[GingerTez]

Hi,

Don't know if I'm being overly stroppy - and before I come across as a police-bashing person I want to say that I respect the police and think they do a great job in general with dwindling numbers and dwindling respect from the public (and my sister is a policewoman too).

However....

This morning on my way to work I was driving along at 27mph in a 30mph area. The driver behind me flashed his headlights and I thought "hmm, have I got my lights on". I checked and I did have them on so I carried on driving (at 27mph).

The driver then flashed his headlights again so I checked that nothing was showing on my dashboard regarding doors being open or anything. No warning lights so I carried on.

The driver then flashed his headlights again. I slowed down slightly and realised that it was a police car behind me, I thought "he's flashed me 3 times, maybe I should pull over" and pulled over about 50 yards on. The police car then accelerated past me (going up to at least 40mph) and just kept on going straight up the road.

To my mind (and I might be overly stroppy or cynical here) a police car should not be flashing people to get out of the way when they're doing close to the speed limit. Obviously it wasn't an emergency otherwise the blue flashers would have been going and all I can think of is that the policeman driving the car has no regard for the laws of the road (and wanted to get back to the station for the end of his shift?).

Sorry if this seems really negative - and I know there are probably 100 reasons why he wouldn't have his blue flashers on - but in my opinion the policeman acted like an arrogant yob, just because I was within the speed limit driving through a quiet town at 6:45am. Do you think he'd have stopped me and given me a ticket if I'd been doing 35mph or seeing as he obviously wanted to go 40mph would he still have been flashing his headlights at me?

Disgruntedly,
Terry.

[MJ]

Don't worry his cup of tea had probably been pored so he wanted to get back and drink it before it went cold.

Seriously maybe he didn't want to alert anybody watching that he was about. A lot of flashing of lights and sirens would have given him away and alerted someone he may have been after, that you were not aware of, some distance away.

There are a larger number of arrogant drivers about that do a lot worse than he did. How many times have you been flashed on the outside lane of a motorway by someone behind wanting to go even faster? I have on a number of ocassions doing at least the legal limit and I've only been there long enough to pass someone else. Defies belief.

[stealther]

You were going 27 pmh at 6:45 am I would have been screaming at you to get out the way!

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by GingerTez

I know there are probably 100 reasons why he wouldn't have his blue flashers on

Therein lies the crux but it says a lot about your driving that you had to be flashed three times before you looked in the rear view mirror and saw that it was a police car

[Thekop]

If the copper was driving at 40 in a 30 limit without his blue lights flashing you should of reported him.. They are NOT above the law !

[partyweb]

Surprised you weren't pulled over. There was a recent commercial informing what the tell tale signs of drivers who were slightly over the alcohol limit showed. These included: taking the back streets to avoid the police and driving within the legal limit at night.

[hottstuff]

Sounds like he thought he had a granny in front.
Seriously though maybe he was just finishing a shift and needed to get home to the wife quickly.

[Thekop]

Originally Posted by partyweb

Surprised you weren't pulled over. There was a recent commercial informing what the tell tale signs of drivers who were slightly over the alcohol limit showed. These included: taking the back streets to avoid the police and driving within the legal limit at night.

That's true, you're more likely to get pulled over by driving too cautiously, than speeding just above the limit

[sean5302]

I've seen a few "naughties" with the Police lately.

A Panda car stopped at a Pelicon crossing as the red light was against it.
People crossed the road and the car just drove off, through the still red light.
Must be on a job, I thought. No, 100 yards further on the car stopped, just watching the traffic.

I was out on the Fireblade, recently. I came across a Police Advanced rider, on a Pan European Honda. She (as it turned out) was instructing 4 trainee riders. I watched them all doing 45mph through the 30mph limits. I followed and saw them doing 38mph through the 20mph zones.
They all stopped at a well-known biker haunt near Scunthorpe, so I asked the Advanced Pol, politely, why they ignored the speed limits.

"They all have to learn" was all she'd say. Now, if they'd been following me, instead.....

[GingerTez]

Originally Posted by Ian J

...it says a lot about your driving that you had to be flashed three times before you looked in the rear view mirror and saw that it was a police car

Excuse me, I guess that'll be a bit cheeky then?

It was dark and it was raining heavily, all I could see were his bright headlights when I looked in the rear mirror (which I do very regularly).

It was only when I slowed down slightly after the 3rd flash of his headlights that he got close enough for me to be able to see the distinctive reflective stripes on the car bonnet.

I presume you drive a car yourself (otherwise you have no right to comment on my driving) so I'm sure you can understand that at 6:45am, in heavy rain, if the car behind is not too dangerously close to you, it is hard to tell the make, model, or even size of a car behind you.

Cheers,
Terry.

[GingerTez]

Originally Posted by Thekop

If the copper was driving at 40 in a 30 limit without his blue lights flashing you should of reported him.. They are NOT above the law !

I presumed he was going to pull over behind or in front of me so didn't think to look at his license plate as he passed me and then accelerated way.

Next time something like this happens, I will be noting down details.

