lestippp

Last night on my way home I was pulled over by the police who were in..... a transit van

I seen them coming along behind me into the estate, next thing I know his lights were on. I pulled over and waited for him to come to my car. When he got there I opened the door and quick as you like he says " I had to do 80 - 90 along the motorway to catch you!", I replied "well I wasn't speeding if that's what your asking?" It was all I could do not to laugh, the guy was surprised that I had out accelerated him in a 300bhp subaru??!! Now think about it folks, I accelerated away and he was able to catch me at 80 - 90mph?! And your point is?

Now seriously guys, I wasn't speeding but given we had passed through two roundabouts and that the road was pretty clear.... what did he think was going to happen?!!!

He asked my name and then asked for my licence which I don't carry and I made it clear to him that I was surprised that he asked for it. He said he would need to check my identity which didn't bother me so I offered him my bank card and he was happy enough with that

He was a decent guy really but I was a little annoyed that he had seen a guy in a car cut right across in front of me at the second roundabout, who he could have followed easily enough, as it was a dead end, but chose to try and follow me, who had done nothing wrong other than accelerate away from two roundabouts... is this illegal?! When I did this I didn't cut anyone up, undertake or tailgate as the road was pretty clear apart from the idiot who was in front of me, went out onto the second roundabout in the inside lane and then decided to chop right as we exited the cirlce, muppet
He did realise I was not best pleased and said he had taken the guys details and was going to follow it up but I feel I was singled out for driving a rally road warrior and for nothing else, other than accelerating

He said he wasn't going to charge me with anything (thanks, I didn't do anything!! ) but to take it easy when its cold and that all I will do is attract attention to myself at a time of year when the police are looking for any reason to stop cars due to higher drink / drive problems, something along those lines.

Now I'm no angel on the road, as is the case with most people, but now I'm expected not to accelerate either.... what's going on, accelerating up to the road limit is where the fun is surely

This guy was a genuinely decent cop but he got it wrong stopping me, having said that, if our traffic police did more of this sort of thing, I think we would all respect them and listen to them, much more.
I say well done mate for showing a good attitude and not going overboard when little, if anything, had happened. If only our traffic police showed the same, reasoned, approach to policing our driving perhaps we would get the message better when it was needed

Now they are talking about 6 pts per speeding offence, so two hits and your banned. I know many people who at one time or another have had 2 offences on their licences, that would mean being banned under current proposals! What's wrong with these people, they will destroy more lives than they think they are going to save by doing this! Only 4% of rural accidents are speed related, it really is time for a new approach to traffic policing, in particular the zero tollerance of any over speed driving, even when it is safe in modern cars. You only have to look at that poor police chief whose whole world has fallen apart because he was going a bit quick and got caught. Poor sod, probably has never done anything but good in his life too!

Before anyone thinks I am condoning bad driving, I'm not, I'm talking about a more reasoned approach to policing speed, not reckless or careless driving, there is a difference of course.

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

Tell them you've done Roadcraft or RoSPA. Theyt tell you to use the car's performance to get up to speed as quickly and safely as possible!

Very annoying that he ignored the real muppet on the road though. Not like you'd fail to notice a transit van and then still pull a silly manuevre like that is it...?

5t.

RA Dunk

i know a policeman on another site i use that said due to all of the imprezas being stolen recently the police were directly targeting subarus for random spot checks, maybe it was just one of them, i know i would rather the cops stopped my car whether it was me driving or not in the off chance it might be stolen

satancom

I got a bit lost in heathrow airport once.. Parked in a bus stop, then went through a no entry sign and then pulled out infront of a car... all with a police BMW behind me..

Said Bmw pulls alongside and stops me.. i'm faced with 5 huges armed coppers... I listened to their advice

bluenose172

iTrader: (2)

You're lucky, 2 corrupt police officers in a transit van stopped my brother in his S2000 for out accelerating his van on the DC. He said "I had to do 90 to catch you up sir", they charged him for doing 90MPH, when he was ABSOLUTELY not speeding, he was doing 70 as he'd seen them in his mirror. 2 months later he gets a letter through his door demanding £60 and 3 points from his license, they claimed to have 'proof'! lol

Following advice from two lawyers and with him being short of funds, he decided he had to just take the fine, again, when he had done absolutely nothing wrong! It makes me sick that this abuse of power isn't an isolated incident!

Snazy

Probably wanted a look at the car. Had that twice now in one of my old cars.

