There are some decent policemen around!

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Vertigo1

Vertigo1

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So Thursday morning at about 3am, I was on my way to a friend's place as we were all on our way down to Folkestone and on to Le Mans for the weekend.

Cruising down a deserted M42 at 95mph I was aware of a dark car following me, matching my speed exactly but thought nothing of it. He followed me for a couple of miles and off at the same junction. I turned off onto a dual-carriageway and again put the hammer down and back up to about 80-85 and again he was still following me.

He followed me off at the next roundabout and then, sure enough, the blue lights started flashing. Oh crap :(

I was invited for a little chat in the back of their car. He said the main reason they'd pulled me over was because it was a new Audi being driven fast at 3am and, since there have been quite a lot of Audi thefts in the area of late, they were concerned it might have been stolen. Checked my licence and the car details and so forth and then started mentioning that I was travelling rather too fast.

I kind of laughed a little and said that yeah, I knew full well I was going too fast and had no real excuse, other that we had to get to Folkestone for the tunnel and were against the clock. Was fully expecting him to issue a penalty and, at this point, as he'd followed me at a good 95mph for a couple of miles, I was praying I'd get away with a basic SP30 and nothing more than that.

He let me go! He chuckled a little and said I was sure to see plenty of fast cars over the weekend at Le Mans and just to cool it down a bit. I laughed back and gave him my best sheepish look and was on my way.

I fully respected him after that. I know full well I was going too fast and breaking the law and wouldn't have kicked up a stink if he'd issued a penalty, no matter what it was because it was a "fair cop" so to speak. He obviously recognised that, despite my driving above the limit, I wasn't driving dangerously or unsafely. I was indicating properly, keeping to the inside lane and not weaving around or fluctuating my speed like a madman.

We need more police like this. People who know how and when to use their discretion when it comes to driving offences. Yes I was lucky, there's no denying that, but I don't feel I was "lucky" to get away with it, but rather "lucky" that I was stopped by someone with a bit of common sense and compassion.
 
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Vertigo1 said:
We need more police like this. People who know how and when to use their discretion when it comes to driving offences. Yes I was lucky, there's no denying that, but I don't feel I was "lucky" to get away with it, but rather "lucky" that I was stopped by someone with a bit of common sense and compassion.
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I doubt the French equivalents would have been so accomodating - I certainly saw lots of "nice" cars as I was heading back in the opposite direction from Rouen to Calais on Thursday afternoon.

Certainly looking forward to taking mine on the A16 out of Calais come September - will be far better than the Toyota Auris hire car I had last week.

Got a trial run in the current A3 in a couple of weeks to act as a benchmark for the new beast.
 
There has always been good coppers about mate,glad on this instance you found one.
 
Its good to hear some common sense policing being done,thanks for sharing :racer:
 
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Lucky. But i suppose its okay if the roads are quiet and you are fully aware of what's going on.
If it were busy traffic and you was going behind people flashing your lights and speeding up then i wouldn't be surprised if he gave you 9 points.

There was a story were somebody was going 90 mph on a early Sunday morning when the roads were quiet and the police stopped him and gave him a warning. There was another guy who was going 80 in busy traffic flashing his lights at other drivers telling them to move and being wreckless. the guy who has doing 90 got away with it and the guy going 80 Mph got 3 points and a fine.
 
Did you ask him if his gps clock worked ok :undwech:
 
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Can i asked was it a marked police car or unmarked ?
 
Some will use their discretion if you don't go telling them how to do their job, i.e: why aren't you out catching "real" criminals ...etc. Being polite costs nothing, and should be mandatory if you know you're in the wrong.
 
Vertigo1 said:
Unmarked dark-coloured BMW.
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Sneaky sods !
These unmarked ones are doing my head in now ! I am on a constant look out whilst driving these days for camera vans, speed cameras, police cars, unmarked police cars i am surprised i haven't crashed yet !
 
Sounds like a sensible bobby,you weren't harming anyone at that time of the morning. Good to see he used his descretion,Unfortunately its something a speed camera doesn't possess.

