Traffic car speeding, need blues?
Discussion
This has been bugging me for weeks.
I pulled out to overtake a 'middle lane' muppet on an empty motorway at night. I noticed a car coming up quickly, which flashed me, I accelerated to about 85 to pass quickly. The car was on my bumper before I had passed, and when I pulled in the officer in the passenger seat pointed to his eyes, indicating I should be more observant.
Now I think he should have had his blues on, as then I would have known it was a traffic car, rather than assuming he was just a speeding rep, and could have acted differently.
Out of anger I tried to follow him, to get the car number, but had to give up at just short of three figures as he was too far in front and still leaving me (I know this was wrong, before anyone says anything).
So after all that, if a traffic car is speeding, does it need at least blues on?
TIA
Sparks
I pulled out to overtake a 'middle lane' muppet on an empty motorway at night. I noticed a car coming up quickly, which flashed me, I accelerated to about 85 to pass quickly. The car was on my bumper before I had passed, and when I pulled in the officer in the passenger seat pointed to his eyes, indicating I should be more observant.
Now I think he should have had his blues on, as then I would have known it was a traffic car, rather than assuming he was just a speeding rep, and could have acted differently.
Out of anger I tried to follow him, to get the car number, but had to give up at just short of three figures as he was too far in front and still leaving me (I know this was wrong, before anyone says anything).
So after all that, if a traffic car is speeding, does it need at least blues on?
TIA
Sparks
No it doesnt need Blues to speed.
I attend a number of 'calls' in a tour of duty.....most need twos and Blues but the odd one doesnt.
There are many that necessitate that you 'make progress' and its up to the driver whether or not he/she uses warning aids etc and there are some 'calls' which you really dont need to use them at all and a silent approach is necessary........this bit comes with experience and sound judgement.
For an example.....you could be going to a suspect on call where the sound of sirens etc would scare off the suspect as he would hear you approaching from 2 miles away.
The other example as happened to me the other day......a car chase in another County,obvioulsy some miles away but i was making progress to a given location in the hope that it may come my way. I was constantly trying to think ahead of the bandit without concerning or alarming other road users.
I certainly dont/wouldnt encourage you too follow a Police car at speed solely because he is exceeding the speed limit etc etc, because you dont,(and will probably never know) what he was/is doing.
Rest assured that he will be doing his job as professionally as he can.
He has an exemption........you dont!
>> Edited by tonyrec on Thursday 25th September 11:24
I attend a number of 'calls' in a tour of duty.....most need twos and Blues but the odd one doesnt.
There are many that necessitate that you 'make progress' and its up to the driver whether or not he/she uses warning aids etc and there are some 'calls' which you really dont need to use them at all and a silent approach is necessary........this bit comes with experience and sound judgement.
For an example.....you could be going to a suspect on call where the sound of sirens etc would scare off the suspect as he would hear you approaching from 2 miles away.
The other example as happened to me the other day......a car chase in another County,obvioulsy some miles away but i was making progress to a given location in the hope that it may come my way. I was constantly trying to think ahead of the bandit without concerning or alarming other road users.
I certainly dont/wouldnt encourage you too follow a Police car at speed solely because he is exceeding the speed limit etc etc, because you dont,(and will probably never know) what he was/is doing.
Rest assured that he will be doing his job as professionally as he can.
He has an exemption........you dont!
>> Edited by tonyrec on Thursday 25th September 11:24
mungo said:
Not wishing to sound patronising but did you check your mirror before you pulled out? If so did you notice a car was bearing down lane 3 much quicker than you?
People are always pulling into my lane when I am travelling much quicker than them and it does my head in!
Yes I did, but it was a long way off, and I thought I would have time. When I realised it was coming seriously quickly, as I said I sped up.
I agree it does my head in too, but when you are doing 70, and the car behind is several hundred metres away, you would expect to have enough time to overtake.
Sparks
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:38
Thanks tonyerc. :slopesofftailbetweenlegs:
It was halfway between two junctions, only the numpty, me, and then him, he flashed his lights, but (probably wrongly) I thought it was just another joe (it was dark). Had he put blues on (no need for siren) I would have known it was a traffic car, and would have moved in sharpish. He must have been in three figures as he caught me very quickly.
So in future, if someone flashes me at night on the motorway, I should move over in the assumption that it is plod?
