Annoyed by unmarked police car driving…

On the M62 tonight – indicated and pulled out into a tight but manageable space so the silver BMW he was in drove dangerously close and started flashing his lights.

I ignored and carried on my maneuvure so he just sat right on my back end until I pulled back in. As he passed me he flashed his blue lights (in the rear window) and the matrix board saying ‘police’.

He then shot off, doing around 85/90mph. At no point were his blue lights on (apart from when he flashed me after he had overtaken me).

It really boiled my piss.

Wonder where the knobber got his police board from.

Call & Report?

It may be he was trying to blend into the whole Silver BMW thing as to be properly undercover.

he wanted to get home to watch top gear, obviously.

On the M62 tonight – indicated and pulled out into a tight but manageable space

I’m guessing that translates as “forced my way out, effectively halving what the copper thought was a safe distance from the car in front of him” ?

Were you in a big rush ?

And we’re off….

one of two things, he was following someone or your driving wasn’t approved of

Squeezing into a tight but manageable space is a perfectly valid driving technique as long as it’s done properly with plenty notice.

Squeezing into a tight but manageable space is a perfectly valid driving technique as long as it’s done properly with plenty notice.

How does that stack up with maintaining stopping distances, a generally unknown concept on the M62 (both parties guilty)

^no its not^

I’m always squeezing into tight, but manageable spaces.

…as for driving. Sorry, no idea.

Two drivers in driving like knobs shocker!

It really boiled my piss.

Sound painful, hereabouts on the 62 ? Lancs or Yorks ??

Has someone got surfmatt’s number?

How does that stack up with maintaining stopping distances, a generally unknown concept on the M62 (both parties guilty)

To do the manoeuvre properly you go into the gap smoothly with an early indicator then once your settled in the gap you gently decrease your speed to take the gap back to a safe one.

I wouldnt expect folk who just did driving lessons then a standard car test to know about that manoeuvre though.

Lancs just outside Manchester.

If everyone only pulled out into gaps that maintained stopping distance it would be almost impossible to ever pull out.

And even if my driving wasn’t perfect, does it excuse aggressive driving, speeding and illegal use of blue lights?

https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/overtaking-162-to-169

167: DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example

…
when you would force another road user to swerve or slow down

You could curtsey and doff your cap 10 minutes before undertaking the manoeuvre but if you end up forcing the following car to slow down, you are driving against the highway code.

And specifically Motorway HC 267:

267

Do not overtake unless you are sure it is safe and legal to do so. Overtake only on the right. You should

check your mirrors
take time to judge the speeds correctly
make sure that the lane you will be joining is sufficiently clear ahead and behind

If the car in the overtaking lane in front of which you’ve pulled out has to vary their speed then that lane was obviously not sufficiently clear behind

glupton1976 – Member
How does that stack up with maintaining stopping distances, a generally unknown concept on the M62 (both parties guilty)
To do the manoeuvre properly you go into the gap smoothly with an early indicator then once your settled in the gap you gently decrease your speed to take the gap back to a safe one.

Works fine until the lane you move into slows suddenly.
As a young lad I did this and hit the car in front, all my fault for trying to get into a small gap. Having commuted the Lancs half of the Pennine carpark and M60 it has some of the worst driving behaviour I’ve seen morning & night.

M62, Lancs? You sure ?

As I said, it’s an advanced technique that I wouldnt expect the vast majority of drivers to know about or be able to perform safely. Doesnt stop it being valid and safe though – which was my initial comment.

Another manoeuvre I wouldn’t expect folk to know about would be the lane three on a motorway to slip road being safe and valid. Same goes for straightlining roundabouts, not needing indicators etc etc etc.

Youd need a hell of a brass neck to try that line on a traffic cop when he pulls you over for driving like stirling moss.

I sideways all roundabouts 😉

There’s not driving like Stirling Moss involved. It’s all perfectly controlled, smooth, deliberate, business like and legal.

It’s stuff I was taught and stuff I used to teach.

I’m always squeezing into tight, but manageable spaces.

So was Jimmy Saville.

Clearly the copper had more important things to do otherwise he would have nicked you.