Mark
 
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I know there are exceptions, but the majority of unmarked cars I've seen have been BMW touring models. I always slow up around these cars and overtake slowly looking in the windows - The cars may be marked, but the people in are usually a dead give-away!
 
Rather than praise the copper for letting the op go, why not flame the op for breaking the law.

I bet if a speeding driver has hit any one of you youd be ranting about them speeding if just 2mph over the limit.

allyall are a bunch of hypocrits.

gnight!
 
90mph in a 70mph deserted motorway vs 50mph in a 30mph built-up area with children crossing the road are two very different things.

It's not all black and white, @udi A3..
 
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Like I said, I fully accept that I was breaking the law but don't believe I was driving at all dangerously. I was in full control at all times, indicating properly and using the correct lane.

Of course that's just my opinion and I'm sure even those who drive like morons still think they're the best drivers in the world, but the fact that the police let me off with just a small ticking off suggests they agreed with me.

Speed doesn't kill, inappropriate speed kills. As Karl said above, 95 on a motorway can be perfectly safe in the right conditions, whereas even 20 in a 30 zone can be unsafe at times. Personally I use my own judgement as to what speed is appropriate and safe. Yes, sometimes that speed is above the limit and thus I'm breaking the law but, if and when I get caught, I'll happily accept responsibility for that and take whatever punishment is doled out to me.
 
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What is far worse than 90mph on a 70mph straight road in the early hours of the morning is the stupid woman on the A10 between Cheshunt and Ware at 7.45 each week day in the White Fiat 500 who insists in travelling the entire 10 miles in the outside lane at 75mph + and will tailgate everything that gets in her way.

In terms of overall risk (and danger) I know what is worse and deserves being punished even if technically both are breaking the law.
 
Daveotto said:
What is far worse than 90mph on a 70mph straight road in the early hours of the morning is the stupid woman on the A10 between Cheshunt and Ware at 7.45 each week day in the White Fiat 500 who insists in travelling the entire 10 miles in the outside lane at 75mph + and will tailgate everything that gets in her way.

In terms of overall risk (and danger) I know what is worse and deserves being punished even if technically both are breaking the law.
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Leave for work 5 mins early? Take a detour down whitestubbs lane and brickendon, maybe longer but much more fun roads and keeping to the speed limit (if you can) through that route will leave you feeling refreshed and ready for your days work :D

Always worked for me :D

Either way, theres a speed limit in force in the uk, its in black and white, it was a part of your driving test to acknowledge this, and all cases of speeding should be treated the same, no lenience just because its 3am and roads are clear.
 
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Vertigo1 said:
Like I said, I fully accept that I was breaking the law but don't believe I was driving at all dangerously. I was in full control at all times, indicating properly and using the correct lane.

Of course that's just my opinion and I'm sure even those who drive like morons still think they're the best drivers in the world, but the fact that the police let me off with just a small ticking off suggests they agreed with me.

Speed doesn't kill, inappropriate speed kills. As Karl said above, 95 on a motorway can be perfectly safe in the right conditions, whereas even 20 in a 30 zone can be unsafe at times. Personally I use my own judgement as to what speed is appropriate and safe. Yes, sometimes that speed is above the limit and thus I'm breaking the law but, if and when I get caught, I'll happily accept responsibility for that and take whatever punishment is doled out to me.
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Please print this page out then add your reg number, driver number, name and address, and pop it into the local police station.
 
@udi A3 said:
Either way, theres a speed limit in force in the uk, its in black and white, it was a part of your driving test to acknowledge this, and all cases of speeding should be treated the same, no lenience just because its 3am and roads are clear.
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Meanwhile, I hear of people routinely failing their motorcycle test for not exceeding the speed limit on a de-restriction dual carriageway. The examiners know that someone with a full category A licence isn't going to stick to 70 and want to see how you handle higher speeds. The real world ain't so simple.
 
@udi A3 said:
Rather than praise the copper for letting the op go, why not flame the op for breaking the law.