RA Dunk

if they wanted a look at the car all they had to do was just give him a spot check, sounds more like two tossers on a power trip to me

lestippp

That is just plain outragous

Motorists really are being persecuted, what with aggresive policing and all of the tax we pay. I am paying £34 a week in fuel tax, £1,768 a year from one guy. They are making a fortune, how would they cope if they achieved their goal of getting people out of their cars, they would have a huge hole in their funding due to all the lost revenue

Having said that, if they had pulled me over and said they were doing a vehicle check as scooby's are being stolen then I would have been fine with it as the poster said above.

RA Dunk

hike up the price of public transport as thats all that would be available and people would have no other choice but to pay it, either way there not going to leave themselfs short, there going to get it back one way or another, thats modern britian for ya screw the tax payer, screw the tax payer, screw the tax payer some more, then to really screw the tax payer even more

Scoobyspanners

Funny thing is I got pulled in at the gate house of the place I work last night too, the police followed me for 1/2 mile or so, but did not flash me until I slowed up to turn in to factory. I had been following a people carrier with a few cars in front of it so was not going B*ll's out fast just keeping up with the traffic. The officer said he had a job to catch up with me which I thought strange as He had sat behind me and the people carrier at a set of lights (?) but just gave me a ticking off about my driving ( again ?)..... I think he just wanted a look at my insurance and documents to be truthful. Getting near christmas so the law are starting to pull a few more people on the spot! Asked about the car, seamed interested in it, asked how much it cost to insure so maybe just fancied a look! I have been a driver since 1979 and this is the first time I have been stooped so sure it was just a spot check.............

+Doc+

Nothing wrong with spot checks, the more the merrier.
Im also for more tax disc checks, swap them for speed cameras imho.

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

I don't think anyone has an issue with spot checks - just when they make up rubbish in some pointless attempt to justify it. If you want to look at my docs, pull me over and ask to look at my docs.

transparent

This is all reminiscent of stories pointing out the absurdity of stalinesque regimes of Eastern Europe. Enter the juggernaut of Stalin's legacy bulldozing Britain.

flashgordon666

i got stopped by cops other week, he let me off but had to got to station with insurance and mot which ive got. went down there and turns out my insurance is invaild cos on my reg it says XXX DJR but on the form its XXX DRJ so they said im up for a summons. even if they dont give u poitns or a fine theres still a problem

nooobyscoooby

I haven't seen a Battenburg for months round my part of Berkshire/Oxfordshire . . . except getting sandwiches in Waitrose last Sunday lunchtime!

Sideways

Ask your insurance company to ammend it , it their mistake. Take proof of insurance to court and you'll be fine.

lestippp

You see this is the issue right here... they know you had your insurance and that it is just a typo that they made and you missed (easy to miss)

Why then waste everybodies time and have you summoned, its a bloody joke that

Good luck mate, I'm sure the judge will see sense for what this really is

Like I said in my thread we need our police to be more reasonable about these type of issues. Glad to hear I'm not the only one being pulled over for the hell of it, makes me feel better and if they do catch some scooby thieving scum whilst about it then good and well

Marky9074

When I had my P1 I got pulled for having no tax. It was right, I did have no tax, cos the car was bought new the tax was the same day as the insurance. I explained that cover note had not come through, therefore I could not get tax....

When cover note still did not come through I rang the plod up, and explained the situation, and he said not to worry just do the honours when it turned up. After a week of nasty phone calls, eventually got the cover note, tax and all was sorted....went down to police station...job done. Couldn't have been more helpful.

That's the only time I have been pulled in a Subaru, the one time when I didn't have tax.....the irony.

rallymad_homer

Im 25 now and have been driving since i got my provisional at 17. I got my MY04 STI over a year ago now and have not once been pulled. That was one of my biggest, i wouldnt say worries but you know what i mean, at the time of buying. If/Whenever i do get pulled i will be more than helpfull if its spot checks. But for things like the previous posters have put like so called "speeding" is not on. Police will never see my documents at the roadside, ive never kept documents with or in the car. Its asking for trouble if it does get stolen. All the info on those docs should be locked away safe and if they have a problem with that then i will bloody well say something to them. Producers..Not a problem.

In general (very loose term) i do think they do a half decent job with regards to road traffic. Unless your being an absolute plank you should be fine when out in our beloved scoobs.

RMH

NAY93WRX

iTrader: (3)

The police do more spot checks this time of year due to an annual xmas drink drive campaign where they are put pressure on to stop more vehicles.

Nowadays its all figures chasing because the bobbies have an annual PDR (personal development review) where thier supervisor goes through thier last 12 months performance with figures and stuff.

If a bobby wanted to join the road policing unit (traffic) then his/her supervisor expects them to stop X amount of vehicles and produce X amount of tickets to show willing towards road policing.