Cheers,
Terry.

[BandWidthJunkie]

Driving incidents with police in my 20 odd years of driving....

A policewoman driving up the down ramp of a car park, because she "hadn't seen the markings correctly".

A policeman overtaking me in the chevron (solid white lined) area prior to a right turn lane which I was going to enter. The 'survival' look over the shoulder saved me that time!

A policeman that entered a mini roundabout looking left when I was approaching on his right. I had to stop on the roundabout and when he finally looked right he put his hand up, I assume, to acknowledge his error.

Morale, police drivers may take advanced tests but they still make mistakes and errors in judgment.

Who knows why this policeman wanted to get by you in a hurry, but I have on many occasions followed police cars up the A38 and A610, when they are on the way back to Police Headquarters, at speeds way past the posted speed limit

I have always said, “who polices the police?”.

(and BTW my other half is a CSI )

[Joe90sDad]

Maybe he'd just got the car and was testing it out.

[sean5302]

Who polices the Police?

A very good question. Nobody, I'd suggest.

The last thing anyone wants is enemies in the Police Farce (Force?), so I wouldn't report them unless you're a masochist.

You occasionally can have some fun, though.

I was driving from Crossgates, towards Roundhay, in Leeds, last year.

There is a bus lane which applies from 08:00 to 10:00 and ahead of me were 4 cars. The lead car was a Police panda, with a female driver and 3 female passengers. They were travelling at 25mph, in the 30mph limit.

They were travelling in the offside lane.

I nipped down the inside of them at 33mph. As I attained about 50 yards distance ahead of them, the panda car put its blues on. I got out and spoke to the driver.

"What are you doing, sailing down the bus lane?" she said.

I replied "follow me" and we went back up to the start of the buslane with its big blue sign showing the hours it applies.

"Shouldn't you be setting some sort of example?" I said.

"The first rule of the road is keep left, in normal driving".
She said she hadn't seen the sign.
"Well, you wouldn't would you love? It's only 8 feet square."

"Thank you, Sir" she said.

The embarrassment in her car was obvious. Off they shot, up the next side street.

[neilmcl]

Originally Posted by sean5302

Who polices the Police?

A very good question. Nobody, I'd suggest.

http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/

[sean5302]

In theory, yes.

In practice?

Ask the Mendezez Family? Shot multiple times in the head yet no police Officer charged with murder?

That's a big item. Everyday there are small items. Just read the thread.

I believe that they operate as they like.

[GJC]

Originally Posted by GingerTez

Hi,

Don't know if I'm being overly stroppy - and before I come across as a police-bashing person I want to say that I respect the police and think they do a great job in general with dwindling numbers and dwindling respect from the public (and my sister is a policewoman too).

However....

This morning on my way to work I was driving along at 27mph in a 30mph area. The driver behind me flashed his headlights and I thought "hmm, have I got my lights on". I checked and I did have them on so I carried on driving (at 27mph).

The driver then flashed his headlights again so I checked that nothing was showing on my dashboard regarding doors being open or anything. No warning lights so I carried on.

The driver then flashed his headlights again. I slowed down slightly and realised that it was a police car behind me, I thought "he's flashed me 3 times, maybe I should pull over" and pulled over about 50 yards on. The police car then accelerated past me (going up to at least 40mph) and just kept on going straight up the road.

To my mind (and I might be overly stroppy or cynical here) a police car should not be flashing people to get out of the way when they're doing close to the speed limit. Obviously it wasn't an emergency otherwise the blue flashers would have been going and all I can think of is that the policeman driving the car has no regard for the laws of the road (and wanted to get back to the station for the end of his shift?).

Sorry if this seems really negative - and I know there are probably 100 reasons why he wouldn't have his blue flashers on - but in my opinion the policeman acted like an arrogant yob, just because I was within the speed limit driving through a quiet town at 6:45am. Do you think he'd have stopped me and given me a ticket if I'd been doing 35mph or seeing as he obviously wanted to go 40mph would he still have been flashing his headlights at me?

Disgruntedly,
Terry.

As an ex-cop here it was standard practice for officers in Gravesend/Dartford/Maidstone and Swale (who had been around a while and some new recruits) to morse code (for want of a better term) the lights on/off, on/off, pause for a second and repeat, each on/off indicating a press of the main beam to high beam.

[dejongj]

I'm surprised that the OP is surprised about the technique of flashing headlights....Then there was also a follow up post calling the people flashing their lights on the motorway arrogant...

Do you gentlemen actually realise that using a light or audible signal to indicate a manouvre is perfectly in line with the highway code and actually normal behaviour to warn other drivers that something is about to happen.

Then again normal I get a fist, a finger, two fingers, or a fist shaking if I am lucky enough that the other roaduser actually uses their mirrors and notice the flash, hence the alternative to resorting to an audible signal....

[Ethics Gradient]

Originally Posted by dejongj

I'm surprised that the OP is surprised about the technique of flashing headlights....Then there was also a follow up post calling the people flashing their lights on the motorway arrogant...

