,” and that’s no doubt part of why this video has so clearly struck a nerve with the millions who have watched and shared it.
“I want to break down the wall between what we really don’t know about each other and what we can learn from each other.”
