Nothing better to do? (Police!!!!)
Discussion
Okay this morning I'm in a line of traffic on my journey to work. The front car is doing 40mph and it is a 60mph limit.
There's the usual problem of everyone sitting too close making it impossible for them to overtake as they can't see clearly (including the car in front of me which I'll come back to).
There is however the odd car in the line which is leaving a reasonable gap which offers a suitable gap to pull into if the whole line couldn't be taken out in one move.
Anyway, I ease over to get a clearer look and the car in front of me does the same (don't they always!) so I ease back in and await his move - he does nothing.
So I ease out again, it is clear so I take him and the car in front of him - this leaves two more cars to take.
I notice whilst I'm overtaking the second car that the first car I'd passed followed me round the second car (not sure how he could see it was clear and he had to cut the second car up to get back in)
Oh silly me forgot to mention the first car was a marked Police car and suprise suprise on come the blue lights.
I indicate to pull over and started to slow. As I'd noticed a pull in up ahead I contiuned to this. I think he thought I thought he wanted to pass as he started furiously flashing his headlights
I get out of the car (knowing I'd done nothing wrong) and he tells me to get back into the car. He walks over so I put the window down and his opening line is "Now you done nothing wrong but..." I know I've done nothing wrong.
He then starts a lecture about road safety and how it's been dry for weeks and now it's raining - really, I hadn't noticed. So I had to sit (now late) listening to him ramble on about the two crashes he's been to this week. This from the guy who didn't use his mirror before moving wide, who cut up a car just to keep with me and previously (before my overtake) had cut over the white lines on a blind right hand bend. Sloppy driving, poor positioning and potentially dangerous.
I was so tempted to let him have it but for what it would have gained I couldn't see the point.
Is he allowed to pull me over for no legal reason, I had broken no laws, he hadn't suggest he was checking me out for anything else, I got no producer, no car check and he didn't even ask who I was.
Seems like just a waste of my time for the sake of it. He even asked where my overtake had got me, "now that I've pulled you over". Again tempted to say I'd have to drive even quicker now to make up time.
Don't get me wrong he was polite, and obviously felt I needed his wisdom (thanks but no thanks) I just wonder whether they really have the power to waste my time in this way.
There's the usual problem of everyone sitting too close making it impossible for them to overtake as they can't see clearly (including the car in front of me which I'll come back to).
There is however the odd car in the line which is leaving a reasonable gap which offers a suitable gap to pull into if the whole line couldn't be taken out in one move.
Anyway, I ease over to get a clearer look and the car in front of me does the same (don't they always!) so I ease back in and await his move - he does nothing.
So I ease out again, it is clear so I take him and the car in front of him - this leaves two more cars to take.
I notice whilst I'm overtaking the second car that the first car I'd passed followed me round the second car (not sure how he could see it was clear and he had to cut the second car up to get back in)
Oh silly me forgot to mention the first car was a marked Police car and suprise suprise on come the blue lights.
I indicate to pull over and started to slow. As I'd noticed a pull in up ahead I contiuned to this. I think he thought I thought he wanted to pass as he started furiously flashing his headlights
I get out of the car (knowing I'd done nothing wrong) and he tells me to get back into the car. He walks over so I put the window down and his opening line is "Now you done nothing wrong but..." I know I've done nothing wrong.
He then starts a lecture about road safety and how it's been dry for weeks and now it's raining - really, I hadn't noticed. So I had to sit (now late) listening to him ramble on about the two crashes he's been to this week. This from the guy who didn't use his mirror before moving wide, who cut up a car just to keep with me and previously (before my overtake) had cut over the white lines on a blind right hand bend. Sloppy driving, poor positioning and potentially dangerous.
I was so tempted to let him have it but for what it would have gained I couldn't see the point.
Is he allowed to pull me over for no legal reason, I had broken no laws, he hadn't suggest he was checking me out for anything else, I got no producer, no car check and he didn't even ask who I was.
Seems like just a waste of my time for the sake of it. He even asked where my overtake had got me, "now that I've pulled you over". Again tempted to say I'd have to drive even quicker now to make up time.
Don't get me wrong he was polite, and obviously felt I needed his wisdom (thanks but no thanks) I just wonder whether they really have the power to waste my time in this way.
woodytvr said:
Is he allowed to pull me over for no legal reason...
Yes - s163 Road Traffic Act 1988. Paraphrased: PC in uniform can stop any vehicle at any time on any road, no "reason" required, other than your presence.
Not going to comment on the rest of it, as I wasn't there, and don't know what either party was thinking.
From the description given, my best guess is that the Policeman had already decided it was not safe to overtake in this situation.
I'm also guessing he saw you looking at the overtake and that's why he moved out in order to signal to you that he thought this was a bad idea.
The fact that you still went ahead with the manuever translates as ignoring his advice, hence the lecture.
I'm also guessing he saw you looking at the overtake and that's why he moved out in order to signal to you that he thought this was a bad idea.
