NickF

I don't want to sound like a doubting Thomas, but having the same incredibly bad luck twice seems VERY unlikely. And even if this not-so-likely story is true, having been caught out once, would you really fall prey to the same trap a second time?

Didn't think you could legally drive if you have 12 points?

Anyway, how can you be provoked into speeding? If you don't want to speed, and aren't sure of what's behind you, there's always the option of lifting your foot from the accelerator, dropping to the same speed as the lane you're passing, and just dropping in there.

grief

Hmm....a sales rep doing 50000 miles a year, based in Essex, seeing the same cop car twice in a year...quite likely if you ask me. Don't you need more than 12 points to get a ban ? A friend here with 12 on his license and no ban seems to think it depends on the offense(s).

I can't remember the name of the chap on the IWOC list who fell prey to the same trick, he had the unmarked car in his blind spot and was either forced to jam on his brakes risking not slowing enough from 70 behind a lorry or pulling out and accelerating away from the unmarked car sitting in his blind spot. If you're on the BBS, you might like to speak up.

I think Dick Grimes may have had something to say about this, indirectly.

[This message has been edited by grief (edited 03-02-2000).]

[This message has been edited by grief (edited 03-02-2000).]

MorayMackenzie

How about simply lifting off, slowing down and possibly light braking then speeding up to a safe speed within the legal-limit, most tailgaters will realise what the issue was and hold back after that.

Richard F

Yep, you can drive with 12 points at the discretion of the court (if your not driving is going to affect your livelihood).

If they had a camera on the car I'd insist on seeing the tape and then taking it to court. I'm sure someone on here has mentioned this before. You might have broken the limit but if the police were driving unacceptably, you'd maybe get off with it.

Squizz

I'm toying with the idea of mounting a camera on the rear-shelf and taping idiots behind me.

I've been asked to take a note of number plates of cars following me too - That's how worried West Mercia Constabulary are about Scooby thefts!!!!

Interesting to see reactions when somebody spots the red-light shining on the camera...

NickF

Thing is, I used to do 50k+ miles per year, much of it in Essex, with almost all of the motorway mileage being in excess of the speed limit. I was doing the mileage on a bike as well (to stand out just that bit more) and never had a problem with the police on the A12/M11/M25. What I'm leading up to is that I know the area and thus have some idea of what I'm talkng about.

I still contend that the odds of meeting the same police car, playing the same trick, and then falling prey to it all over again seem to me to be infinitesimal.

I'm not saying that it's not possible, but anyone who already has 9 points on their licence and drives for a living should have slowed right down already.

This doesn't excuse the behavious of the police officer in question, by the way, if he was doing what is alleged. Having said that, if Ms Rep was caught twice by the same fella doing the same thing, this rather points to the fact that said officer must spend all of his days doing this - wouldn't someone have noticed this?

I could be wrong, but I think the police are being unfairly blamed in this situation.

Penni Whitehead

In cases like this where a woman is being tailgated by an unknown/unmarked car and is waved over.

She is within her rights and this is the safest option and if it is possible - she can proceed to the nearest police station.

If this option is not possible and is then pulled over - keep the doors locked - STAY IN THE CAR - keep the engine running & the car in gear.

When/if the driver of the other car approaches - wind the window down enough (ie: 1 inch) to speak through (keeping your finger on the button as it were to close the window again quickly) ...

if he claims to be a copper ask for his id - if he produces it and you still have some concerns you are within your rights to say you will follow him to the nearest policestation - a genuine police officer will not have a problem with this.

If you are in any doubt about this person at all - then get going (it will take him a while to get back to his car and you should have a good head start) try and get to a populated safe place quickly (to avoid a chase) and report the incident immediately try and give a description of the car/him/number plate.

I know it all sounds a bit complicated but that's the best thing to do, I guess it would also apply to men as well if they felt uncomfortable with a situation.

Richard F

I would certainly hope that the police have got better things to do with their time.

I've been contemplating buying a ratty old car and doing some serious welding to the chassis so that when I'm driving around and someone is right up my @rse, I can slam on the brakes (maybe I'll upgrade those as well) causing an accident, just to teach them, like.

Or maybe not. It just really really really winds me up that people see a fast car and try to prove how big and manly they are driving 2 feet off your bumper. I don't see why they can't prove how quick (or otherwise) they are by keeping up with you albeit at a safe distance. Grrrrrrrr

grief

A worrying tale was recounted to me over the weekend. A saleswoman for a conservatory blind company called to show her products and remarked about my car (5 door MY99) and how she liked it.

She then mentioned that she didn't want a car that was too fast for her next company vehicle as she had 12 points already, driving
50k a year. She said that on 2 occasions on the A12, she was practically 'provoked' into speeding by someone tailgating, accelerating then decelerating up to her bumper bar at 70.
On these 2 occassions, she took the bait and put her foot down at which point the unmarked car pulled her over for doing 90.

