“Do you know why I pulled you over?”

A lot of times, when a police officer stops a vehicle, the officer will ask the driver, “Do you know why I pulled you over?”  There is no good answer to this question. The driver either admits to bad driving or the driver doesn't know the reason, which the cop will take as a sign that the driver is too drunk or high to be aware of his or her bad driving.

Beginning January 1, 2024, California law will require a peace officer making a traffic or pedestrian stop to state the reason for the stop before engaging in questioning related to a criminal investigation or traffic violation. The officer will be required to state the reason for the stop on any citation or police report resulting from the stop.

See California Vehicle Code Section 2806.5. https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/vehicle-code/veh-sect-2806-5.html

 The best way to respond to police questioning is "Respectfully, officer, I won't answer any questions".  If more people gave this response, we would have fewer clients.