A mate was driving back and I was a passenger. It was dark and two bikes flew past well over the limit.
My mate moves to over take the car in front only for a car to flash his headlights in the rearview mirror. My mate doesn’t move, the car behind then puts mainbeam on and illuminates our car. My mate gives the guy the finger and then gets blue lit. Mate moves over, copper proceeds and I’m pissing myself

So the OP gets flashed by a car behind as its dangerously close. No shit Sherlock. You continue your manoeuvre despite a warning, you say its dangerous and yet you still move across. Its in both your interests to drive defensively.

sir, you drive like a **** and i hope I never meet you on the road as it clearly sounds like you are an accident waiting to happen

As I said, it’s an advanced technique that I wouldnt expect the vast majority of drivers to know about or be able to perform safely. Doesnt stop it being valid and safe though – which was my initial comment

I lolled

Pulling crap like that and “lane three to slip road” on a busy motorway means that it’s as safe as the worst driver (who may well overreact to what you do and cause problems for others), not the deities like yourself

Nobody goes away empty-handed here though, you can have a 🙄 for condescension

glupton1976 – Member

As I said, it’s an advanced technique that I wouldnt expect the vast majority of drivers to know about or be able to perform safely. Doesnt stop it being valid and safe though – which was my initial comment.

What’s your “advanced” training?

Clearly the copper had more important things to do otherwise he would have nicked you.

And I would have reported him for driving aggressively and speeding.

And can I make it clear – I didn’t pull into that tight a gap that he was immediately right up my back end – he accelerated to that point then started to flash me.

lane three on a motorway to slip road being safe and valid.

I hold my hand up to doing similar on the turning from the A75 onto the A711 near my home town, only if the road is completely clear that is (and you can clearly see it is clear for all the PC crowd on here), swing out into the opposite lane from the slip road as you approach the junction and tun in, hit the apex perfectly to set you up for the next two open corners and carry all your speed into a perfect transition without unsettling the car or touching the brakes at all.

Same goes for straightlining roundabouts,

Yep, enjoy this as well on the two roundabouts i know well with clear views on entry and exit points that allows this.

Dring is fun at legal speeds if you use all of the road when it’s safe to do so.

Perfectly safe and enjoyable fun at legal speeds.

You need to use the term ‘making progress’ so you sound like a complete knobber.
You pulled out into a space that was probably a little too small and this time it was a copper and not the rep that it usually is. Manhood dented, get over it and move on.

Edit: I’ll get lynched.

So you tried forcing your way out into a gap that wasn’t really there, and got annoyed when the driver behind didn’t want to give up his safety margin. The fact that it turned out to be an unmarked police car just rubbed salt into the wound…

And why would you need to cut across from lane 3 to the slip road, when the exits are signposted at least a mile in advance? If you can’t plan that far ahead you shouldn’t be on the motorway.

And even if my driving wasn’t perfect, does it excuse aggressive driving, speeding and illegal use of blue lights?

Nobody here was there so can’t judge which of you was more aggressive in your driving, but clearly some of the responses here suggest others think your driving might have been a bit aggressive too. The police officer however might have a legitimate reason for trying to make progress (possibly aggressively) to keep up with someone he was following.

Police vehicles can exceed the speed limit when on police business and necessary. I assume you have no way of knowing if it was necessary for the task they were undertaking?

What makes you believe the use of blue lights was illegal?

I’m also sure it will be on their on board camera system if you want to go and discuss it further with them……

So was Jimmy Saville.

*frowny face*

So, as soon as you pulled back in, he was able to “shoot off” at 85/90mph? Sounds like he might have been trying to follow the car in front and you were in his way.

The flashing of the rear blue lights and matrix sign might have been him explaining why he was in such hurry, rather than a threat.

…it’s an advanced technique that I wouldnt expect the vast majority of drivers to know about or be able to perform safely

FERRIS BUELLER YOU’RE MY HERO !

Well – I was a driving instructor, driving instructor trainer, fleet trainer, and had every shade of advanced driving ticket for civilians. I think I know better than most on here. 😀

Well – I was a driving instructor, driving instructor trainer, fleet trainer, and had every shade of advanced driving ticket for civilians. I think I know better than most on here.

That doesn’t mean that you’re neither wrong nor appearing to be an arrogant, condescending prat.
Congratulations. You managing to appear as both.

For what it’s worth I hold driving licenses not available to civilians. When driving I keep in the back of my mind that just because I have the training to drive in a given way, it does not automatically mean that I have the right to drive in that manner.