The fact that you still went ahead with the manuever translates as ignoring his advice, hence the lecture.
duncanthemad said:
From the description given, my best guess is that the Policeman had already decided it was not safe to overtake in this situation.
I'm also guessing he saw you looking at the overtake and that's why he moved out in order to signal to you that he thought this was a bad idea.
The fact that you still went ahead with the manuever translates as ignoring his advice, hence the lecture.
I think it makes a big difference whether the BiB was a panda driver (standard police driver) or Traffic (advanced police driver).
woodytvr said:
It was a Panda. It was also perfectly safe to overtake.
If it had been me, I would have argued the toss. Don't forget that standards in police driving have fallen in recent yeats. Most of the police accidents occur when NOT on an emergency call. This means the problem is the level of general driving not emergency response driving.
Yup, now and again you have to "put up" with Plod.
Not having a go, but sometimes they are flogging a dead horse.
Was pulled when I was younger, mate driving. They asked why we were double backing (to go to the chinese to pick up our food).
Made a big deal as the Plod found a clip on blue tie, like POLICE use, oh my god, went on about this time for like 30 seconds, how relevant? (lad was an air-cadet)
If I were you I'd take pride in the fact that you were technically not in the wrong, and that ultimately you were better than the Plod because they stopped the person doing nothing wrong, and let the dangerous driver on their way!!!
Dave
Not having a go, but sometimes they are flogging a dead horse.
Was pulled when I was younger, mate driving. They asked why we were double backing (to go to the chinese to pick up our food).
Made a big deal as the Plod found a clip on blue tie, like POLICE use, oh my god, went on about this time for like 30 seconds, how relevant? (lad was an air-cadet)
If I were you I'd take pride in the fact that you were technically not in the wrong, and that ultimately you were better than the Plod because they stopped the person doing nothing wrong, and let the dangerous driver on their way!!!
Dave
Got pulled for speeding twice in a line of speeding traffic for no good reason other than the car was a little flash. No one else got pulled.
So when using my everyday car (at the time a beaten up Renault 25) I noticed plod speeding. I went and reported to the local nick and asked why. I got the usual fob off.
The reason for this story is that my Renault was then pulled once a week until I sold it. No reason as they don't need one. I was late all the time. So don't argue unless you're getting rid of your motor. Next time I'm going to take numbers.
So when using my everyday car (at the time a beaten up Renault 25) I noticed plod speeding. I went and reported to the local nick and asked why. I got the usual fob off.
The reason for this story is that my Renault was then pulled once a week until I sold it. No reason as they don't need one. I was late all the time. So don't argue unless you're getting rid of your motor. Next time I'm going to take numbers.
woodytvr said:
He then starts a lecture about road safety and how it's been dry for weeks and now it's raining - really, I hadn't noticed. So I had to sit (now late) listening to him ramble on about the two crashes he's been to this week.
I was once pulled and given that lecture, the only difference was that it had rained every day after the dry period virtually non-stop, the bloke had prob been away on holiday. If ever they create a prize for being an a$£%hole this bloke would probably stand a bloody good chance of winning it.
As for the standard of Panda drivers, I'd rate them not alot higher than cabbies.
over here in the US, we call getting pulled over by the police and not given a ticket "lucky"...Not really sure how he'd know my nature without pulling me so don't follow that comment.
I have no hard feelings against the guy, just curious as to whether he was okay to pull me - Seems he was.
He felt he needed to give me a lecture on road safety and was in a position to do so. Fair play. If was contantly getting pulled or he'd have mucked about with producers then I might be little miffed. But as it was a one off and made him feel important it's fine.
Another question. In these terrible condition my friendly BIB don't where his Hi Vis jacket, he had it screwed up under his arm. What's the deal with that? He had to stand in the road as there was no path. Again just curious.
I have no hard feelings against the guy, just curious as to whether he was okay to pull me - Seems he was.
He felt he needed to give me a lecture on road safety and was in a position to do so. Fair play. If was contantly getting pulled or he'd have mucked about with producers then I might be little miffed. But as it was a one off and made him feel important it's fine.
Another question. In these terrible condition my friendly BIB don't where his Hi Vis jacket, he had it screwed up under his arm. What's the deal with that? He had to stand in the road as there was no path. Again just curious.
It's just the sort of thing that happens, so I never bother trying to overtake when the queue has a police car in it. Result is that I've only ever had one unjust pull, and that was in circumstances so different to this that it is irrelevant to the discussion.
What I find most objectionable about this particular incident is the message it sends to the numpties in the queue, who didn't hear the "You haven't done anything wrong", and only saw someone overtake and immediately get pulled. Not surprising we get queues... you could even argue that it might act as encouragement to the numpties to perform dangerous overtake-blocking manouevres...
What I find most objectionable about this particular incident is the message it sends to the numpties in the queue, who didn't hear the "You haven't done anything wrong", and only saw someone overtake and immediately get pulled. Not surprising we get queues... you could even argue that it might act as encouragement to the numpties to perform dangerous overtake-blocking manouevres...
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