Trafpol in the outside lane
Discussion
Driving up the M6 on Sunday evening the traffic was free-flowing for most of the way. Somewhere north of Birmingham however, a 1-2 miles rolling jam formed, running at around 50mph at the rear. The outside kept clearing so I kept moving up. When I got to the front I discovered the cause was a marked police car sitting in the outside lane cruising at exactly 77mph (GPS speedo). It continued for about 15 minutes and then pulled into the slow lane in front of a large vehicle. The first few outside laners pulled into the middle but of course the rest proceeded to Resume Reasonable Progress, whereupon the marked car popped straight back out and pulled the first car that passed it (I'd say it was doing about 80mph).
This isn't the first time I've seen trafpol sitting in the outside lane, but normally they're unmarked and trying to trick people into undertaking.
At the risk of sounding rather "when I were a lad", I'm sure the police didn't bait the public in this way in the past.
Any BiB care to comment? At first I thought there might have been an accident or chase or something up ahead, and they were just looking out for us all, but then why the pull?
Off topic, I was sat behind one of those new Bentleys. Took me ages to figure out how a VW Bora could go that fast.
This isn't the first time I've seen trafpol sitting in the outside lane, but normally they're unmarked and trying to trick people into undertaking.
At the risk of sounding rather "when I were a lad", I'm sure the police didn't bait the public in this way in the past.
Any BiB care to comment? At first I thought there might have been an accident or chase or something up ahead, and they were just looking out for us all, but then why the pull?
Off topic, I was sat behind one of those new Bentleys. Took me ages to figure out how a VW Bora could go that fast.
alexf said:You'd be surprised - I remember when I got baited by a couple of police in an unmarked 2.8 Capri about 14 years ago.
At the risk of sounding rather "when I were a lad", I'm sure the police didn't bait the public in this way in the past.
I was happily minding my own business, sat at the traffic lights of a dual carriageway (50 zone), when the Capri draws alongside & starts revving his engine.
His passenger looks at me & makes some arm movements (I'm guessing designed to persuade me to race/wheelspin away)
Fortunately I noticed the extra mirror & ariel, so when the lights went green, I nailed it & then stayed esactly at 50. They followed me for a couple of minutes, & then pulled over the first person to overtake me
Tonyrec said:
For example.....a marked car slowing all the Traffic down to let surveillance units catch up to a target??????? like i say, we will never know.
Forgive me for questioning this tactic, but was once a "victim" of this, basically the police created a rolling roadblock in order to catch escaping car - which proceeded to ram into me to get past. I was 17, my first car, cost everything I had, 3rd party insurance - written off, I was devastated at the time. Always have and always will blame the police for putting me in the line of danger.
GreigM said:
Forgive me for questioning this tactic, but was once a "victim" of this, basically the police created a rolling roadblock in order to catch escaping car - which proceeded to ram into me to get past. I was 17, my first car, cost everything I had, 3rd party insurance - written off, I was devastated at the time. Always have and always will blame the police for putting me in the line of danger.
The tactic that you are talking about is NOT allowed..in fact its a big
Please dont get confused with the example that i gave.
CraigAlsop said:
At the risk of sounding rather "when I were a lad", I'm sure the police didn't bait the public in this way in the past.
You'd be surprised - I remember when I got baited by a couple of police in an unmarked 2.8 Capri about 14 years ago.
I was happily minding my own business, sat at the traffic lights of a dual carriageway (50 zone), when the Capri draws alongside & starts revving his engine.
His passenger looks at me & makes some arm movements (I'm guessing designed to persuade me to race/wheelspin away)
Ah I remember Bodie and Doyle
Fortunately I noticed the extra mirror & ariel, so when the lights went green, I nailed it & then stayed esactly at 50. They followed me for a couple of minutes, & then pulled over the first person to overtake me
I think the tyres are bigger too. Still, if you lost your key at a VW dealers, you wouldn't be able to spot the diference.
Perhaps they should call it a VW GT.
If anything needs fixing at the front, they take the car round to the local maternity unit as you have to be a gynaecologist to work on it.
Apart from the lack of room for the above mentioned medico, it is a c**t to wrk on.
Perhaps they should call it a VW GT.
If anything needs fixing at the front, they take the car round to the local maternity unit as you have to be a gynaecologist to work on it.
Apart from the lack of room for the above mentioned medico, it is a c**t to wrk on.
When dad had his 3 litre capri (a long time ago('70s)), he was going through Newhaven, and a car was tailgating him, which then overtook him and slowed down (a lot), when dad went to overtake the other car, the car sped up, approaching traffic islands, so dad had the choice of braking hard or putting his foot down to get past (safer in this case), so he accelerated away. A few days later, he got a letter in the post for "dangerous driving", it turned out the other driver was a police sargeant. He wrote a letter of complaint to them and heard no more, so presumably the sargeant was known for such things. Mum reckons the police never left him alone when he had that car (3 litre carpri in Le Mans green 
)
)Such things are stupid..if not done for a proper reason like TonyRec explained...
To do such things, without reason, just plays into the hands of the person who you stop....
I like to be absolutely cleaner than clean when I stop someone, so that all the answering is done by them and not me.
Street
To do such things, without reason, just plays into the hands of the person who you stop....
I like to be absolutely cleaner than clean when I stop someone, so that all the answering is done by them and not me.
Street
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