Speeding - am I screwed?
Discussion
I'll cut to the chase.
Last week I was making haste home on the M23. I went past a car at around 100 and settled into a cruise at around 115 indicated.
Car behind follows at a distance of around 200 metres. Turns headlights off to sidelights only.
Car behind then does the alternate flashy headlights thing - unmarked car.
I immediately indicate and pull over, only for the unmarked car to go past and carry on. Unmarked car then sits in front of me for 10 miles or so. Unmarked car then speeds off and pulls into layby, then comes out behind me again and follows all the way to Brighton. Naturally I sit at 60-70.
Question is, am I about to get a summons in the post?
Last week I was making haste home on the M23. I went past a car at around 100 and settled into a cruise at around 115 indicated.
Car behind follows at a distance of around 200 metres. Turns headlights off to sidelights only.
Car behind then does the alternate flashy headlights thing - unmarked car.
I immediately indicate and pull over, only for the unmarked car to go past and carry on. Unmarked car then sits in front of me for 10 miles or so. Unmarked car then speeds off and pulls into layby, then comes out behind me again and follows all the way to Brighton. Naturally I sit at 60-70.
Question is, am I about to get a summons in the post?
Doubtful.
I had a similar experience not that long ago, and even got pulled over (I was following the car and I think he thought I was taking the mick). Got a severe reprimand and told I was an idiot, but that he had other issues to deal with.
If they had wanted to nick you, I think they would have pulled you - IMO they were just warning you...
Best of luck!
I had a similar experience not that long ago, and even got pulled over (I was following the car and I think he thought I was taking the mick). Got a severe reprimand and told I was an idiot, but that he had other issues to deal with.
If they had wanted to nick you, I think they would have pulled you - IMO they were just warning you...
Best of luck!
Agreed, it's a warning. Over the years of my motoring experience I've had a couple of these in various forms. They just wanted you to slow down, which you duly did, so they monitored you for a while and then let you carry on.
If you hadn't slowed you'd have been booked no question, but they were just letting you know they'd seen you and thought you were going a bit quick.
If you hadn't slowed you'd have been booked no question, but they were just letting you know they'd seen you and thought you were going a bit quick.
Whisper to yourself that they're very nice people and it's totally untrue what you've heard about their fathers.
They were very nice to you.
Those speeds are automatic ban territory. That may, or may not, be a reason for them not having stopped you. It may be the officers' opinion that while you were travelling in excess of the speed limit you were driving safely. Hence, their opinion, you didn't deserve to lose your licence for that offence. They can't stop you and perjor themselves by saying you were travelling at a lower speed than you were, so they chose simply not to stop you.
You just had your wrists slapped in the best possible way. This is why we love the police over the scameras. They excercised discretion and you got a second chance.
(Maybe they were closet pistonheaders?)
They were very nice to you.
Those speeds are automatic ban territory. That may, or may not, be a reason for them not having stopped you. It may be the officers' opinion that while you were travelling in excess of the speed limit you were driving safely. Hence, their opinion, you didn't deserve to lose your licence for that offence. They can't stop you and perjor themselves by saying you were travelling at a lower speed than you were, so they chose simply not to stop you.
You just had your wrists slapped in the best possible way. This is why we love the police over the scameras. They excercised discretion and you got a second chance.
(Maybe they were closet pistonheaders?)
I saw an agressive driving BMW 5 series, so I set out to teach him a 'lesson' in my 993Turbo, and revved up close behind him to steam him the way he was steaming others, then some flashing red/bluey lights came on within his rear window and I pulled to the slower lane and started behaving.
It was obviously a BiB, but I never heard anything again after that.
It was obviously a BiB, but I never heard anything again after that.
towman said:
Probably just a "warning".
Sussex trafpol are some of the best in the country.
If the car is suited to high speed they are more leniant than if you are thrashing the tits off a shed.
I have to agree, they have told me off for making progress on a couple of occasions but nothing more than that
I think you're OK. As other have said, if they wanted to pull you they would have done.
