Peter L

On Saturday night my car was pulled over, with my better half driving, by the police on the M606 in Bradford.

Basically they had been following us from a distance as we descended down the slip road to join the motorway, accelerating "swiftly" to get up to the speed of the motorway trafffic - around 80mph - and carried on at that speed.

About a mile down the road they pulled us over and said that if they were a traffic car they would have given points and £60 fine. A bit harsh I thought for 80mph on a motorway, but he indicated it was for "putting your foot down" on the slip road and to take it easy in future.

To be honest I think he was just checking the car out, but has anyone had similar experiences???

Peter

[This message has been edited by Peter L (edited 11 December 2000).]

buddy

I was chased by a unmarked police scooby on the skipton by pass in yorskhire i was clocked at 85 mph in a 60 by his hand held camera.I got 3 points and a 40.00 fine,but on the video evidence which was played back to me in the car i was in exess of 110 mph while he was pursuing me i think he just wanted to see what an sti 5 type could do against his prodrive mods, there a queer bunch arent they???
Buddy

Dave T-S

Had an amusing incident last week - coming up to the M11 Stansted Airport roundabout off the A120 from Dunmow. I was coming up to the lights, which were red, and the two lanes on the left were occupied but the lane on the right was empty. I took the empty lane and guessed the lights were going to change around the time I got there. The lane on my left was occupied by a fatty two Jags and I expected him to cut across the roundabout so I was ready for a quick getaway. As I rolled up to the lights at around 10mph I snicked it into first (MY00 so read "forced") and just as I did this the lights changed to green. I gave it large in first from a rolling start - and everybody says the full SS exhaust on my car is LOUD - only to see Plod standing on the edge of the road 25 yards booking somebody, to look up and give me a very disapproving look.....oops!!

I chucked it into second then third and proceeded up the road in stealth mode

pslewis

Peter

I dont think you can get done for accelerating too hard? surely?

From THE REAL Pete Lewis

Chris L

Nice one Dave

Correct ,me if I'm wrong here, but isn't that exactly what the slip road is for - to allow you to get up to speed to join the flow of traffic?

Quote from Roadcraft "Slip roads are designed to give drivers the time and space to merge smoothly with traffic on the main carriageway"

Does seem a bit harsh to get pulled for that.

Chris

Stuart H

I would guess that was just an excuse to pull you. If they've PNC'd the car and its registered in Londonn they're being cautious as you were so far from home.

And, no, you can't get done for accelerating swiftly (but I'm sure we could make an exception for DT-S )

Jonathan

The saying "only in America" comes to mind as they can.

Jonathan

useless fact of the day.

CraigH

Little while ago was coming down a dual carriageway - it leads to a roundabout, and 25 yards up theres a small tunnel.
So what do you do???
STI, SS DP, straght thru centre, SS backbox.



You floor it. Obviously. Only thru 2nd of course.....

Then 150 yards down the road you look in the mirror to see a police Beemer bearing down on you. You start to look around innocently and your 4ss backfires more than the exhaust

Lights on, pulls over, cue policeman....



Nice guy - "I know your car is capable, but please don't drive that fast through the tunnel - you're likely to deafen pedestrians!"

Sith

LOL @ Craig. Don't give me ideas!!

P.

MorayMackenzie

StuartH,

I suppose that lighting up all 4 tyres on take off could possibly constitute an offence of some sort?

Moray

AlexM

My brother in law was pulled for 'excessive acceleration' in a 30mph limit (without speeding)

As he was driving a Renault 25, he obviously challenged the legitimacy of the charge

Apparently the officer started muttering, looked embarrased and let him off with a caution. I'm not sure we need the Police inventing bogus offences when enough real ones are committed already...

If that happened to me (and I was brave enough) I would like to ask what section of the road traffic act was contravened...

More likely I would be the one mumbling and apology and getting a slap on the wrists.

Cheers,

Alex


[This message has been edited by AlexM (edited 11 December 2000).]

