Whilst driving back from Dover last weekend on the M26 just by the Dover services I had an odd thing happen.
There I was minding my own business in lane 3 doing just over 70, maybe 75 at most when an 04 reg Honda CRV joins the motorway at the junction, he proceeds to fly across lanes 1 and 2 and straight into lane 3, causing me to brake sharply, as I was braking I also flashed my headlights, to let him know I was there!!!
He thrn pulled back into lane 2, let me past, then pulled back out behind me and flashed a set of blue strobes that were on a temp mounting on his dashboard!!!!! My other half, having just woken up started to berate me until I explained what had just gone on moments before!!
He did not try and pull me over, but he did then pass me again and sped off at well over 90!!!
To my mind this was not a police officer, the car did have a gas cylinder warning on the back, so may have been fire service! Whoever it was were using the lights as a rebuke, so should i report them?
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Have you got enough to go on to make a report (Reg No etc)? whao will you report it to? Do you really think that anything will happen or be done as a result of any report you make? "Officer so and so has been cautioned as to his driving" is probably all you will get if a reply or acknowledgment of any sort. Exits old Cynic Mode and goes for lunch!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 07/11/2009 at 12:47
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If you report the incident and it was a genuine blue light vehicle it's your word against his and he will say "you were obstructing an emergency vehicle".
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It'll have just been kids playing with their maplin blue LEDs, surely?
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... I was minding my own business in lane 3 doing just over 70, maybe 75 at most when an 04 reg Honda CRV joins the motorway at the junction, he proceeds to fly across lanes 1 and 2 and straight into lane 3 ... >>
As he was able to go from a slip road, to lane 1 , to lane 2 and then lane 3, he was obviously trying to tell you that you were a lane 3 hog!
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i was thinking the same as jbif tbh
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Don't you just love assumptions!!
No I was not lane hogging, was actually overtaking a line of traffic at the time, they were doing about 60mph, so plenty fast enough, also, no one was behind me!!!
As for the lights, they were not maplin esque, they were proper blue strobes, twin flashing about 6 inches high and 18" accross. The driver was in his 40's with a moustache!!
As for did I get enough o report him, yes I did, vehicle details and reg number as well as time, location and the exit he got off at!!
As for impeding an emergency vehicle, his lights were not flashing before the event took place, he flashed them for about 5-10 seconds after the event then turned them off again. I suppose he was doing it to intimidate me, it didnt work!!!!
My point is, if he did it to me, after an appalling piece of his driving then how many other people is he doing it to!!! Makes a mockery of emergency vehicles!!
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Dover Services on the M26 ?
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I ... was actually overtaking a line of traffic at the time, they were doing about 60mph, so plenty fast enough, also, no one was behind me!!! >>
1. Yet the "impersonating Police Officer" was able to get ahead of the line of traffic to get in fron of you!
2. You had no one behind you!
3. middle lane hoggers were doing 60, while your speed was 70 or so.
Classic lane 3 hog, methinks. ;-)
Edited by jbif on 07/11/2009 at 14:29
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That nice warm feeling didn't last long did it? >>
Just wait until Lud uses the 6 letter expletive to describe R75's driving (mimser). ;-)
Lane 3 was clear enough for the IPO to disappear at 90mph, and it is meant for driving at 90, isn't it?
Edited by jbif on 07/11/2009 at 14:59
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Just in case its an intimidating imposter, you should report it.
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the 6 letter expletive to describe R75's driving (mimser). ;-)
You misjudge me jbif. From R75's account he wasn't mimsing but driving at the legal limit without a queue of eager beavers behind him. That seems OK to me. It is economical motorway driving. Of course people who hog the outer lane when others want to get past are another matter.
The only doubtful area is his claim that he was forced to brake sharply by the other car. He may have been of course. On the other hand one often sees people overreacting to other drivers in a Double-Take Brothers sort of way. I see no reason to suppose R75 was doing that though. One would have to be there to know.
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Indeed you would need to be there to know!
But in my defence I would say that I am above average trained, being a class 1 hgv holder, full bike licence holder and was also trained as a driving assessor to advanced driving standards. So whilst I fully admit I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I am very aware of what is going on around me, so for me to have to brake heavily meant he did something I really was not expecting by any stretch of the imagination!
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Me thinks we can value R75's opinion based on those qualifications.
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You see blue lights on vehicles everywhere these days. They're the latest auto fashion accessory!