I thought nothing of this until I saw her present company car, a Proton/Hyundai 2 door coupe thing (not the F2) which has an almost identical rear to a pre MY98 4 door Impreza saloon.

I mentioned that she should complain as I have heard of another incident (on IWOC, I think) like this. She didn't want to make
a fuss in case she was victimised, which would probably cost her her job if she got disqualified.

While no one should condone speeding, this is something to think about, as it only takes 1 young 'hotshot' in an unmarked car to give
the local force a bad reputation. Especially with this BBS reaching out to so many.

Secondly, a lot of women driving at night treated to this behaviour are likely to get very scared, and I have heard of incidents of
cars being stopped by thugs, their drivers taken out and beaten (nr. Chelmsford). It wasn't very long ago that there was a car
chase down the A12, ending up in Colchester, where the driver was pulled out of the car, set upon by a gang with cleavers, machetes, etc (a Triad attack, the news bulletin said) and died later in hospital.

So be careful when the next idiot tailgater drives up to your bumper, and keep a cool head.

Squizz

I was once pushed through my home town by a black vectra, two suits wearing shades in the front. When I say pushing, I mean it...Aggresive driving, forcing me to drive in a manner that I wouldn't normally.

I was driving my TR7V8...Just as we got to a de-restriction sign, I booted it and left 'em standing. Thought I'd leave them to play by (with?) themselves.

I breached the 60 limit by a rather LARGE margin, but as soon as I caught other traffic, I packed it in and behaved.

They sat behind me again as I waited in traffic to turn off into a country road. (They would again have been sat in the back seats if it had any!!).

I'd had enough and warped off...

Stopped and waved thru a juggernaut at a narrow stretch, and they caught me up again.

Eventually when I reached a major junction where I was turning right, they pulled up on my left (by about an inch). I shouted "What the f*ck is your problem?!??"...The passenger was caught by suprise, fumbled around and produced his warrant card.

Bugger.

We pulled over and they gave me a right shouting at. Did a PNC and that was it. Their car was obviously not calibrated or camera equipped. They were CID.

So, I got away with it.

My dad's a copper, and a lot of 'em are great guys. Some of them, however...

Be careful out there.

grief

I can't really defend the woman in question as I have no idea how she drives, but what is annoying is that Imprezas (or cars that look similar) get targetted for speeding, baiting, chasing, tailgaiting, etc.

She said something about her not having had so many problems with speeding until she got her current car. She was about to check out the local Subaru dealer for a new car, so I suggested either a 5 door Sport or a Legacy as her next car, not the saloon, her budget being 16k.

DavidRB

The top pursuit drivers (& those in other "Govt. departments") are taught that a good way of getting slow vehicles to move over is to drive two inches off their bumper. I guess that some of them like to practice this manouevre from time to time.

I agree with Penni's comments, don't get out if you're not sure and open the window just wide enough to talk through, not wide enough to get an arm through.

If I was really serious about being chased, I'd fit a tank of sharp objects & a tank of oil in the boot, both capable of dumping their contents on the road behind me at the press of a button. (Did somebody say Carmageddon? )

As it is, the biggest problem of being chased in a Scooby is not being caught, it's running out of petrol!

Andy K

I'd love to spot that its plod trying to goad you into speeding and then phone his mates from the hands free to complain about a "dangerous driver who I think may be following me with a view to stealing my car officer". I love their double standards.

What kind of outlook on life do you have to have to want to be in a job where you can legitimately bully the public and get a nice power kick from it? (Any insight here Anders?) I know not all of them are like that, but I'd certainly question the motives of some I've encountered.

