Spotting unmarked cars

[imbecile]

I seem to be able to pick them out by their driving style (at least the traffic ones, and I'm not bothered about the rest as they're not after me )... What else can you do? The looking for extra arials thing doesn't really work, and the blank plates wouldn't make any difference unless I was tailgating them.

[nelly1]

Apparently, they are easy to spot at night as the headlights will be perfectly alligned with no bulbs out / dazzling / etc.

They have to be thoroughly checked at the beginning of each shift for such things...

...the cars that is, not the drivers...

[cptsideways]

The distance they follow you at & on non motorways the blatant use of roadcraft gives them away from miles

[iluvmercs]

In some, you can spot the uniformed officer

If you're really canny, you can sometime spot the grill strobes

Darren

[bermyandy]

two rear view mirrors and little black box on the dash?

[AndyAudi]

iluvmercs said:

In some, you can spot the uniformed officer

Up here (NE Scotland) the local police have changed their uniforms for what appear to be Black Polo Neck T'Shirts & Fleeces. If the Traffic boys have changed or are going to change, unless in their in hi-vis, it is going to be very hard to see them! What was wrong with the white shirt's? (not a lot from a rear view mirror point of view!)

[splatspeed]

there is a simple system

drive like you stole it

anyone comming up behind you is

a police
b complete nutter

so let them past

[Narvanath]

Driving Style := good point

Sometimes, in traffic, I drive like I'm a copper look for infringements. - not illegal

I get more respect from other road users - even vans - and get cut up less often.

Try it. Just drive like a limo with full "HighwayCodeBook" and extra indicator times and smooth lane changing.

[joesnow]

I always look for two interior mirrors, no passengers, a dog grille in estates and anything on the parcel shelf.

We had a white volvo S40 T5 at work and when out in it you could scare people out of the way on the roads!

[m3psm]

splatspeed said:

there is a simple system

drive like you stole it

anyone comming up behind you is

a police
b complete nutter

so let them past

This has worked for me for years

It's usually plod at those speeds, but if it is someone driving even faster than me, then fair play, let them by

Paul

[Andrew D]

Round my way you can ID them by: -

- The LED blue flashers on the grille and rear bumper (white rectangles when not active)
- Dog cage
- Secondary/Blind Spot wing mirror
- Arials
- They use the inside lane when appropriate (and NOBODY else does round here)
- But most of all by them being blue V70 T5's, of which 90% are police vehicles round here.

[combemarshal]

Round here the police Volvo's seem to have there daylight running light disconnected so it's dead easy to tell them in the day!

[bluepolarbear]

imbecile said:

I seem to be able to pick them out by their driving style (at least the traffic ones, and I'm not bothered about the rest as they're not after me )... What else can you do? The looking for extra arials thing doesn't really work, and the blank plates wouldn't make any difference unless I was tailgating them.

There is the odd ball driving around but generally they will be

1) Driving in a manner which is better than those around them eg will demostrate that they are aware of their surroundings by the way the pull out, lack of brake lights, distance etc
2) Newish cars - they clock up big miles
3) Normally relatively large S60s, Mondeo, Vectra, etc - not city cars etc, Some specialist cars such as Impreza's and Evo's
4) Relativelly clean and Max Power free
5) Normally two people, normally male, normally white, clean shaven etc in smart clothes - jumper, shirt etc
6) Normally a flat box on rear parcel shelf or roofline - flip up/down police sign
7) Normally small video camera near rear view mirror
8) Normally travelling at below the limit

[splatspeed]

lambo cop said:

Our new car a Green 5 series BMW saloon is easy to spot, firstly its the only new BMW with an aeriel on the roof, also the camera under the rear view mirror and finally the bloody great big ANPR camera on the rear parcel shelf !!!!!!........Opps to much info............

However with all this and more people still miss it and drive past at speed on the phone etc etc....

You have been warned..........

bmw using indicators easy one to spot

[mel]

or that hasn't got it's fog lights on

[splatspeed]

mel said:

or that hasn't got it's fog lights on

now now mel you know fog lights are an option extra at £2000 each on BMW's

[hanse cronje]

the silver skoda around b'ham, particularly the m6 toll, is dead easy, its the only one doing 55/60 in the inside lane

obviously the guy in the maserati the other day didn't spot it

[oldie]

Used to be the imacculate driving , but these days that has changed.