Thanks again
Sparks
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:39
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:39
It was halfway between two junctions, only the numpty, me, and then him, he flashed his lights, but (probably wrongly) I thought it was just another joe (it was dark). Had he put blues on (no need for siren) I would have known it was a traffic car, and would have moved in sharpish. He must have been in three figures as he caught me very quickly.
So in future, if someone flashes me at night on the motorway, I should move over in the assumption that it is plod?
Thanks again
Sparks
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:39
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:39
On another similar note. Is there any law about overtaking a vehicle with blues and twos on. MK as most people know has loads of round-abouts and loads of dual carriageways.
I pulled out from a minor road onto a dual carriageway the other day and followed a Fire Engine for about a mile. After the next roundabout and with a view of about a mile of empty dual carriageway, the Fire Engine sat in the right hand lane at about 50 mph. Obviously struggling to get to 70mph. Is it wrong or immoral to overtake a Fire Engine or even an ambulance – (although I don’t think I would over take an ambulance out of respect…!)
jj
I pulled out from a minor road onto a dual carriageway the other day and followed a Fire Engine for about a mile. After the next roundabout and with a view of about a mile of empty dual carriageway, the Fire Engine sat in the right hand lane at about 50 mph. Obviously struggling to get to 70mph. Is it wrong or immoral to overtake a Fire Engine or even an ambulance – (although I don’t think I would over take an ambulance out of respect…!)
jj
Sparks said:
Now I think he should have had his blues on, as then I would have known it was a traffic car, rather than assuming he was just a speeding rep, and could have acted differently.
So you are saying it's fine to pull out in front of a speeding rep, but not in front of the plod?
Sparks said:
So in future, if someone flashes me at night on the motorway, I should move over in the assumption that it is plod?
Thanks again
Sparks
It was another very good question but one which i hope i have answered.
Personally, a quick flash of Bluelamp can sometimes does help, either before or after....just to let the driver know that hes not been overtaken by a wideboy out for a jolly.
But again...sometimes this is not possible if you know what i mean.
>> Edited by tonyrec on Thursday 25th September 13:11
Sparks said:
Thanks tonyerc. :slopesofftailbetweenlegs:
It was halfway between two junctions, only the numpty, me, and then him, he flashed his lights, but (probably wrongly) I thought it was just another joe (it was dark). Had he put blues on (no need for siren) I would have known it was a traffic car, and would have moved in sharpish. He must have been in three figures as he caught me very quickly.
So in future, if someone flashes me at night on the motorway, I should move over in the assumption that it is plod?
Thanks again
Sparks
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:39
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 11:39
Don't take this the wrong way, but why would you move over quicker for a BiB car than any other. Surely everyone on the road deserves the same respect regardless of their status? This is not meant to sound aggressive, just it made me wonder...
I think if everyone treated ALL cars as plod then the general driving and respect out there would be of a much higher standard...
*edited as I can't type..!*
>> Edited by Fat Audi 80 on Thursday 25th September 13:21
Fat Audi 80 said:
Don't take this the wrong way, but why would you move over quicker for a BiB car than any other. Surely everyone on the road deserves the same respect regardless of their status? This is not meant to sound aggressive, just it made me wonder...
I think if everyone treated ALL cars as plod then the general driving and respect our there would be of a much higher standard...
Good point although not everyone is as skilled at driving as traffic plod is - sorry to point out the small hole in you argument!
About pulling out infront of a rep.
I am not saying it is Ok, I am normally quite good at getting out of the way of speeding cars, but if a non plod car is doing 90 plus (and this plod was way faster than 90), then they are most definately in the wrong (speed kills you know), where plod are allowed (under certain circumstances) to be doing that speed.
The whole point was I would have been more aware of this traffic car had it quickly flashed blues rather than headlights. It would not have alerted anyone, as there were only three vehicles about (me, him and the muppet middle lane man I was overtaking).
Sparks
edited to add : Also then the faster moving car has priority, regardles of the legality of the speed? Why should I slow down and get boxed, rather than pull out to overtake just because some muppet rep is tonning it up? (O.K as I said I do usually let them go, better in front of me than behind)
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 13:41
I am not saying it is Ok, I am normally quite good at getting out of the way of speeding cars, but if a non plod car is doing 90 plus (and this plod was way faster than 90), then they are most definately in the wrong (speed kills you know
), where plod are allowed (under certain circumstances) to be doing that speed. The whole point was I would have been more aware of this traffic car had it quickly flashed blues rather than headlights. It would not have alerted anyone, as there were only three vehicles about (me, him and the muppet middle lane man I was overtaking).
