Police officer vigilance and training are the two key elements to staying safe during traffic stops. Supervisors and training officers should ensure that continued training on traffic stop safety be offered through refresher courses using videos of actual traffic stops. Officer safety is assessed at four stages: location of the stop, placement of the police cruiser, officer approach, and officer retreat. The location of the stop is important in terms of traffic safety considerations and for police officer safety if a need arises for the officer to seek cover. The placement of the police cruiser should be at a 50 percent offset to provide protection from oncoming traffic and from dangerous motorists. Turning the wheels of the cruiser to the left or right results in the cruiser veering off to the side if hit by an oncoming motorist. Next, the way in which officers should approach motorists is reviewed; the benefits of approaching the vehicle on the passenger side of the vehicle, as opposed to the traditional driver’s side approach, are enumerated and include greater protection from traffic and more reaction time in case of a struggle. Aspects of officer retreat are also reviewed, including the importance of developing a sidestep or backward retreat that allows officers to keep stopped motorists under constant surveillance. Checkpoints are considered more hazardous in some respects than traffic stops because they place officers at a disadvantage and every driver entering the checkpoint could be a dangerous criminal.