Page 4 | Failed to stop for police - why am I such an idiot?!

formalineadeline · 21/02/2022 16:58

You're not supposed to slam your brakes on and stop in that situation.

Any decent police officer would tell you they only want people to pull over where it's actually safe to do so and they don't want people slamming their brakes on and stopping unsafely.

You would hinder their progress more if you abruptly stopped so they drove into you or pulled over somewhere unsafe that they couldn't pass.

They obviously were not decent police officers.

Emergency and Incident Support vehicles. You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens or flashing headlights, or Highways Agency Traffic Officer and Incident Support vehicles using flashing amber lights. When one approaches do not panic. Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of road. Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb. Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you.

You were on a narrow section of road and you did what the Highway Code says by not stopping there.

Rule 219:

www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/road-users-requiring-extra-care-204-to-225

Nelliephant1 · 21/02/2022 16:58

@superdupertruper

The problem is this. They are assigned to a call that necessitates a blue light. All they then see is a vehicle that is now failing to stop or move. This then becomes the call they have to deal with. Are they drink driving? Is it stolen? Are they trying to discard drugs? Is there a firearm in the vehicle. Also the call they are blue lighting to could be the one that kils them whilst trying to save you or someone else's life so not necessarily bellends at all.

There's giving people the benefit of the doubt, then there's this!!! 🙄

They weren't too worried about guns etc when they made her roll down her window to have a go at her. They were numpties.

Original poster

ilovelamp2 · 21/02/2022 17:00

I really don't want this to turn into a thread where the police are accused of any wrong doing. They were doing their job. Yes they were cross, but that's allowed too.

OP posts:

formalineadeline · 21/02/2022 17:00

@Itsalmostanaccessory

You are wrong.

VickyEadieofThigh · 21/02/2022 17:00

@girlmom21

It's your responsibility to move over as soon as you can do so safely. You carried on driving until you felt you could safely move out of their way. They sound like scaremongering idiots.

Indeed. And "safely" is the driver's judgement call, isn't it?

diddl · 21/02/2022 17:01

With the weather that we've been having, not sure that my first thought would be just to pull over onto a grass verge!

FireMeetGasoline · 21/02/2022 17:02

You panicked. Try not to worry about it. I was once turning right at a T junction. My vision of oncoming traffic had been skewed by a bus that had parked to my left. I was just slowly edging out, when the police car decided to turn right into the junction that I was creeping out of. We were nowhere close to making contact. The passenger police officer glared at me, pointed her fingers at her eyes and then pointed at me. I acknowledged and lipped sorry.

formalineadeline · 21/02/2022 17:02

@ilovelamp2

I really don't want this to turn into a thread where the police are accused of any wrong doing. They were doing their job. Yes they were cross, but that's allowed too.

Actually, no, it's not allowed for them to behave like that. They are held to a higher standard because they are given great powers.

It is not their job to abuse civilians, it is wrong and it is not excusable.

FindingMeno · 21/02/2022 17:04

Sorry, op, but the police are not allowed to take being cross out on other people.
It's unprofessional and provocative.

Girlmumdogmumboymum · 21/02/2022 17:04

I'd feel bad too but we all react in different ways.
I watched a police interceptors programme, where someone say a police car in their mirror and completely freaked out and overcorrected then had a massive crash with a barrier and bounced off the road.

The important thing is you did stop and safely.

If they had time to stop and berate you I'd wonder how quickly they needed to get to their emergency!

Please try not to beat yourself up about this

BattenbergdowntheHatches · 21/02/2022 17:06

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

nitsandwormsdodger · 21/02/2022 17:06

Role model to your child how to deal with this

Acknowledge your mistake and what you can do better next time

2 .I assume you apologised

Show correct level of remorse and move on

PinchOfVom · 21/02/2022 17:07

Are you in Merseyside? I’ve had a couple of run ins with a pair of bellend policemen here.
One was trying to accuse me of doing 60mph on a 30mph which I absolutely wasn’t. I wasn’t even speeding fgs. I asked
Him quite pointedly if he was going to be issuing me a pcn then. He declined.
He then followed me for ages down a motorway, about ten miles or so. I was totally shaken.

FindingMeno · 21/02/2022 17:08

@nitsandwormsdodger

Role model to your child how to deal with this

Acknowledge your mistake and what you can do better next time

2 .I assume you apologised

Show correct level of remorse and move on

Role model to your child that just because they're in a police uniform it doesn't make them right, safe or decent necessarily. Tell your children what their rights are, and teach them assertiveness.

HelenaCrimson · 21/02/2022 17:09

sounds like a combination of ignorance and arrogance on their part.. It's entirely reasonable to drive to a section where you consider it safe for them to pass.
Check Rule 219 in the Highway Code, www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/road-users-requiring-extra-care-204-to-225
it says
"Rule 219
Emergency and Incident Support vehicles. You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens or flashing headlights, or traffic officer and incident support vehicles using flashing amber lights. When one approaches do not panic. Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of road. Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb. Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you."

it says try to avoid stopping on a narrow section of road.

You're shocked that you've been told off by officialdom. Entirely normal. Just remember you haven't broken the law, it's just as a law-abiding citizen you feel like you've "let the side down" as they weren't pleased with you.

