Police motorway speed tolerance

[BusaMK]

I always thought that the police had a mature attitude to making progress late at night if it looked like you knew what you were doing...and that certainly keeping speed below 85 would not result in a pull....however..

4 lane dry motorway, late at night, barely any cars, I'm doing about 80, until I spot a marked police estate in the inside lane about 1 mile ahead. I slow my speed gradually, and as I get closer, it appears he was doing about 68, based on my GPS speed. I turn my headlights down to reduce glare and pass him at a GPS speed of about 71, indicated on my speedo of 73. I then get a shock as he pulls level with me and gesticulates from the drivers seat for me to slow down... so I slowed down to 65, pulled in behind him, and stayed there until he left the motorway in about 8 miles, before accelerating back up to my normal, sensible cruising speed for that time of night.

This situation really did seem quite bizarre....I've used this method many times to pass marked cars in the inside lane who I assumed were going slowly in order to use their ANPR on the slowly overtaking traffic. So I thought police didn't really mind getting overtaken on the motorway in this manner as long as you don't take the piss. I still don't know how I could have passed the aittitude test if they'd given me a lecture on the dangers of 1mph over the limit on a clear dry motorway. And I'm not exaggerating, it really did happen. Were they just bored?

[Bright Halo]

He must have had a bad day!
I normally cruise past at 80-85 and never get a problem.

[Greendubber]

Maybe they told you to slow down for another unknown reason. Person reported walking down the motorway, drink driver reported, stranded vehicle which had made its way prior to being located etc.

I really wouldnt worry about it.

[TooMany2cvs]

BusaMK said:

I spot a marked police estate in the inside lane about 1 mile ahead. ...as I get closer... I turn my headlights down to reduce glare

Sorry, what?

You were close enough to him to pace him and check his speed, but with your lights on full beam?

No flippin' wonder he paid attention to you.

BusaMK said:

I then get a shock as he pulls level with me and gesticulates from the drivers seat for me to slow down...

I'm less than convinced it was speed that he was gesticulating to you about.

[Wacky Racer]

Anyone who overtakes a police car doing "around" 70mph is asking for trouble (imo)

The UK speed limit is 70mph not 73/5/8 whatever.

Were you really in that much of a rush you had to overtake him?

[mygoldfishbowl]

TooMany2cvs said:

BusaMK said:

I spot a marked police estate in the inside lane about 1 mile ahead. ...as I get closer... I turn my headlights down to reduce glare

Sorry, what?

You were close enough to him to pace him and check his speed, but with your lights on full beam?

No flippin' wonder he paid attention to you.

BusaMK said:

I then get a shock as he pulls level with me and gesticulates from the drivers seat for me to slow down...

I'm less than convinced it was speed that he was gesticulating to you about.

Exactly what I was thinking, then I thought the op couldn't surely have meant that as it reads?

[768]

Wacky Racer said:

Anyone who overtakes a police car doing "around" 70mph is asking for trouble (imo)

So, do you not get up to 70, or are you one of those who queue up behind police cars doing less than the limit?

[surveyor]

I'll go past at up to 75. But it's a bit risky late at night when it's quiet.

I'm more wary of panda drivers, particularly in Wales where they get quite mardy.

[cmaguire]

mygoldfishbowl said:

Exactly what I was thinking, then I thought the op couldn't surely have meant that as it reads?

Empty motorway at night. He was on high beam and changed to dip. Bit of a non-event.

The days of coasting past Police cars at 85 are long gone . Back then they would have been doing high 70's perhaps.
Nowadays most of the Police cars I see are doing just under 70, I'll pass them at mid 70's. Too many of them are a too much of a nuisance to risk any more these days, and you never know at the time.
I'm not suggesting this is anything but an uncommon occurence, but on one occasion on the dualled A505 I came up behind a marked estate (I can't say for sure if it was traffic or local) which was doing low 60's. I was doing perhaps 80 previously but saw it from some distance and slowed to 70. As I neared they increased speed to nearly 70 so i kept station. Then perhaps 500 yards later they gently slow to nearer 60, no other vehicles in sight. I briefly slowed with them, wondering what the hell they were doing, then accelerated past them gently to 70. A few seconds later the blue lights are on and I get pulled over and given some bullst lecture about speed that made no sense to me in the context at the time . I didn't and had no inclination to pass whatever attitude test was expected at the time. He was an idiot.

