automobile exception
automobile exception. An exception to the warrant requirement in Fourth Amendment search-and-seizure law, holding that the police may, without a warrant, thoroughly search a movable vehicle for which the individual has a lessened expectation of privacy (such as a car or boat) if probable cause exists. • For purposes of this doctrine, exigent circumstances are presumed to exist. Once the right to conduct a warrantless search arises, the actual search may take place at a later time. Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 45 S.Ct. 280 (1925); California v. Acevedo, 500 U.S. 565, 111 S.Ct. 1982 (1991). See exigent circumstances under CIRCUMSTANCE. [Cases: Controlled Substances 114; Searches and Seizures 60. C.J.S. Searches and Seizures § 79.]