I bet if a speeding driver has hit any one of you youd be ranting about them speeding if just 2mph over the limit.

allyall are a bunch of hypocrits.

gnight!
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@udi A3 said:
I still stay in the middle lane. Crawlers in the left lane, people entering in the left lane, tram lines down the left lane, all make the middle lane the safe choice for driving at the 70mph speed limit.

Anybody getting angry as they cruise up behind me in the middle lane in excess of the speed limit can either : a) slow the **** down and stay behind me, b)drive around me in the outside lane and keep speeding, 3) undercut at speed cos your an idiot and lose control on any of the previously mentioned left hand lane obsticles.

Whilst I am not trying to force you to drive at the correct speed, i refuse to allow your speeding to affect my middle lane driving, and im sorry, but ill tell any undercover officer driving up behind me to do the same and then ticketing me the same.

However, If for some reason i feel the need to drive slower than the speed limit ill happily swap lanes.
FYI driving this way has caused no accidents involving me or others in the 16+ years i have been driving.
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I guess your right we are all hypocrites hey ;)
 
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@udi A3 said:
Leave for work 5 mins early? Take a detour down whitestubbs lane and brickendon, maybe longer but much more fun roads and keeping to the speed limit (if you can) through that route will leave you feeling refreshed and ready for your days work :D

Always worked for me :D

Either way, theres a speed limit in force in the uk, its in black and white, it was a part of your driving test to acknowledge this, and all cases of speeding should be treated the same, no lenience just because its 3am and roads are clear.
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I just pull into the inside lane and let her accelerate past me with a horible squeeling sound - reminds me of an annoying buzzing fly.

Nice thought on the detour via Brickendon but would then have to sit in traffic back through Hertford

not sure the speed limt ting is as black and white as you make out - yes there is a 70mph speed limit but there was debate on raising to 80mph in parliament that was rejected as I believe there is already "unwritten police guidance" on speeeding in various conditions otherwise it would be possible to nick everyone on the M1 or M40 or M20 etc etc at 10.30am.

Also lots of ambiguity in the speed you are doing anyway - speedo's are allowed to have a 10% tolereance, even digital ones, and car makers deliberatly set them low so 70mph is typically 66 - 67mpg as measured by GPS (which is more accurate) and as you are allowed to do 10% over the limit due to the tolerance allowance you have to be doing in excess of 77mpg to get a ticket - so in theory my GPS could be reading 77mph and car speedo 80mph and then I would still be just inside the tolerance band and "avoid" a ticket....... but I am sure if I was doing the same speed but tailgating or lane hopping I would be rightly pulled up - hence why I think there is more police judgement going on than we actually realise before they decide tun on the lights and turn that innocent looking Honda Civic into a police car - just wish the Honda Civic could be around to teach the Fiat 500 a lesson
 
Ok got mine, you can start now:

uncle-sams-toffee-popcorn.jpg
 
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Here you go:

The law for car speedometers in the UK The UK law is based on the EU standard, with some minor changes. A speedo must never show less than the actual speed, and must never show more than 110% of actual speed + 6.25mph. So if your true speed is 40mph, your speedo could legally be reading up to 50.25mph but never less than 40mph. Or to put it another way, if your speedo is reading 50mph, you won’t be doing more than 50mph but it’s possible you might actually only be travelling at 40mph.
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Meh, everyone's entitled to their opinion and I knew some people would have a go at me. Can't say I'm bothered really.

@udi A3 said:
Please print this page out then add your reg number, driver number, name and address, and pop it into the local police station.
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To what end? I've already been stopped by the police and they've made a judgement to let me go with only a light ticking off. They could have handed me a harsher penalty but chose not to. If I were to do as you suggest, I strongly suspect they'd agree that the matter had already been dealt with.