Sparks
edited to add : Also then the faster moving car has priority, regardles of the legality of the speed? Why should I slow down and get boxed, rather than pull out to overtake just because some muppet rep is tonning it up? (O.K as I said I do usually let them go, better in front of me than behind)
>> Edited by Sparks on Thursday 25th September 13:41
gh0st said:
I have overtaken an ambulance with lights going before.
It was doing just under 70 on the motorway.
I was going just over 70 so overtook it.
Its a mini adventure
On a few occasions I have been overtaken when in the ambulance with the warning kit on - don't have any problem at all with it. The patient in the back may well have spinal/cranial, or other injuries which would preclude hooning of any sort - on one occasion I was heading out of Maidstone Hospital at Barming with a cardiac emergency transferring to St Thomas's at Waterloo; her condition was such that steady & gentle progress was far preferable to a leaden-footed approach, so I put the disco on and ambled up the M20 at a steady 40-45. We got to Tommy's and she hardly knew she had moved, bless her. Emergency doesn't always mean Warp Factor 6, Mr Sulu...
Fat Audi 80 said:
why would you move over quicker for a BiB car than any other.
If the police are in a hurry its likely to be because they *need* to get somewhere quickly. For most other people they just *want* to get to their destination quicker. If I'm held up by the car in front I wouldn't normally move aside to let the car behind me move forward one place. But if there were blue flashing lights behind me I'd do it without question.
Which reminds me, on the way home yesterday I was in moderately heavy traffic on the M1, and spotted bright headlights gradually approaching from about half a mile behind me. Turned out to be a marked police van which was making steady progress up lane 3 by flashing headlights to move other cars out of the way every time the traffic started to slow up. No blues or noise, and they just sat in lane 3 at 80 mph while the traffic was moving. Couldn't see why they didn't put the blues on if they were on a call. My guess was that they weren't on a call and were just impatient at being held up in traffic. Is this viewed as a perk of the job? Seemed a bit out of order to me.
"It's not my fault officer, Burnt Fishtrousers made me do it".
tonyrec said:
Good question.......personally i wouldnt overtake any Emergency vehicle without being instructed too.
Somehow, it just wouldnt feel right.
Well I am unlikely to overtake a police car with its lights and siren on!
However fire engines and ambulances on dual carriageways and motorways are fair game in my opinion as long as one keeps an eye o traffic bunching ahead and plans to move over to let them back in front if it slows.
[quote=Sparks]Why should I slow down and get boxed, rather than pull out to overtake just because some muppet rep is tonning it up? (O.K as I said I do usually let them go, better in front of me than behind)
[quote]
Simply because it's extremely dangerous to pull out in front of a vehicle moving considerably faster then you are, but not dangerous to smoothly adjust your speed so you don't ram the car in front but can still pull out quickly after the faster car has gone past.
I hope I'm totaly wrong, but you sound like one of those people that feel it'd their duty to slow down people who are speeding in any way possible.
[quote]
Simply because it's extremely dangerous to pull out in front of a vehicle moving considerably faster then you are, but not dangerous to smoothly adjust your speed so you don't ram the car in front but can still pull out quickly after the faster car has gone past.
I hope I'm totaly wrong, but you sound like one of those people that feel it'd their duty to slow down people who are speeding in any way possible.
Marked Cars:
Chummie is driving down the motorway, he thinks he's got away with it.
Suddenly he sees blue flashing lights 2 miles behind him in the distance. (between 2 juncts - he exits the motorway...)
Unmarked Cars:
making progress, if they are using lighst and sirens, it kinda defeats the point of being unmarked, but they may still need to get somewhere.
Other Emerg Vehics.
No probs overtaking them, so long as you are not breaking the law by doing so. just keep well clear, as has been mentioned already, spinal injuries require a smooth ride not necessarily a fast one.
Chummie is driving down the motorway, he thinks he's got away with it.
Suddenly he sees blue flashing lights 2 miles behind him in the distance. (between 2 juncts - he exits the motorway...)
Unmarked Cars:
making progress, if they are using lighst and sirens, it kinda defeats the point of being unmarked, but they may still need to get somewhere.
Other Emerg Vehics.
No probs overtaking them, so long as you are not breaking the law by doing so. just keep well clear, as has been mentioned already, spinal injuries require a smooth ride not necessarily a fast one.
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