Do you gentlemen actually realise that using a light or audible signal to indicate a manouvre is perfectly in line with the highway code and actually normal behaviour to warn other drivers that something is about to happen.

Then again normal I get a fist, a finger, two fingers, or a fist shaking if I am lucky enough that the other roaduser actually uses their mirrors and notice the flash, hence the alternative to resorting to an audible signal....

I don't think that flashing of lights is exactly the issue the OP or others have here .... it is the question over police officers driving outside the legal speed limit without having there blues flashing. Was it a covert operation ... or someone who happens to work in the police wanting to get home early and not adhereing to the speed limit.

This wouldn't be so bad if we didn't live in a country where people driving over the speed limit ( ie over 50% of drivers ) are being fined and publicity campaigns are making them out to be social pariahs ... yet those members of society so employeed to enforce those penalties are themselves regularly ingnoreing the law.

I drive to work and regularly see police cars and vans on their way to and from this and that ignoreing road traffic regulations. Speeding, middle laneing, driving too close etc.

..... it's especially ironic now the figures that were used to justify all this high profile profitable clamp down on speeding have been rubbished by their own offical figures and reports.

[Bat-man]

Yesterday I was tailgated for eight miles on my way home after work.
Yes, it was a Police car.
What can I say!

[Westindieman]

Originally Posted by MJ

How many times have you been flashed on the outside lane of a motorway by someone behind wanting to go even faster? I have on a number of ocassions doing at least the legal limit and I've only been there long enough to pass someone else. Defies belief.

That really annoys me though. People hogging the middle and outside line and not overtaking. Doesnt matter if you are doing 70, get the blazes over or I dont care I'll glare at you when I pass on the inside so believe it.

[Confucius]

27 indicated on most speedometers equates to around 21-24 mph in reality. I've checked various cars at speeds between 10 and over 100mph: Renault Clio, Audi A4, Vauxhall Astra and Fiat Panda in the UK, Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Impala in the USA. All had speedometers that read around 5-8 mph fast, compared with a GPS speed, at observations conducted over several miles of motoring.

Although legal, your 'real' speed could have beeen so slow that you could count yourself lucky not to get done for obstruction!

[Fusewire]

That really annoys me though. People hogging the middle and outside line and not overtaking.

Me too.......

Just because you are doing 70 MPH it does not give you the right to sit in the outside lane, the outside lane is defined by the highway code as the overtaking lane, so if you are not overtaking somebody then you should pull over regardless of the speed at which you are travelling......... and lets face it, in this day and age you are not going to overtake many people in the outside / overtaking lane doing 70 MPH (unless there is a traffic jam).

[dejongj]

Originally Posted by Ethics Gradient

I don't think that flashing of lights is exactly the issue the OP or others have here .... it is the question over police officers driving outside the legal speed limit without having there blues flashing. Was it a covert operation ... or someone who happens to work in the police wanting to get home early and not adhereing to the speed limit.

Thanks, as I didn't even consider that point....However when the OP was doing 27mph, it was probably more like 22mph, so the speeding element would be questionable as well.....

[neilmcl]

Originally Posted by dejongj

Thanks, as I didn't even consider that point....However when the OP was doing 27mph, it was probably more like 22mph, so the speeding element would be questionable as well.....

So what? A speed limit doesn't mean you have to drive at that particular speed, its a maximum speed indication. You're perfectly entitled to drive at a speed befitting the prevailing conditions.

[Philly112]

Originally Posted by neilmcl

So what? A speed limit doesn't mean you have to drive at that particular speed, its a maximum speed indication. You're perfectly entitled to drive at a speed befitting the prevailing conditions.

Err, no actually. The speed limit is the speed limit. Not an indication. You are not perfectly entitled to drive at a speed befitting the prevailing conditions. You need to be at or below the speed limit for that particular road you are travelling on regardless of the conditions.
I presume this is what you meant!!

Phil

[neilmcl]

Originally Posted by Philly112

Err, no actually. The speed limit is the speed limit. Not an indication. You are not perfectly entitled to drive at a speed befitting the prevailing conditions. You need to be at or below the speed limit for that particular road you are travelling on regardless of the conditions.
I presume this is what you meant!!

Phil

Sort of, what I meant was that its a maximum limit only not this is the speed you must drive at. You are supposed drive at or below the limit but you have to take the prevailing conditions into account which means you are entitled to drive a 20mph in a 30mph if the conditions warrant it.

[Miyazaki]

Originally Posted by neilmcl

http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/

Who polices the IPCC?

[Xan]

Originally Posted by sean5302

In theory, yes.

In practice?

Ask the Mendezez Family? Shot multiple times in the head yet no police Officer charged with murder?

That's a big item. Everyday there are small items. Just read the thread.

I believe that they operate as they like.

What a muppet you are coming out with that kind of comment, did you want the police officers chraged with murder????? The police do NOT operate as they like, why dont you sign up as a Special and see for yourself what they do before you come out with comments like that.

Rant over.

[Mylo]

Xan please refrain from insulting other forum members, you may not like Seans comment but that's no need to get personal