I couple of years ago I was coming back to London on the M1 just before midnight on a Sunday evening, one of the few times I've seen the M1 so empty.
There was a Merc E class diesel with 2 blokes in which joined around Leicester Forest East, over took me and then sat in the inside lane at around an indicated 90. From there until Northampton we both made 'good' progress, often getting up to 120 to overtake other cars and then settling to around 90ish.
As we got to Northamptonshire he suddenly shot off with a flash of his rear lights to let me know that he was police.
I count myself lucky and like to think that he used his discretion that the road was clear and I wasn't endangering anyone. They're not all bad.
I couple of years ago I was coming back to London on the M1 just before midnight on a Sunday evening, one of the few times I've seen the M1 so empty.
There was a Merc E class diesel with 2 blokes in which joined around Leicester Forest East, over took me and then sat in the inside lane at around an indicated 90. From there until Northampton we both made 'good' progress, often getting up to 120 to overtake other cars and then settling to around 90ish.
As we got to Northamptonshire he suddenly shot off with a flash of his rear lights to let me know that he was police.
I count myself lucky and like to think that he used his discretion that the road was clear and I wasn't endangering anyone. They're not all bad.
I'll not expain why I did this, I just did it.
Made an illegal right turn, undercut a ruck of cars, went through a red light and doubled the speed limit.
All this with an unmarked car behind me, Next morning a local policeman came to see me and told me I had seriously annoyed one of the top brass at our City centre station, and that I was to apologise. I found out the chaps name, and when the started his shift. I got to the station at ten to seven the next morning and expained myself and apologised like I never had before. If I hadn't apologised I would have recieved a total of 8 points he claimed. I seroiusly learned a lesson there (altough I did have to count to ten slowly when he told me he reported my car as being stolen given as I was heading towards Liverpool).
I would imagine if anything was to happen, it would have happened by now.
Made an illegal right turn, undercut a ruck of cars, went through a red light and doubled the speed limit.
All this with an unmarked car behind me, Next morning a local policeman came to see me and told me I had seriously annoyed one of the top brass at our City centre station, and that I was to apologise. I found out the chaps name, and when the started his shift. I got to the station at ten to seven the next morning and expained myself and apologised like I never had before. If I hadn't apologised I would have recieved a total of 8 points he claimed. I seroiusly learned a lesson there (altough I did have to count to ten slowly when he told me he reported my car as being stolen given as I was heading towards Liverpool).
I would imagine if anything was to happen, it would have happened by now.
AL666 said:
That's something I wondered about, can you be done for speeding if you're following a police car, which doesn't have their lights/siren on?
Can you? I would have thought so. Speeding is an absolute offence - either you were or you weren`t. Whether you would or not depends on whether you pass the attitude test.
AL666 said:
That's right... Speeding is an absolute offence, one which the Police are not allowed to commit either, that's the point. Could they 'do' you without themselves falling at fault?
You didn`t ask about them - you asked about the following car! Are we talking marked cars here?
AL666 said:
No, I said if you're following a Police Car, marked or unmarked.
whats the bold for? I understood you the first time!
Here`s a scenario then..........
Unmarked car on its way to a shout and you decide to follow it at speeds in excess of the speed limit. For whatever reason, the polis get stood down and now have time to nick you for taking the p1ss. I don`t really think you could defend that one, do you? Best not to follow them methinks.
D'oh, read through it again and realised that what you said meant you'd understood what I'd said 
I try not to be ambiguous, but it's hard at times.
Police aren't allowed to travel in excess of the speed limit though, so the only way they could do you for speeding is if they admit that they were speeding (without flashers, or siren), which means that there should be some repurcussions for them, shouldn't it?
I try not to be ambiguous, but it's hard at times. Police aren't allowed to travel in excess of the speed limit though, so the only way they could do you for speeding is if they admit that they were speeding (without flashers, or siren), which means that there should be some repurcussions for them, shouldn't it?
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