What did I do?
Discussion
Hi All,
I have something of a story to share, and really would just like some opinions on the events that unfolded.
Last Friday evening at around 9pm I was driving to Anglesey from Chester along the A55, something I do quite regularly and I know the road pretty well.
As I pass Bodelwyddan castle at Junction 25 a marked BMW police car joins the road just ahead of me. It is a lone policeman in the vehicle, and he speeds up to roughly 76/77mph and stays there. The road is quite busy and I remain behind him usign cruise control at around 76mph. After a few miles there is quite a few cars around me and behind me all tentatively approaching the police car as if nervous regarding overtaking him at a speed above 70mph.
The road ahead of us was almost completely clear and so after 5 miles or so I took it upon myself to move out and overtake this police car and just get on with my journey. Using my steering wheel controls I eased the CC up to 78 and crawled past him.
Now I understand, 78mph is speeding. But if he was unhappy with the speed I was going or the manoeuvre of the simple overtake then I would have expected a gesture or a flash of the lights as a warning from him. None of which I got, and so I moved back in to the inside lane when it was safe to do so and continued my journey at 76/77 mph.
Around 5 miles pass and I am on a nearly empty motorway, still using CC at no more than 77. I am in the inside lane undertaking no-one and I start to approach a horsebox travelling around 65mph. As I close in on him I start to think about moving out, and so look in my mirror, to see the same police car in the outside lane doing around 90/100mph. I reduce my CC to around 72 (still closing on the horsebox) and wait for him to pass me, he has no blue lights on so I simply assume he will pass me and continue to his destination. As he comes parallel with me I begin to indicate so as to move out after he has passed, at which point I am roughly 2-3 car lengths behind the horsebox and closing.
The police car slams on his brakes and reduces his speed from 90+ to match mine, putting himself in the spot I was hoping to fill, at which point I was forced to brake hard so as not to continue into the back of the horsebox!
The policeman gestures towards the horsebox and then speeds off again?
I was understandably quite shaken up and didnt realise what exactly had happened. I had 2 passengers with me who felt the same way, we were all confused as to what his intentions were.
It does not end there however. I continue my journey at around 75mph on the near empty A55 for another 5/10 miles and end up behind him again coming into the 50 Zone at Conwy. This time I set my CC to match him and there is a Ford Focus between myself and him. We remain in this order all the way up until Junction 11 near Bangor at which point he turns off at the exit. The ford focus and I continue onwards and I overtake him. However the exit road is at an incline so the police car can still see us as we go past him on the road.
Now I am in front of the Focus and we have just passed the slip road of the same junction he got off. For some reason I look in my mirror to see cars coming down and spot him coming back down behind us at quite a rate, still with no lights flashing. He comes up behind the focus behind me and starts tailgating him. He then pulls out and overtakes us both and puts himself in front of me again.
Still with no indication of why he appears to be following me or even if I have done anything wrong, he then leaves the A55 for good at the next junction, 10.
So, what should I do about this?
A part of me would like to report this Driver for nearly causing a collision, but it was really quite unnerving that he would follow me for what appeared to be no reason.
If he determined that I was speeding and he took exception to that, I would have far proffered for him to stop me and tell me there and then, as opposed to letting me go and nearly forcing me into the back of an innocent horsebox 5 miles down the road.
Am I in the wrong and should shut up and wait for a letter of prosecution? Or do I have a right to be upset about this?
Thanks for this!
I have something of a story to share, and really would just like some opinions on the events that unfolded.
Last Friday evening at around 9pm I was driving to Anglesey from Chester along the A55, something I do quite regularly and I know the road pretty well.
As I pass Bodelwyddan castle at Junction 25 a marked BMW police car joins the road just ahead of me. It is a lone policeman in the vehicle, and he speeds up to roughly 76/77mph and stays there. The road is quite busy and I remain behind him usign cruise control at around 76mph. After a few miles there is quite a few cars around me and behind me all tentatively approaching the police car as if nervous regarding overtaking him at a speed above 70mph.
The road ahead of us was almost completely clear and so after 5 miles or so I took it upon myself to move out and overtake this police car and just get on with my journey. Using my steering wheel controls I eased the CC up to 78 and crawled past him.
