There are loads of these on the midlands motorways (i saw 3 on the m42/40 this morning alone). They are usually Range Rovers dressed up in dayglow yellow and black chequers with orange lights on the roof. They can usually spotted driving at 65mph in the inside lane or sitting on bridges, basically acting (and looking) like cop cars.

What are they upto

 

They've taken over incident management on the motorways.

D

 

Look out for WSAtkins (Highways Agency contractors) ford focus' too, they have all the chevrons and markings until you get close enough to see the lights are a different colour. You see them parked on the hard shoulder inspecting bridges, verges etc.

 

presumably these agency cars have no legal enforcement rights and you could nail it past one @ 100mph and they would just wave you past with a nod & a wink.....?

 

As I understand it you are correct, they are there purely to mop up the carnage of people crashing in to other vehicles after they have waved at an Agency car while doing 100 mph

 

^^

LOL

 

LOL - Fair point....... hehehehehehe

 

they could easily cause accidents as when most people see them they stamp on the brakes!!

 

Thereby justifying their very existence!!

 

Think OllyK's onto something

austen_wrx - your logic would mean that there should be no police, highway maintenance, aa/rac, ambulances, fire engines etc. as they may cause people to 'stamp on the brakes'

Hmmm, actually, I can't remember the last time I saw a police car on the motorway, maybe they have banned them?

 

In fact - I'll take it a stage further, by causing accidents on the motorways, they then turn the motorways in accident blackspots and justify the need for speed cameras on all motorways. Book mark this thread a re-visit it in 6 months time

 

I think you would want a car with day-glo orange bits on it if you were to park on the motorway hard shoulder for most of the day. Is the hardshoulder not almost as dangerous as the carriageway, as far as accidents are concerned?

 

I believe it may even be more dangerous - watch some of the "Police Stop" style videos

 

No, these things look exactly like a motorway police car, not just a similiar colour scheme!! I've never actually seen a Range Rover Ambulance (except the old st Johns ) or Fire engine

 

But why would people stamp on their brakes?

 

It stumps me some times as they seem to think they can't go above 60mph on the motorway!

 

Number of reasons:
1) People are exceeding the speed limit, they know they are exceeding the speed limit and are probably doing so fully aware of the conditions and have assessed that it is safe to do so. They are keen not to get pulled and so brake to avoid detection (unlikely to be a "STAMP" though as chances are they would have seen the vehicle in good time)
2) People are exceeding the speed limit, the know they are exceeding the speed limit and doing so in a potentially dangerous manner as they are travelling excessively quickly for the conditions - panic breaking to avoid being caught
3) People are plodding along oblivious of the speed that they are travelling at and unaware of the vehicles around them. They see a vehicle with flourescent marking and lights on the top. Rather than assessing the situation, they panic break, then check their speed, then relaise they didn't check their mirrors before braking, at which point the driver in group 2 above ploughs in to the back of them.

 

seems to be quite a few white police cars with no markings on the car, just a set of lights on the top with the word police around bristol on the m5 the past few days ?

saw 2 this morning around the Gordano services area.....

all vauxhalls so far to !

astra and a senator today.....

cross between standard and an unmarked car !

 

orange light means cant do shyte

 

hahaha wicked rhyme to remember!