Police car, all lights flashing, what do you do?

[ftasb]

I met a Police car at a roundabout approaching from the entrance on my left, full light show going, so I gave way as it is an emergency vehicle showing the full works, albeit on my left. Mr Plod gets all agitated waving me across, mouthing things suggesting I may be a bit simple and such like and generally doing a Basil Fawlty impression.
It turns out he was escorting a wide load which was about 150 yds behind him and not visible from where I had stopped for him.
What would the correct procedure be ???
I dont think gobbing off to a member of the public is part of it somehow.
I was stationary for perhaps 2 seconds before he started getting restless and gesticulating wildly.

[Streetcop]

ftasb said:

I met a Police car at a roundabout approaching from the entrance on my left, full light show going, so I gave way as it is an emergency vehicle showing the full works, albeit on my left. Mr Plod gets all agitated waving me across, mouthing things suggesting I may be a bit simple and such like and generally doing a Basil Fawlty impression. It turns out he was escorting a wide load which was about 150 yds behind him and not visible from where I had stopped for him. What would the correct procedure be ??? I dont think gobbing off to a member of the public is part of it somehow. I was stationary for perhaps 2 seconds before he started getting restless and gesticulating wildly.

Dont worry...you did right mate...We (the police) sometimes forget that blue lights can mean different things to people at different times...

Escorting such loads is a pain in the arse and probably the guy might have been at it for ages and patience was going...it happens..

More and more forces though are relying on the HATO (Highways Agency Traffic Officers)[pic] www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/tcc/images/officers.jpg[/pic] to escort such wide/heavy loads in future, leaving police officers to other tasks..

Street

[Deester]

I think you were correct to give way to them. For the trafpol to gesture anything at you was a bit stupid, how are you supposed to know what they are doing?

[nonegreen]

Streetcop said:

ftasb said: I met a Police car at a roundabout approaching from the entrance on my left, full light show going, so I gave way as it is an emergency vehicle showing the full works, albeit on my left. Mr Plod gets all agitated waving me across, mouthing things suggesting I may be a bit simple and such like and generally doing a Basil Fawlty impression. It turns out he was escorting a wide load which was about 150 yds behind him and not visible from where I had stopped for him. What would the correct procedure be ??? I dont think gobbing off to a member of the public is part of it somehow. I was stationary for perhaps 2 seconds before he started getting restless and gesticulating wildly. Dont worry...you did right mate...We (the police) sometimes forget that blue lights can mean different things to people at different times... Escorting such loads is a pain in the arse and probably the guy might have been at it for ages and patience was going...it happens.. More and more forces though are relying on the HATO (Highways Agency Traffic Officers)[pic] www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/tcc/images/officers.jpg[/pic] to escort such wide/heavy loads in future, leaving police officers to other tasks.. Street

Yeah we are a bit slow here I guess sometime in the 1950s some superheated ministry type decreed police escort for large loads (probably because someone he hated bought a bigger yawt than him) nowadays this could be done by specialists after all it is not rocket science is it? Bloody boring I expect.

[Streetcop]

Gotta go now...off to the horse races for the day..

"Go on Mystic Wind...Get up there..."



Street

[ftasb]

Thank you Streetcop et al.
I think I would always do the same thing, easier to pull away again than to be prised out from under a Vectra anyway. He did approach the roundabout looking as if he may be coming through. Suppose he wanted a shufty for traffic before the mega digger actually arrived there.
I appreciate driving a hyper powered traffic car at 5 mph must be frustrating, but plod was a bit ignorant on this ocassion. Maybe he had run out of doughnuts.
Ah well, proves he was human I guess.

[silverback mike]

ftasb,
From what you say I would say that you did nothing wrong at all. How were you to know that he was escorting an abnormal load?

It is all too easy for us with the bells and whistles going to forget that it may be the first time someone has come face to face with a car with its emergency equipment on.

The driver should have been more patient, after all a smile and wave wouldn't have hurt would it.

[streaky]

After all, he might just have been rushing to the doughnut shop before the end of "happy hour" - Streaky

[autismuk]

I think the Police normally escort Abnormal and Dangerous loads - fair enough.

It is also possible that it could have been something like Nuclear Waste - or some other load which needed Police protection.

Really, anyone who doesn't pull over for the flashers is an idiot.

[ftasb]

Crafty that, disguising nuclear waste as a off sized excavator. Should keep the ugly Greenpeace women off his tail anyway.