Mike Rainbird

I have a similar story to tell, and I know it's true 'cos I was in the car at the time. This was on the A47 dual carriage way between Dereham and Norwich. There were three of us in an a Escort Cosworth (436 bhp) having just come back from Junction 28 the RS specialists. We were in the outside lane doing dead on 70mph, stuck behind a queue of four cars all overtaking the cars in the inside lane (who must have been doing 69mph), and it was taking ages to get past them. However, we were still a sensible distance behind the car in front, as we knew that as soon as they pulled over once past the slower moving traffic, we would be able to blitz them... However, the car behind was not too keen on the slow progress that we were making and kept tailgating, pulling back and then tailgating. I don't know how many times he did this, as I was watching ahead (being the front passenger), until Simon (driver) commented on the "********'s" actions. We then looked round, but could see nothing ontoward, other than a plain white omega with more than one person in it (the rear spoiler was obscuring the view!). Simon could see that the traffic was about to pull over, so he asked Sean (rear passenger) just to confirm that it wasn't plod; "Nah, there's three of them in the car" came the reply, so we were sure it couldn't be.
"Right, I'll show him" says Simon, and as the traffic in front moves over, he cogs it down to third (the car behind has also seen the gap and has also welded itself to our bumper in an effort to make us pull over with the rest of the traffic). Obviously, with 436bhp, we left the Omega for dead and started to pull away several car lengths. As we got up to 110mph, the car behind stuck on it's blue lights in the grill.....
"Oh f*ck its the Police", says Simon; "Will I get banned?" he says looking at me.
"How fast did you get up to?" says I.
"110" says he.
"Sh*t, that'll be ban territory. When we stop whatever you do, just be pleasant - apologise, say that you were worried 'cos there were three of them in the car and they were tailgating you".
When we pulled over in the layby they pulled up alongside us. The guy in the back of the Omega buzzed the window down and signalled for Simon to do the same.
"You do realise yo were doing 110mph don't you?" says plod.
"Yeah, well you were tailgating me and I didn't like you being that close so accelerated away to increase the gap, I'm sorry, but there was three of you in the car and I didn't know what else to do." says Simon.
"What you should have done is pull over and not broken the speed limit." says plod.
"Sorry, I won't do it again." says Simon.
"Okay, drive a bit more sensibley next time." says Plod, winds his window up and signals for the driver to carry on.
Obviously, we just sat there, looking at each other absolutely gobsmacked that we have just had only a slapped wrist. They didn't even get out of their car or ask for any details to be handed in (bearing in mind at the time Simon was only 21, and looked 18!).

As the car pulled away, we noticed that it was a 3.0 V6 Omega. (Wonder what they must have thought wen we left them for dead!). Also they could have let Simon go faster (he would have easily got up to 145-150mph), but put they put the lights on almost instantly that we started to "lose" them (which in my book, makes them good!). Upon talking to people in the "know", the virdict was that the two in front were being taught high speed driving, or they were "trialling" the car for possible use (as it didn't have any radio gear inside).

But obviously, this is a tactic they use to get slower cars to pull over.....

Moral of the story: Pull over and let them come through first, so that you can check if they are plod - then blitz them if not!
Mike

DocJock

Unmarked police vehicles perform a useful function here in darkest Hampshire. Picture this,

Mondeo/Vectra/3Series-man in normal moving roadblock mode in lane3 M27/M3 .

Does weekly check of rearview mirror and sees approaching red Impreza . Thinks "bloody hell it's that unmarked plod I heard about down the pub last week !"

Cue frantic braking down to 69mph and dive towards lane2. Scooby cruises past and he/she thinks " Hey, that's not plod, it's a 5door !"

Hehehe, still cheers me up after a year.

Yes I know , simple pleasures etc.

JON HUGHES

Docjock
Please don't do this....
Every time I see red scoob I wonder if it's them!!!(think it's written off now?)

jon
White sti3 5dr(chandlers ford)

DocJock

Jon

You,ll know if it's me mate.

Plod don't flash lights and wave when they see another Scoob.

John (R839EAA Pine Rd)

JON HUGHES

No I don't suppose they do,do they....
I'll keep a look out for you!

ptholt

I have an amusing if non scooby related tale to add to this thread.
Picture the scene, its 1987, 2:30am i'm 17 and driving a mark 1 xr2 (sorry).
I was working as a chef and had given a lift home to one of the waitresses after work to save her walking/cabbing it.
Pull into her cul de sac in Dorking and see a white astra (i think it was) parked just short of the turn around point with 3 people in the car.
Thinks its a little strange but pay no attention as i drive past, turn around behind them then past them again and pull up to let the girl out.

The parked car now starts creeping towards us before she gets out. The girls asks if ill wait till she gets indoors - i agree.

See her go inside and see the curtains twitching. Notice that car behind is now seriously close and is not short of hitting me. Start to get worried.

(this was two weeks after a lad was stabbed in town from rival towns yoofs fighting btw).

He's still creeping up right to my bumper, i'm tempted to get out but remember theres three in the car. hmmmmm think not.
Decide that my health is more important and i set off rather sharpish, Astra chases me down the road - I was careful enough not to go too fast.
Career out onto the dual carriageway near her house Astra giving chase. Go round the next roundabout on the A25 3 times while i decide my best option (into town to police station or off to home).
Decide on the home option and hope they are all feeling sea sick by now.
Set off towards Redhill, as soon as i get out of Dorking limits the Astra bombs alongside and a policemans helmet is shown to me through the window.

UH OH

The occupants DIVE out of the car and start hooting and roaring at me about my driving.

I point out a few facts, its late, they were creeping towards me, they scared the crap out of me!

I am informed that i should have got out of the car and walk behind to see who/what was in the car behind.

I point out, that at 2:30am theres no way im getting out the car to three unknown people behaving very suspiciously behind.

Their response was that they thought the two of us were burglars.

I ask if common attire for burglars is a waitress outfit and chefs whites.

They bollock me a bit more but decide to let me off 'this time' with a warning.

I think that was the beginning of the end of my respect to policemen.