Nick

LOL Great thread guys!

Excessive acceleration, ha! Their only chance is to apply "Driving without due care & consideration". So do it outside a school & they have a chance of zapping you for it. Slip-road is no chance. In fact it's about time they zapped some of the old-uns for trying to merge into the (70mph) motorway traffic at 30mph!

AWD

I especially like RVeiga's carbon paper story...

RB170

I'm pretty sure they can do you under one of those Undue Care and Attention charges....you know the ones they give you when you may not have actually done anything wrong, they just didn't like it.

Undue care and attention is a bit like that "Any other duties" section in your contract at work you know the one your employer can make to mean anyhting if they want

(No I'm not bitter and twisted....really)

zippo

Driving into my local village I slowed down to 30 mph. Approx 200 yards into village there is a left hand bend in the road. i took this bend at 30 (no more) and when half way round encountered plod coming the other way on the wrong side of the road. Plod turned round and followed me to my house. Got out of the car and issued me with a warning for excessive speed and driving without due care. Informed plod that I was only doing 30 and was told this was too fast for the bend. The speed limit in this area is 30 and I informed them that I was not breaking the law as I was doing 30 at the time and that I dont set the law only follow it. Plod not happy when I told them that at least I was on the right side of the road and they were cutting across me. Male plod pipes up with 'Is that a Proton Impreza?'

We just left it there..no more needed to be said.

Mr.Cookie

I once got a right Boll!cking for wheel spining a [cough]Xr3i[cough] was'nt big time either one wheel on a manhole cover

Si
Ps Moray i give you a huge round of applause if you can do that in the dry, i cant even seem to do it in the went.

Dave T-S

Stuart
Charming - does this constitute police harrassment?
Anyway, gotta catch me first....(only joking)

CraigH
We've got a narrow M11 underpass like that - excellent noise bouncing it off the rev limiter in second (and Stu it's a 60 limit ok?? )

Moray
Lighting up all four on takeoff would constitute an offence to your clutch....

[This message has been edited by Dave T-S (edited 12 December 2000).]

GaryC

Excessive Acceleration
Excessive Corning
Excessive revving of engine

I've been pulled (many times) for all of the above. There is nothing they can do. They come under the police code "if some-one is driving a faster/better car than you, feel free to pull them over, give them a hard time for no reason and waste between five and ten minutes of their time".

Crime is obviously so low in Manchester and Lancashire that the muppets in blue have nothing better to do

AWD

Gary - Excessive 'corning'?



Zippo - Can't believe that they had the nerve to give you a warning when they were on the wrong side of the road.

blubs

Would excessive cornering result in you falling off the road on the inside of every bend ?


er.......ok then

ca

Zippo

That Plod was a muppet. I'd have had his number and reported him to his Inspector.

C

Aero

Isn't the the acceleration thing to do with other road users being able to anticipate what you're doing?

I pulled away from lights next to a 156 who actually started moving over to block me for safety reasons i pushed through hard on full moo (magnex mid ss bb) only to be confornted with a bunch of unhappy looking coppers I didn't break any speed limits, and got nothing more than a stern glare, and replied with a suitably sheepish look...

dowser

After fitting new tyres, I was bedding them in via a full on launch out of a quiet T-junction

Just got back onto the power in 2nd when the Swiss copper stepped out from behind a hedge & walked straight into the road with his hand up....then stepped out of the way 'cos he hadn't noticed how close I was getting to him.....

He just checked my papers and politely asked whether I thought that was a bit too fast before letting me go. I just said "a bit" and moved along.

Good job he hadn't seen me doing the same 24 hours earlier with old tyres - I would have clipped him with my rear bumper as I slid past...whoops.

Richard

RVeiga

My only real run in with the boys in blue was many years ago. In my Burton Capri , when pulled over by an old fart with stripes, he asked me where I was from - I then proceded to run over the gits toes as I dropeed the clutch.