They were just frustrated that they thought you could move out of the way but you judged it differently, and, as others have said, obviously were not in that much of a rush as they berated you.

They sound like young officers...

Almost worth a complaint!

thirdfiddle · 21/02/2022 17:09

The guidance is that you pull over when it is safe to do so. If the op didn't think it was safe at that point to pull over, then she did nothing wrong.
This. If there's nowhere to pull over to, your options are carry on till there is, or draw to a halt causing police vehicle to have to drive round you. And if there is traffic coming the other way to negotiate too, they'd be doing a slalom, that's going to slow them down not help them.

Tootiredforallthis · 21/02/2022 17:10

Just a different point of view to add. My dad wrote his car off because of people stopping to let a police car past on a narrow country road. He came around a bend to find a car stopped on his side, one on the other side and the police car coming between them. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and ended up driving through a hedge on the verge rather than into one of the vehicles, but it could have been a lot worse. It is definitely the right thing to do to find a safe place to stop, so please don't beat yourself up about it.

TillyTopper · 21/02/2022 17:10

Don't stress about it or overthink it OP. You knew what you did wasn't great but sometimes in the moment it's not possible to get everything right whatever you are doing. After all we are not all trained police or ambulance drivers so they need to be a little more forgiving in my view.

To make you feel better, I once pulled over in the wrong place for a policeman. He was so apoplectic with rage that actually I couldn't understand what he was saying (he was telling me to move my car in front of his and pull in close). I wrote in and complained. Sometimes the way they go about things doesn't get them public support and it doesn't help it just scares law abiding people. Or in my case it was pointless as I couldn't understand him (English is my first language).

Divebar2021 · 21/02/2022 17:10

It seems like it’s usually women that get a ‘telling off’ too

Based on what evidence? Honestly some of these remarks are ridiculous. No one likes being told off -no-one. It’s far easier to blame the police officer rather than look at your own behaviour and assess if maybe they had a point. I’m sure the whole telling off took 30 seconds max?? Nothing in comparison to a long drive cross country in probably challenging conditions so I doubt alone delay in the whole scheme of things. And pointing out errors is not “abusing civilians”…. That’s literally their job. Suck it up OP, I wouldn’t like it but I dare say they forgot about it 10 seconds later so don’t let it get you down.

Purple444 · 21/02/2022 17:12

Those that are telling the OP she is in the wrong- I think the thread title gives away that she knows she could have handled the situation better. She’s come on here asking for silly driving stories. I’m sure we’ve all panicked at an unexpected driving situation at some point.

Try not to worry. They’ll have forgotten about it. Don’t let it spoil your evening.

mummykel16 · 21/02/2022 17:12

@ilovelamp2

Having an absolute melt down over here - hope someone can talk me down and/or make me feel better by telling me silly things you have done when driving ..... Basically, I was on a narrow road, one lane each way, fairly chunky verge. Blue lights behind, panicked and drove few 100 metres to next roundabout to get out of way. Totally, totally know now I should have just stopped on side but I panicked. So embarrassed. Police pointed to wind my window down when they got alongside me. They were understandably irrate. I have a lot of respect for our police force and am mortified that I have made their job even more difficult than it already is. Literally cannot stop sobbing!

Wind your window down and what?

If it to shout something they couldn't have been in the much of a rush

Tequilabeliever · 21/02/2022 17:12

I don’t blame them for being annoyed or for shouting at you. 100m is a bloody long way for you to travel before you moved over.

Wearing a hearing aid is not an excuse for not pulling over, especially as you’ve said they had blue lights on. If your husband is spotting emergency vehicles before you, then that would suggest that you need to be paying more attention.

It’s done now though, you need to put it behind you.

ancientgran · 21/02/2022 17:14

If it is any comfort my DH used to be a police officer, at one time he was a uniform Inspector and one of his "issues" was officers rushing to an incident and ending up crashing/in hospital/in a ditch. He found it infuriating that the "blues and 2s" madness made many officers rush to be first at the scene but in fact meant they didn't arrive at all.

They were quite possibly the idiots on a narrow road not you.

justasking111 · 21/02/2022 17:16

Happened to me the other day nasty fast road I saw a lay-by ahead so pulled in when I reached it because someone had parked randomly on a blind corner, maybe a breakdown the police kept going. That time there were police cars whizzing around to cover every road leading out of town, I passed another three pulled in at junctions

Don't worry

singlepringlenotbychoice · 21/02/2022 17:19

The problem is you admit to not being aware of emergency vehicles with sirens on until quite late, I'm not sure how you can rectify that but that is an issue.

The police officers aren't the twats here. They have to justify driving with lights and sirens on and they put themselves at significant risk when they do because of the speed they're travelling and having to second guess other drivers ability to respond appropriately, they definitely don't just put them on to go get their lunch or abuse their power. They were going to a call that required that level of response and were held up by someone that admittedly panicked and froze.
There may have been a number of units attending the emergency which allowed the officers to give you corrective advice, which was definitely needed in this instance.

It's never nice to have an emergency vehicle on blues right behind you but panicking and zoning out are not the way to go and driving 100s of meters before reacting isnt helpful or safe. Its a learning experience and hopefully you will respond differently if it happens again. Don't dwell on it just learn from it.