M_C / Mr M_C – mightn’t it inform the driver in front that you’re about to overtake and stop them pulling out or doing something else daft ? That’s why I do it

I’d hope the driver in front would see you move to overtake, more likely they’ll see a car move out than see a little blinky orange light?

either way, leave the driver alone!

(if that video’s from the A65 near skipton, I’ve done the same 8.20 overtake )

I would, but not past a caravan – too wide and too unpredictable due to swinging ends and usually older drivers who might get upset by it.

Just watched that video, & i’ll grant that the overtake at 8:20 is well judged, but the one at 4:16 where the dual carriageway (on the A59 Clitheroe) ends & he’s on the hatched markings isn’t. Also the one at 8:48 where there is a dip in the road wasn’t a good move…

You wouldn’t be overtaking in a position where the driver in front of you was likely to pull out, as an advanced driver your observation would be further thatn that driver, you would be looking for hazards, right turns etc. You will not rely on him seeing your indicator, you are the one executing the maneouvre and you are in control.

It’s amazing how many people DON’T every look in their mirrors, they don’t see you when coming with blues and two’s on, so no hope ….. 😉

anyway back to the original point, as Coffeeking said don’t bother.

& he’s on the hatched markings isn’t

It’s not illegal to cross hatched markings with a broken border?

The one at 8:48 is questionable, but I presume that he knows the road and knows the dip isn’t deep enough to hide a car (though that doesn’t stop a very low car being there I suppose!) but he may have considered the duration he had the dip section and the road behind it (further from him) in sight gave him grounds to assume any car would have been visible by that point.

“I’d hope the driver in front would see you move to overtake, more likely they’ll see a car move out than see a little blinky orange light?”

Well, no driver looks behind constantly, so them judging closing speed isn’t necessarily going to happen. If you’ve gained on them fast they may need all the help they can get to see you at all.
Also, seeing you coming isn’t everything – surely they’d be better off knowing what you’re up to. If it’s a marginal overtake, needing all that much concentration, your action is going to be highly unexpected for them so they may react oddly unless “warned”.

Agree, there’s no point in indicating as you change lanes – indicators are to show intention (makes me laugh how often the indicators come on after the lane change starts)

“either way, leave the driver alone! “

What driver ?

What driver ?

The police driver in question, not our hypothetical ones :).

Id suggest that if you’re not looking behind often enough to see a car approaching and judge speed quickly you’re not observant enough to spot their indicator either. And if you’re scared into reacting oddly by a car passing quickly you shouldn’t be driving due to a dodgy nervous disposition. But that’s just me. I’d also hope that someone overtaking at speed would have checked there was no-one for me to overtake either, but it doesn’t rule out me taking to the right hand side of a bend if there’s good visibility, but I wouldn’t do that if there were traffic behind close enough to overtake….. 🙂

as an advanced driver your observation would be further thatn that driver…you are the one executing the maneouvre and you are in control

sounds great – how many traffic cars crash each year ?

I think you might occasionally influence the behaviour of the driver in front by giving them a clue what you’re up to

Id suggest that if one 😉 is not looking behind often enough to see a car approaching and judge speed quickly you’re not observant enough to spot their indicator either. And if one is scared into reacting oddly by a car passing quickly one shouldn’t be driving due to a dodgy nervous disposition. But that’s just me.

I’m sure you‘re peerless, mate, but you have seen the average drivers on UK roads, have you ??

Ed (I cycle with a blinky light on the back of my bike even in daylight – I think it’s moderately well known that they can get you noticed)

Up here our we’re only exempt when we use all our warning systems.. 20mph above speed limit gen ok and we use the same book as the police..
Mind you, if it’s a kiddie or an arrest we don’t really hang back..

Police traffic officers / pursuit trained cops are scarily good. One of the motorcycle magazines took a bunch of them out onto tracks and found even BTCC racers and BSB racers were impressed at the speed they do and the ability they had – and that was on a circuit. On the roads they are untouchable

Mind you, if it’s a kiddie or an arrest the kettles on at the station we don’t really hang back..

FTFY

Yes, police drivers are scarily good…..no, make that just SCARY

I’m sure you’re peerless, mate, but you have seen the average drivers on UK roads, have you ??

I’m no surf-matt 😆

I’m not quite sure why you’ve changed my grammar, both are correct but mine’s a tad less pretentious.

I’m sure you’re peerless, mate, but you have seen the average drivers on UK roads, have[b]haven’t[/b] you ??

