Hello all, its 3.26am this Sunday morning, and ive just got in from a night out on the tiles.

I was on my journey home from town, going along a road approaching a traffic light t-junction, one car behind me: 30mph limit, i was doing less than 40 (in a non-residential area at 3am). Traffic lights go from green to amber as i near the junction.

Too near to stop safely - i really mean this as the road was slippery and i was very close to the junction - i continued through it, and noticed a second or two later that the other car had followed me through aswell, clearly on a red signal, which surprised me slightly, but then it is 3am no telling if the other driver has been on the shandys i thought...

Pull up at next major junction, going to turn onto dual carriageway, which has the choice of two lanes to cue at the lights for. Following car pulls up close behind me, rather than next to my car. I notice it is a silver almera, newish, and there are at least two occupants. Their right headlight is also badly adjusted, dazzling me in my rear view mirror.

Off the lights and onto dual carriageway - 50 limit - the other car stays too close for comfort so i put my foot down to 70ish in an attempt to clear some room - they increase speed aswell, so after one roundabout i stick to 45mph - they do too. At the next set of lights i take a right, which is into my residential estate - not much used other than by aforementioned residents. Surprise surprise, they take a right too. By this time i have established that either they mean me harm, or are undercover police officers (silver car, two occupants, following me etc). I continue through my estate, taking 4 or 5 turns, they do the same, notably without indicating once. I pull into my drive, they stop outside.

Undercover police.

"Sir could you step out of the car please, do you live at this address?"

I do and confirm it is my address

"Have you been drinking at all tonight sir?"

"No not at all, feel free to breathalyse me if you wish officer"

"Ah...we would, but we DON'T HAVE A BREATHALYSER"

they continue...."We have stopped you because you nearly went through a red light, and because of excessive speed on the A405 - have you anything to say for yourself?"

Me:"Erm well i was aware of the red light situation, it was amber, i judged it to be dangerous to attempt to stop for it. You followed me through that right? (Purely attempting to display good observance skills at this point.) Beyond that i was worried about your intentions towards me, that is why i briefly went to 70 on the 50 dual carriageway to try to shake you off."

The reply to this: An increasingly angry "Thats rubbish, your speed was completely independent of us following you, we were a safe distance behind you at all times and you were driving dangerously!"

Followed by long lecture "blah blah blah ive a good mind to get a traffic officer down her to charge you and take you to court, remove your license blah blah blah but this time i'll just give you the verbal warning you be grateful for that sonny"

I struggled to bite my tongue but realised that i was far better off grovelling and accepting a slapped wrist.

NOW THEN :-

Can unmarked police cars run red lights?
Do they not need to indicate?
Are they immune to the offence of tailgating?
And headlight defects?

IF he had pushed this to a charge, surely my (entirely accurate and truthful) account would get this charge quashed?

The ONLY time i broke the law was when i feared i was being followed dangerously by persons unknown who i had reason to suspect intended me harm.

PS Sorry about the mammoth post but i needed to get all the facts down here

Thanks for reading

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