Safe Speed Forums

I was returning home to Berkshire last night, following an errand to Bromsgrove, West Midlands. I was southbound on the M40, and like many of the other vehicles was cruising at about 90. I saw a car in my mirror, and for some reason just contemplated the situation if I were to find the old bill following me. The car behind seemed to want to go faster and as lane 2 was now empty, I moved over. The car behind me passed by - it WAS the old bill! - in some sort of Range Rovery type of car, but smaller than a RR. I followed him for miles after that, continuing at 90, and he had no interest at all in pulling anyone over for doing the same.

I should wait a couple of weeks before you are in the clear...

Been there, done that......slows you down though doesn't it..

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Speed camera policy Kills

Wouldn't worry about it.....

He probably wasn't a traffic unit, and was just as cheesed off as i get when trying to 'make progress' between two areas and get held up by every other car on the road that suddenly wants to drive at exactly 29, 49, 69mph etc....

Saw a police car with its lights flasing about 400 yds behind me the other day as I was aproaching an island. The dick in front of me must have seen it as well. He pulled in to the side of the road effectivly blocking the lane....

What is is with people. Don't they realise that you can get out of the way without stopping sometimes....

I could have easily got accross the island before he reached us where we would be on dual carriageway. Instead he had to work his way through parked cars. I guess you just can't fix stupid.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Gizmo! You've just described one of my 'pet hates' when driving!

What is it with people who have an entire stretch of road to stop on, yet slam the brakes on by an island, forcing me to 'wrong side it' (which i don't really like doing unless absolutely necessary, if no junctions etc..)

The problem is, i notice that many drivers are not so interested in pulling over safely as stopping asap to stare in their mirror at me. Yes, it's a Police car going past, big deal!!

Another thing is on a 2 or 3 lane road. We have it drummed into us never to undertake. Better to sit behind the car in lane 3 and wait for it to move to lanes 1 or 2 than to undertake. So what do some drivers do? Instead of just maintaining their speed and drifting over allowing me to pass safely, they slam their brakes on in lane 3. I sit behind them, changing the two-tones and trying to make them pull over. But no, again they're more interested in staring at me in the mirror....I never did it before joining the Police so why do they?...

Sometimes i find it difficult to maintain my usual calmness when driving on blues-and-twos........

Something else that needs to go into the L test - how to get out of the way of an emergency vehicle without holding 'em up and making it worse.


That reminds me of a question I should have put to the BiBs here a long time ago. I've heard from Mrs G the ex-coastie that the different woowoo noises mean slightly different things. The CG vehicle she rode in used one for crossing lights, one for "out the way" on open roads, one for "out the way" in built up areas and so on. At the time I thought it sounded like someone bullshitting, since it wouldn't be much use if the public didn't know which sound meant what. But I wonder if it's more to do with what sound is more noticable. Anything in it?

Another reason why I wouldn't want your job. Much respect, but f-all envy.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

I think this boils down to the fact that there is an awful lot more to driving a vehicle than people think, and there are a heck of a lot of simple primates out there with driving licences. It is patently obvious to me on my daily journeys that a lot of people quite simply haven't a clue what to do when faced with an unusual situation, eg unusual road layouts, multi-roundabouts within roundabouts, other vehicles in their immediate vicinity and of course the appearance of an emergency vehicle. People freeze up, they get confused (oohh, oohh, what am I supposed to do here ) and their instinctive reaction is to bang on the brakes.
Perhaps a little TV ad demonstrating the correct thing to do would help?

The wailing noise is supposed to be able to project itself further, thereby warning drivers of an approaching emergency vehicle. The yelp setting is generally used in tighter areas, and at lights, junctions, roundabouts etc. I was told that the yelp setting instills a sense of urgency in other drivers to get out of the way quicker.

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'Detritus, get yer stoney arse over ere'