FTFY

not yer grammar ck, just kidding – removing the “you” (ie no longer possible to infer that you might mean “me” from my perspective and leaving a hypothetical driver in front)

not yer grammar ck, just kidding – removing the “you” (ie no longer possible to infer that you might mean “me” from my perspective and leaving a hypothetical driver in front

Sorry, I took that a bit personally 😳 😆

I was never intending it to mean you personally 🙂 Damn lazy Americanisation of English caught me out again 🙂

I was never intending it to mean you personally

‘s OK, assumed not – I’m a bloody great driver, obviously ! 😀

We should make a club or something, maybe call it “advanced motorists”…. 😆

is “awesome” taken already, then ?

Cardiac arrest Gary.. And the kettles always on.. We have one of those ones that’s plumbed into the mains and constantly puts out hot water..
Most of the time we drive pretty sedately really..

I was pulled over by traffic cops last Friday night as I returned to Bournemouth from a day in Brighton.

I was well over the speed limit and felt sure I was about to get some points and a fine. The policeman was very chatty, asked what I’d been up to, spotted my girlfriend sleeping in the passenger seat then said ‘Well, I don’t want to spoil your day’ and advised me to slow down a bit. With that he returned to his car and drove off.

I like the police even more than I did before now! 😀

8:20 is the B6255 to Hawes, a fantastic drivers road. If anything he left the overtake a bit late as was only pulling back in approaching the next corner. Many bikers and nice sports cars use that road at interesting speeds so perhaps was a little daft as some one could have been coming the other way greater than 100 mph.

So Mr Wombat… you followed a Police car for 12 miles at 90 mph, did you? Thanks for the admission; do you want the fine now?

I don’t even know where to start with this thread! You are going to complain and tell the police that you know this as your mate was speeding when you haven’t had any training (I presume).

?

don’t get this comment.

I’ve reported the police for appalling driving on several occasions.

1) Police car driving down pedestrianised high st with blue lights but no sirens (Buses & Taxis only) at something like 50-60mph. The sound of a high revving engine caught my attention so turned around to se what it was… A pigeon then landed on the ground to nibble on some crisps which had been dropped and the police car attempted a rather messy emergency stop and ended up broadside across the st. – Driving fail. phone call to the local police station.

2) Police car overtaking on blind corner again in town centre with lights and sirens on. There is a vehicle coming the other way which I can see because I’m across the road watching the whole thing, thinking this is going to be messy. Fortunately the two vehicles just about stop in time with about a 1-2foot gap between both front bumpers. Phone call to the local police station.

3) Following a police car driving down the M4 between Bath and Swindon, the car is a Ford Focus, it’s 4up and travelling at around 90mph by my speedo. The weather conditions are pretty bad, pouring rain, it’s November. The car overtakes without indication on several occasions is blown across the lanes by the howling wind. Fortunately this happened when there were no other cars nearby. The driver makes no attempt to slow down despite clearly not being in full control of the vehicle. Phone call to the local police station.

4) Driving down the M40 I pull over let a police car overtake me. The car then accelerates to in excess of 100mph with no signals or sirens. I follow it for about five miles watching the car push other road users out of the way by tailgating – phone call to the local police station. When asked how I know the vehicle is travelling so fast I explain that I myself am driving in excess of 100mph and am only just able to keep up with it.

5) Another police car speeding on the M4 near Bracknell with no emergency signals. Reported.

Kev

3) Following a police car driving down the M4 between Bath and Swindon, the car is a Ford Focus, it’s 4up and travelling at around 90mph by my speedo. The weather conditions are pretty bad, pouring rain, it’s November. The car overtakes without indication on several occasions is blown across the lanes by the howling wind. Fortunately this happened when there were no other cars nearby. The driver makes no attempt to slow down despite clearly not being in full control of the vehicle. Phone call to the local police station.

4) Driving down the M40 I pull over let a police car overtake me. The car then accelerates to in excess of 100mph with no signals or sirens. I follow it for about five miles watching the car push other road users out of the way by tailgating – phone call to the local police station. When asked how I know the vehicle is travelling so fast I explain that I myself am driving in excess of 100mph and am only just able to keep up with it.
So, to be able to criticise the Police about excessive speeds and dangerous driving in dangerous conditions, you take it upon yourself to drive with excessive speed in dangerous conditions, presumably in a car less well maintained than a Police car you drive dangerously.
I like your style.

In response to the OP’s

How fast are police cars allowed to go…..

If there’s an armed intruder in your house, “not fast enough!!!”

