Upon stopping a vehicle for inspection, can the driver exit the vehicle without the permission of the traffic officer?

In the photo, a police officer has stopped a van for a check; a police car is parked next to it, and the officer is walking up to the vehicle being checked. After being stopped for a check, the driver cannot get out of the vehicle without the permission of the officer carrying out the check. The answer is: no.

The Regulation on road traffic checks states that when the officer carrying out the check gives an instruction or signal to stop the vehicle, the driver stops the vehicle, keeps their hands on the steering wheel, and at the officer's instruction switches off the engine, switches on the hazard warning lights and makes it possible to identify the vehicle, e.g. by giving access to the engine compartment; the driver or a passenger may get out of the checked vehicle only with the permission of the officer carrying out the check. This rule protects both sides: the police officer can see the driver's hands and does not have to fear a sudden movement, and the driver does not step onto the roadway between moving cars. So after being stopped, you wait in the car, lower the window, keep your hands on the steering wheel and follow the instructions; you take out your documents only when the police officer asks for them. You get out only when the officer demands it or allows it - for example, to check the technical condition of the car.

Legal basis: § 24 para. 1 and 2 of the Regulation on road traffic inspection