The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures during multiple circumstances, including traffic stops. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from conducting "unreasonable searches and seizures.The right of the people to be secure in their persons houses papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. That's why the Fourth Amendment protects "persons" from unreasonable searches and seizures. Citizens may not be tried on the same set of facts twice and are protected from self-incrimination (the right to remain silent). Amendment Four to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects the American people from unreasonable searches and seizures. Martin Luther King once said all we want is what you wrote on paper.