Am I to assume that you've not once broken the speed limit and, if you have, then on every single occasion you've surrendered yourself at the local police station? :rolleyes:
 
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Vertigo1 said:
Am I to assume that you've not once broken the speed limit and, if you have, then on every single occasion you've surrendered yourself at the local police station? :rolleyes:
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Or broken the law in any other obscure way such as using fog lights in visibility of more than 100m, using hazard lights when stopped on the hard shoulder of a motorway etc?
 
cemerson said:
Here you go:
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Or just use GPS - oh ****** thats not that simple as it assumes you are always travelling on level ground - rephrase - just use sat nav when on level ground and do not drive up or down hill
 
Daveotto said:
<snip>

you have to be doing in excess of 77mpg to get a ticket

<snip>
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Quite right too - anyone driving so carefully that they're doing over 77mpg deserves to get a ticket. :sm4:
 
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cemerson said:
Or broken the law in any other obscure way such as using fog lights in visibility of more than 100m, using hazard lights when stopped on the hard shoulder of a motorway etc?
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or committed the heinous crime of stopping in a box junction (just like the one in Hamersmith that rakes in £2M a year) - if only the world was black and white and we all followed the rules - what a great place to live that would be - cue for watching Demolition Man tonight
 
RossR said:
Meanwhile, I hear of people routinely failing their motorcycle test for not exceeding the speed limit on a de-restriction dual carriageway. The examiners know that someone with a full category A licence isn't going to stick to 70 and want to see how you handle higher speeds. The real world ain't so simple.
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I assume this takes place on the track? if not i guess its the riders license, back to the 'if your boss said jump off a cliff, would you ? argument'.

voorhees said:
I guess your right we are all hypocrites hey ;)
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Yep, when i passed my test there was no reason not to middle lane hog. I have yet to see it in black and white.

cemerson said:
They are allowed to OVER-read by 10%, but not under-read by anything
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This is to stop you from speeding by an ill-reading speedo, speeding it breaking the law.

Vertigo1 said:
Meh, everyone's entitled to their opinion and I knew some people would have a go at me. Can't say I'm bothered really.



To what end? I've already been stopped by the police and they've made a judgement to let me go with only a light ticking off. They could have handed me a harsher penalty but chose not to. If I were to do as you suggest, I strongly suspect they'd agree that the matter had already been dealt with.

Am I to assume that you've not once broken the speed limit and, if you have, then on every single occasion you've surrendered yourself at the local police station? :rolleyes:
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Im having a dig at the way you brag about speeding excessively, at least have the decency to keep it to yourself, rather than make it look like its ok to speed. its not ok. dont do it.

You assume correctly, i do not break the speed limit! and if i did i wouldnt boast about it on a public forum.
 
What if this policeman had pulled another driver over for a similar reason, and maybe let him slide carrying ;weapons 'that could be explained off as work tools' ?

What if said moterist approached you at the next set of lights and jacked your car? Would you still be saying what a nice policeman he was? He turned a blind eye to you speeding, what else does he turn a blind eye to? Maybe he didnt want the paperwork, what other paperwork cant he be bothered to do?
 
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@udi A3 said:
What if this policeman had pulled another driver over for a similar reason, and maybe let him slide carrying ;weapons 'that could be explained off as work tools' ?

What if said moterist approached you at the next set of lights and jacked your car? Would you still be saying what a nice policeman he was? He turned a blind eye to you speeding, what else does he turn a blind eye to? Maybe he didnt want the paperwork, what other paperwork cant he be bothered to do?
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And the most ridiculous post of the year goes to? Bye.. :D
 
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@udi A3 said:
I assume this takes place on the track? if not i guess its the riders license, back to the 'if your boss said jump off a cliff, would you ? argument'.
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No. Like I said, on a de-restriction dual carriageway.

It's completely illegal, but pragmatic.
 
@udi A3 said:
Yep, when i passed my test there was no reason not to middle lane hog. I have yet to see it in black and white.
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Maybe you should try some reading?

https://www.gov.uk/general-rules-all-drivers-riders-103-to-158/multilane-carriageways-133-to-143

On a two-lane dual carriageway you should stay in the left-hand lane. Use the right-hand lane for overtaking or turning right. After overtaking, move back to the left-hand lane when it is safe to do so.
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On a three-lane dual carriageway, you may use the middle lane or the right-hand lane to overtake but return to the middle and then the left-hand lane when it is safe.
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Incidentally, until recently the advanced driving test allowed you 10mph over the limit for overtaking.
 
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