term:

Automobile Exception

automobile exception n

: an exception to the prohibition on warrantless searches that allows a police officer to search an automobile without a search warrant in cases where the officer has probable cause to believe that the automobile contains evidence of a crime and that the evidence would be disposed of if the officer were to leave to obtain a warrant

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.