Maryland v. Wilson

The touchstone of almost all Fourth Amendment analysis is whether the government’s intrusion on privacy was reasonable. Reasonableness depends on striking a balance between the public’s interest in conducting the search or seizure and the individual’s interest in preserved privacy. Here, the public has a great interest in preserving the safety of the officer. The officer must maintain an awareness of the driver and any passengers, any of whom can pose a threat, during the encounter. The passenger is only minimally intruded upon. The only change in their circumstance is that they will be outside the vehicle, where they cannot access concealed weapons found in the vehicle. Therefore, it is reasonable for officers to order passengers of lawfully stopped vehicles out of the conveyance.