Got away with it also. In those days the court papers were done with carbon paper and the silly plod that did it didn't check that the carbon was set. When I turn to court the Mag ask's where the details are as his form is blank, Plob explains what appears to have happened. The Mag turn to me and aks "Can I have tou copy Sir" to which I reply "Sorry don't have it" (Defendant got top copy!!). OH well says the Mag "case dismissed" I walk out and proceed to burn my copy in the car park near home. After a large smile and hand signal at the old fart as I left court.

Andrew Dixon

Although accelerating hard, braking hard, cornering hard, etc. in themselves don't seem to be illegal (provided one stays below posted speed limits), I can imagine that they could become a problem depending on the context. I.e. they could be seen as 'driving without due care & attention' or 'driving without reasonable consideration for other road users'.

For example, acclerating at full whack up to 30 mph along a narrow high street crowded with Saturday shoppers, etc., or cornering hard around a busy motorway roundabout on a wet night?

What do you reckon?

On the other hand, if you are the kind of person who does these things, then maybe the Police have a duty to pull you on the basis that if you are daft enough to do them then maybe they talk a little bit of sense into you and stop you hurting somebody!

Andrew.

Petoir

Leaving the A3 to join the M25 at jnt 10 anti-clock. I was far left lane, guy in front decides to cut across 2 lanes and turn right. So I drove around him and battered on to the M25. Quite late, no traffic, I hit 75mph and settled in the middle lane.

Cop car comes blasting down lane three. I think nothing of it. Pulls right in behind. I pull over.

"I suppose the reason you bought this car was to accelerate fast?"

"One of the reasons..."

"You can cause road rage doing what you just did"

"What did I do?"

"Cutting people up on slip roads" (It was 12am, no other cars but me)

"OK. Sorry officer"

"I'll let you off with a verbal this time, no points"

thinks "points for what???"

I think he was just gutted I wasn't doing over a ton by the time he caught up.

Karlos

Funny how coppers are the same the world over....

I was driving home from work one evening when this car suddenly flew up behind me. It proceeded to follow me for about 3 miles, right up my ****. Needless to say I was a little worried about this, what with all stories on the news at the time about car jacking etc/Scoobies being the armed robbers fave car, etc. As I approached a roundabout, I thought I'd give it a little blip just to see what was behind me. Nipped round the roundabout and grinned to myself as (what I recognised as a 306) tried desperately to catch up.
At the next set of lights, the car screeched to a halt behind me. I quickly locked my doors as there was a bang on the window.. I looked up to see the spotty face of a young copper.... On winding the window down I was told
"Just because you drive a subaru impreza, doesn't mean you have to drive everywhere at the speed of sound" Confused, I replied that I had sped up slightly due to my fear that it was a car full of villans behind me.
"that's hardly an excuse is it!?!" Retoreted the copper.
"Er, well yes it is!?!" I said.. Mumble Mumble... made his excuses and left.
What a jumped up jealous little *****

Karl

RB170

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Nick:
<B>
In fact it's about time they zapped some of the old-uns for trying to merge into the (70mph) motorway traffic at 30mph! [/quote]

That drives me up the wall......but it's not just old-uns. I was behind a BMW 850 the other day joining the M25 @ J25 and the git is doing 30 down the slip road Makes you wonder what some people have been taught.

Scrappy2

Had a simimlar incident to Karlos - late at night, doing 70 on a Dual Carriageway, Mr.Vectra driver decides to fly up behind me (front fogs on - clear night - good visibility) and sit dangerously close. So I accelerated to about 90 to get the pr@t of my tail. Still right on my chuff - so I stick my rear fogs on and slow to 65 Finally after a couple of miles of totally clear road Mr.Vectra passes, pulls sharply in front and shows me what a lovely parcel shelf he has - cos it pops up and has got all pretty lights in it. He then accelerated off without stopping me...

Karlos

Ha! *******s! :-) I'll keep an eye out for a vectra next time i'm in Bracknell. What colour?