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it was this type of light tinyurl.com/ylmpkha but both were blue
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It looks tempting to have a go at filling that Cart and see if they will deliver to any old address.
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They sell green and amber versions which should not be too difficult to obtain, I would hope that the blue ones would only go to the emergency services. Still if there is profit to be made...........
If Road wars / Police camera whatever is anything to go by there must be a good market for replacement blue ones.
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They are not all blue now though. Some of the small discreet strobes appear white.
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I take it that is white when off.
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I didn't realise that some "covert LEDs" were white.
I saw Fife police BMW X5 travelling in the opposite direction to me this afternoon, it was fully "lit up" and had alternating blue and white LEDs on the front of the roof bar.
Edited by Old Navy on 07/11/2009 at 20:51
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These are available from various websites such as strobes n more, including the USA where they sell them to anyone due to the large numbers of volunteer services.
In the UK (unless changed in the last 5 years), you can have them on any car etc.. as long as you put the word AMBULANCE somewhere on it.
****EDIT, yes, it did change in 2005
The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (21 October 2005)
Amendment
The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2005 (12 December 2005)
Amendment No. 2
Edited by Hamsafar on 07/11/2009 at 22:10
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i need to get some lights for my car for while im out surveying, i know amber is fine but what about red, im after a contrast to make them more noticable i know pure amber dont always catch my attention when im out and about.
i know that blue and green are big no-no's but is red ok on a non emergency vehicle?
answers on a postcard and send them to P.O Box.............
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A car resembling a Rover 25 with siren blaring and blue strobe units flashing (4 to 5 in each unit) on either side of the dashboard and parcel shelf had other motorists scattering in all directions while it belted through our town centre last week.
It just didn't look like an emergency vehicle, but I could be wrong.
Clk Sec
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I don't know the chapter and verse but I think amber is the only colour allowed for flashing lights on non-emergency vehicles. I suspend red would only be OK if it was rearward-facing and not flashing (ie. essentially a tail-light).
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Whoever it was were using the lights as a rebuke so should i report them?
I would perhaps take the approach of trying to find out who they were, what it was they were responding too, what they felt you had done wrong etc.? Let them know your driving credentials.
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"it was this type of light tinyurl.com/ylmpkha but both were blue"
I have seen lights of this type fitted to what looked like a private car but was almost certainly a "company" (Crown) car used by the ambulance service personnel.
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A few years ago whilst heading out of Leeds towards the A1 on the A64, I saw a car forcing its way between both carriageways, effectively scattering traffic inc. the oncoming cars. It had alternate flashing lights and blue strobes so I immediately assumed it was a patrol car and given its rush up the middle, certainly on some dire emergency.
I did my best to get as far over to the left as was safe for me, and I was surprised when the "Police" car turned out to be a Nissan Primera, with the word "Primera" in huge graphics up the side, a personalised plate and a huge rear spolier.
West Yorks Police confirmed they had no such vehicles and would "keep an eye out for it" but that was all I heard.
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Some senior officers in the fire service ( possibly other groups) are on a car leasing scheme. So they drive all makes and shapes of car which are fitted afterwards with internal and grille strobes. As they use these cars for personal use off duty, these lights have to be discreet.
But there are toerags who get hold of these lights and con other roadusers so if in doubt report it. The more they get away with it the more chance they will cause an accident, as they do not have blue light driving skills. And why should they get away with it.
Edited by Ben10 on 09/11/2009 at 09:47
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Only yesterday evening I saw a car coming towards me and initially I thought it had no lights on. I was about to flash my lights (to say "you've got no lights on") but then as I got closer I realised he did have his headlights on, but they were tinted blue. Not really looking like blue flashing lights, but just making his appearance incredibly dim and difficult to see. Obviously a fashion thing rather than trying to impersonate police, but how is it legal to even make such things and market them?
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They are sold in various boy racer magazines as "Show use only" or "Off-Road Use Only."
Similarly it is quite legal to sell large kitchen knives, but start waving one around in a nightclub?
Edited by Rob C on 09/11/2009 at 10:29
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The Special Forces community occasionally have the requirement to use blue lights and 'plain clothes' cars of a variety of denominations and ages. I'm not suggesting that this was but perhaps worthy of consideration.
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Usually very fast and low profile.
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Blue light not on an emergency vehicle. £2k fine. Destruction of vehicle. 2nd Offence 5k fine. Destruction of vehicle.
Simple.
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