[TooMany2cvs]

cmaguire said:

Empty motorway at night. He was on high beam and changed to dip.

Sure. But how close? It reads as if really quite close. Too close.

[B'stard Child]

TooMany2cvs said:

BusaMK said:

I spot a marked police estate in the inside lane about 1 mile ahead. ...as I get closer... I turn my headlights down to reduce glare

Sorry, what?

You were close enough to him to pace him and check his speed, but with your lights on full beam?

No flippin' wonder he paid attention to you.

I read that as the car was fitted with adjustable headlight range - and he wound it down to min

[B'stard Child]

Wacky Racer said:

Anyone who overtakes a police car doing "around" 70mph is asking for trouble (imo)

The UK speed limit is 70mph not 73/5/8 whatever.

Were you really in that much of a rush you had to overtake him?

I've never had an issue with passing Police cars that are not flowing with the rest of the traffic

Especially ones that "sit at 65 - 68"

And I will continue to do so

[TooMany2cvs]

B'stard Child said:

I read that as the car was fitted with adjustable headlight range - and he wound it down to min

With WHAT...?

You mean a switch to manually height-adjust the lights to compensate for load?

[B'stard Child]

TooMany2cvs said:

B'stard Child said:

I read that as the car was fitted with adjustable headlight range - and he wound it down to min

With WHAT...?

You mean a switch to manually height-adjust the lights to compensate for load?

Clearly you have seen one before.........

[B'stard Child]

Perhaps it's because you expect this

[Crackie]

BusaMK said:

I always thought that the police had a mature attitude to making progress late at night if it looked like you knew what you were doing...and that certainly keeping speed below 85 would not result in a pull....however..

4 lane dry motorway, late at night, barely any cars, I'm doing about 80 , until I spot a marked police estate in the inside lane about 1 mile ahead. I turn my headlights down to reduce glare. I then get a shock as he pulls level with me and gesticulates from the drivers seat for me to slow down...

He will have seen you before you saw him, your lights were on full beam. By your own admission you were doing 10-15 mph over the speed limit at the time he saw you and he will have known what rate you were closing on him. He suggested you slow down a bit; seems entirely reasonable to me.

I do think 70 is too low though. Why is a 4 lane motorway limit only 10mph higher than, for example, a narrow single carriage country lane with high hedges. The country lane limit is too high and the Motorway too low imho.

[Retroman]

I find it amusing that a lot of motorists can justify speeding in certain circumstances as long as it's safe, but i imagine a lot of these motorists would moan at a cyclist going through a red light, even if it's safe.

[Crackie]

Retroman said:

going through a red light, even if it's safe.

WTF ??

[TooMany2cvs]

B'stard Child said:

TooMany2cvs said:

B'stard Child said:

I read that as the car was fitted with adjustable headlight range - and he wound it down to min

With WHAT...?

You mean a switch to manually height-adjust the lights to compensate for load?

Clearly you have seen one before...

I have. In quite a lot of different vehicles...

And they aren't "adjustable range", nor have they ever been.

Perhaps a parrot is required on my part, but...

[4rephill]

TooMany2cvs said:

B'stard Child said:

TooMany2cvs said:

B'stard Child said:

I read that as the car was fitted with adjustable headlight range - and he wound it down to min

With WHAT...?

You mean a switch to manually height-adjust the lights to compensate for load?

Clearly you have seen one before...

I have. In quite a lot of different vehicles...

And they aren't "adjustable range", nor have they ever been.

Perhaps a parrot is required on my part, but...

If it is, then you're not on your own!

"Adjustable range" - WTF!

Reading the original post, I'm another who gets the impression that the Police Officer's gesticulation had nothing to do with the speed, and everything to do with the fact that the OP was driving like a knob, dazzling the car ahead by dipping their headlights far too late!