Like Dibb’s response! Oh so true. .. you just can’t win as a bobby nowadays!!!
Keva .. I don’t even know what to say other than OMG do you not have better things to do? Okay 1 & 2 fair enough to report those. As for number 5 you have no idea what was going on, where they were going etc. Plus another muppet agreeing they were following at speed… so not that dangerous then??

The op wants to complain about the police’s driving after they were chasing the police car at 90 mph.

PMSL 😆

I followed a police van for a long stretch down the M1 once. We never did less than 90, and mostly closer to 100.

The only time it put its blue lights on was when I tried to overtake….

And they could have just as easily put their lights on and done you. More to the point is you didn’t want to complain about their driving.

Has anyone else noticed that when an emergency vehicle comes past with lights and sirens going, the reaction of about 90% of drivers is to stamp on the brakes and point the car in towards the kerb? Absolutely *NO* thought about whether it would be more appropriate to continue to a point where the road wouldn’t be blocked as you’re right opposite a traffic island or something….

Not only were you driving the same speed but you were also on the phone? Good job!

Has anyone else noticed that when an emergency vehicle comes past with lights and sirens going, the reaction of about 90% of drivers is to stamp on the brakes and point the car in towards the kerb?

Can’t say I have to be honest. In the US you’re taught to pull over when an emergency vehicle comes up, which is a bit strange really as if you leave it slightly too late it causes a real problem. Doesn’t work here of course because the roads are too narrow. I have seen people do some stupid things to get out of the way of EVs but mostly people seem to be quite reasonable. Especially at traffic light junctions where people have to go on red lights to get out of the way, and everyone is very sensible about it.

As far as I know not, unless they’re in unmarked cars and trying to lure you into speeding so they can nick, yes N. Wales Police I knew who you were!!!

I always thought that it depends on driver training. Your basic bobby in a panda car isn’t supposedly allowed to break speed limits, whereas your traffic copper with advanced/pursuit training is in certain situations.

Similarly, a friend that used to be a paramedic told me that ambulances are not allowed to break limits, and any accident caused by them jumping red lights/overtaking etc. can be seen as their responsibility.

(Mr MC posting)

all response trained officers can break speed limits, so that includes local bobbies in 1.3 astra pandas as well as traffic (now called roads policing) in big vectras etc.

Many forces have a +20mph policy, where they will only support you up to 20 over any posted limit, and if you have an accident etc they will disclaim your driving and try to effectively rescind your legal exemption despite their policy having no place in law. It is a farcical policy, one local example is the eastern bypass in oxford. Dual carriageway with central barrier so should be (and used to be) a 70mph. Due to one freak accident years ago it is now a 50. As there are no fixed cameras the traffic travels at 70. So on an emergency run with “blues and twos” we can only travel at the speed of the rest of the traffic 🙄

I have my advanced police ticket and it is an intense course, most of it spent driving at speeds that you (initially) feel uncomfortable with. My mid-course feedback was that I was too cautious (!), but I put this down to 20yrs of year-round motorcycling developing a state of near paranoia to potential hazards.

the reaction of about 90% of drivers is to stamp on the brakes and point the car in towards the kerb?

I have noticed that 90% of the people that NOTICE there is an emergency vehicle behind them do that (stopping adjacent to traffic islands, on junctions, on roundabouts etc).

Unfortunately 90%* of the drivers are so wrapped up in their own world that they don’t even notice there is an emergency vehicle behind them.

*Not a statistic.

the reaction of about 90% of drivers is to stamp on the brakes and point the car in towards the kerb?

I have noticed that 90% of the people that NOTICE there is an emergency vehicle behind them do that (stopping adjacent to traffic islands, on junctions, on roundabouts etc).

Even worse they’ll pull over to the kerb without looking. The first time I was knocked off my bike I heard a police car approaching, stopped on the kerb directly behind a parked car, idiot behind pulls over straight into me.

Most bad police driving is at slow speed when they are trying to multi task. If a police car is speeding it will be doing it for a reason. The Driver will have to justify their actions in the event of any speed camera tripped or concerned citizen ringing in . Few police drivers would wish to lose their ticket and face a disciplinary for tooling around at speed when they will get plenty of legitimate high speed experience any way.

From the OP’s description of what he saw it seems fairy obvious the police driver was driving well and with a purpose so why not trust there was a good reason behind it?

What does the two’s refer to in blues&twos? Blues, lights, obviously, but twos?

twos – two tone sirens

Nbt where do you work?

I work in an office in Cheadle :). Was in GMP but quit before finishing basic, wasn’t right for me (or rather I wasn’t right for them)

Police cars are allowed to indicate right then actually turn left, according to one fat sweaty copper I had cause to remonstrate with once. Knob.