Now I understand, 78mph is speeding. But if he was unhappy with the speed I was going or the manoeuvre of the simple overtake then I would have expected a gesture or a flash of the lights as a warning from him. None of which I got, and so I moved back in to the inside lane when it was safe to do so and continued my journey at 76/77 mph.
Around 5 miles pass and I am on a nearly empty motorway, still using CC at no more than 77. I am in the inside lane undertaking no-one and I start to approach a horsebox travelling around 65mph. As I close in on him I start to think about moving out, and so look in my mirror, to see the same police car in the outside lane doing around 90/100mph. I reduce my CC to around 72 (still closing on the horsebox) and wait for him to pass me, he has no blue lights on so I simply assume he will pass me and continue to his destination. As he comes parallel with me I begin to indicate so as to move out after he has passed, at which point I am roughly 2-3 car lengths behind the horsebox and closing.
The police car slams on his brakes and reduces his speed from 90+ to match mine, putting himself in the spot I was hoping to fill, at which point I was forced to brake hard so as not to continue into the back of the horsebox!
The policeman gestures towards the horsebox and then speeds off again?
I was understandably quite shaken up and didnt realise what exactly had happened. I had 2 passengers with me who felt the same way, we were all confused as to what his intentions were.
It does not end there however. I continue my journey at around 75mph on the near empty A55 for another 5/10 miles and end up behind him again coming into the 50 Zone at Conwy. This time I set my CC to match him and there is a Ford Focus between myself and him. We remain in this order all the way up until Junction 11 near Bangor at which point he turns off at the exit. The ford focus and I continue onwards and I overtake him. However the exit road is at an incline so the police car can still see us as we go past him on the road.
Now I am in front of the Focus and we have just passed the slip road of the same junction he got off. For some reason I look in my mirror to see cars coming down and spot him coming back down behind us at quite a rate, still with no lights flashing. He comes up behind the focus behind me and starts tailgating him. He then pulls out and overtakes us both and puts himself in front of me again.
Still with no indication of why he appears to be following me or even if I have done anything wrong, he then leaves the A55 for good at the next junction, 10.
So, what should I do about this?
A part of me would like to report this Driver for nearly causing a collision, but it was really quite unnerving that he would follow me for what appeared to be no reason.
If he determined that I was speeding and he took exception to that, I would have far proffered for him to stop me and tell me there and then, as opposed to letting me go and nearly forcing me into the back of an innocent horsebox 5 miles down the road.
Am I in the wrong and should shut up and wait for a letter of prosecution? Or do I have a right to be upset about this?
Thanks for this!
Hackney said:
This.
Always makes me tense a little as someone indicating at that point indicates to me that they haven't seen me. If they had surely they'd wait until I passed?
Especially annoying as when this happens on a 3 lane m'way and the lorry in lane one indicates the numpty in lane 2 tends to panic and swerves into lane 3.
Fair enough, good advice. I likely was too hasty with my indication. Always makes me tense a little as someone indicating at that point indicates to me that they haven't seen me. If they had surely they'd wait until I passed?
Especially annoying as when this happens on a 3 lane m'way and the lorry in lane one indicates the numpty in lane 2 tends to panic and swerves into lane 3.
JM said:
richie99 said:
btcc123 said:
I am not sure who is the biggest idiot you or the policeman.Probably you and were lucky he did not do you for 78 in a 70.
Get real. An indicated 78 is at most 72 to 74. Maybe the copper could have booked him for that and for stealing his lollipop too. Toltec said:
That aside I had a police car box me in behind a lorry a couple of years ago, I saw it catching me quickly so pulled over into a gap to let it past and it slowed and sat on my rear quarter until I had to slow down behind the lorry in front. I was in my kit car and as there are less than ten of them on the road maybe they were just checking out the reg or something. Still, a bit irritating that they forced me to brake after I got out of their way.
From my perspective this is what appeared to happen to me also, but everyone is probably right he was likely just spooked. As per the criticism of my use of cruise control I am fully aware of how to drive on a motorway and the fact it this was a clear road and without the police car speeding up behind me it would have been a completely routine overtake. The simple fact is that I was prepared for him to continue past me at speed and so was taken by surprise when he stopped alongside me.
Personally when I am in the outside lane and someone is following a slower vehicle in the inside lane I am constantly aware of the fact they may wish to pull out. Fair enough this police car probably did have a reason to be approaching me at 90mph but if I was less attentive as many drivers are I may have not seen him at all.
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