When I wanted to go on the OSU (riot police) I was told I needed to produce more traffic related process ie: tickets, producers.
All I wanted to do was riots and football matches!!!

Scoobies do attract more attention due to the distinctive noise and 99% of them have loud exhausts (Ive been stopped loads of times by the way and ive never told them what I do for a living either)

The old bill is just one of those careers where 50% of people are sound and the other 50% can be arseholes...same as any work place really. Its luck of the draw who you get stopped by. If you quickly accelerate up to 40mph for example the non-traffic patrol car can't judge your speed so it may seem like your giving it some beans...hence the stop.

my 2p worth

Stevesbluewrx

iTrader: (4)

I got pulled over on my way to work to pick up a friend for the rally gb. They stuck behind me for around 1/2 a mile and then as I pulled in to a side street they put the lights on.

They asked every question under the sun before asking me what I was doing at 3am in the morning? Once I told them they said have a safe drive to wales and enjoy the rally. Spot on.

I don't mind be pulled if there double checking to see if it is me driving my car etc. Its the silly petty things that get me!

Steve

drive

iTrader: (1)

I love the "do you know its an offence not to produce your documents when requested by an officer of the law" my answer has always been
Ok then why has a judge of the land said i have 7 days to produce
this is where they start kicking tyres and checking bulbs and looking for dirty number plates.... i know they have a job to do but a traffic cop pulled up the other night and said i was blinding him with my lights when im parked up on the left hand side of the road(the side i would have been driving down) had i not been stationery dropping off customers(not in the sccob)said if i do it again its a £30.00 fine... whats that all about then,if i had been parked on the right i could kind of agree as head lights are designed to shine that way and it would have been blinding him.... this is where i proceded to ask him where was he when some theiving scum bag was knicking the wheel off my taxi a few nights back,i sarcarstically answerd for him "wasting time on crap like this were you"?????????? to which he replied "wheres your badge "in the door pocket" i replied. then he came up with "one to be on display on the dashboard and one to be worn on the person at all times",as quoted in the rules and regulations issued by the council, thing is it was word for word,guess he got to have something to read,whilst eating hid donuts as i said nothing better to do some of them....
as i said earlier i know they have a job to but some of it is pointless i know i used to have a rally prepared mk2 escort used to get stopped 3-4 times a night....

ceri

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

HI newby to this site and this is my first post!anyway back to the topic
dont like to use the race card so dont take this the wrong way its just an insight into another perspective.. im a non white male who has been driving for 23yrs and i have always driven nice cars because i work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labours! i have been pulled by the police more times than i can remember the record for which is 5 times in one night. mostly just to see if the car was stolen which is fair enough! after the initial name check then comes the drug search! then the questions about how im able to afford this car! questions are always answered politly as there is no point in antagonising them! the point im trying to make is if your a scooby driver your percieved by the the filf to be a hooligan and because they couldnt catch you if you didnt stop for them you are a threat to there masculinaty/authority
so they pull you just to flex there muscles and reasure there delicate egos that they are still in charge.so by driving a scoob you invite this sort of attention so you should all sell them and buy a micra!! and then you wont get pulled and im going to do a mick jackson and bleach myself white!! i guess what im trying to say is unfortunatly it goes with the territory learn to live with it and just understand that not everyony is blessed with your level of intelegence and thats why they joined the police force!!

Moley

iTrader: (9)

Got pulled over this evening for the first time in ages.

They wanted to ask if my exhaust was legal, and see what my 'gizmos' were for (Road Angel and Power FC hand controller)

Couldn't fault the policeman at all. Friendly, polite and didn't keep me for long.

There are good ones out there

satancom

Im expecting to get pulled over xmas.. will be doing a bit of driving around xmas day/boxing day. Wont be drinking so its no problem.

Have been pulled a lot in my life, and would say 50% of the coppers have been tidy. I have no problem with spot checks and stuff like that, car is always legal!

Thevoicewithin

Why did you want to do Riots & Football matches fella?.

NAY93WRX

iTrader: (3)

I enjoy public order situations mate...proper adrenaline rush

NAY93WRX

iTrader: (3)

Mate,

it is an offence not to have your documents with you but as no-one ever does you get 7 days grace from midnight of the date of the (hort/1) producer...that is why when the old bill issue one they should caution you

andy97

iTrader: (1)

It is not an offence, who told you that?

Andy

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

Technically it is an offence not to produce your vehicle documents when asked to by an officer in uniform. Which is obviously not the same as it being an offence not to carry them. The law then allows you seven days to produce them at a police station you nominate. If you fail to produce, then you commit a different offence.


M