Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bloody police - merry sodding Christmas

345 replies

NThound · 26/12/2019 14:44

More than 2 months ago I made a bloody stupid error and just slipped through a red light in queuing traffic though I had actually noticed that a police car was a few cars behind - I don't make a habit of breaking the law, but it does make it even more stupid. He pulled me over a bit up the road (which was horrible - never happened to me before in 15 years of driving) and I admitted my error of judgement and apologised. In my defense (I didn't say this to him as I didn't want to make excuses) it was awful traffic - we had been stuck there for ages and I was visiting an elderly relative who I rarely see and had to nip out for something and felt guilty and stressed at how long it was taking). It was my fault though I know.

Police man said he had written it up and would send it off but 'hopefully' I would hear nothing back in the light of my apology and clean license. He also checked my tyres as he said they were currently focussing on them but he then made no comment on them.

I had my MOT done two weeks later and it failed on one of the tyres, which I thought was odd but never mind. Weeks went by and I heard nothing then on Christmas fucking Eve came the letter. FFS. I have just logged on to try and book a course and I have less than two months to book it because this has taken more than two months to come through. In order to get it done in time I have a choice of two courses that are within 30 miles of me - I live in a central location between two biggish cities. It's ridiculous - I'm going to have to try and get time off but don't want to risk a refusal as then I'd be stuffed so may decide to call in sick, which is not something 'I want to do.

AIBU to think this is shit? If police think you have made an honest fuck-up they shouldn't 'write it up' and if they do it shouldn't be near enough impossible to book a course you have been offered because they have sat on it for more than 2 months?

OP posts:
Witchend · 26/12/2019 15:28

In my defense (I didn't say this to him as I didn't want to make excuses) it was awful traffic - we had been stuck there for ages and I was visiting an elderly relative who I rarely see and had to nip out for something and felt guilty and stressed at how long it was taking)

Good thing you didn't say that, because it's no defence. If anything it makes it sound like you chose to do it because you were in a hurry rather than it was an accident. Adding that there was no risk of an accident, also makes it sound like you made a stupid choice.

Someone was killed not long ago near me because someone jumped a red light. They thought it was green for straight on when it was actually green for turn only.

tararabumdeay · 26/12/2019 15:28

People are being mean. We've all made mistakes which we're sorry about. More sorry when there's a price to pay. I've had two flashes: one from 40 to 30 in an unfamiliar place and when cameras were brand new. Another one I was late for work - 36 in another 40 to 30, all my fault.

There were no courses in those days. I had to pay up and take the rap.

No point in comparing what others do and get away with. When the silly sod doing 20 in a 60 for fifteen no overtaking miles I was the one who plucked out the woman and her lil dog when she pulled out in front of a van that was already overtaking her and flat cap duffer.

We do what we can and hands up to getting it wrong when we do.

halocompanach · 26/12/2019 15:29

Oh FFS, I looked at the junction and there was nothing coming. Wrong to go through the red light - just - but not dangerous as there was nothing there.

You didn't notice the red light. Therefore you were not being observant enough and were not paying enough attention to the road so any claims that you are capable of being observant enough to notice hazards are null and void.

You broke the law, you could have caused a serious incident and now you are trying to justify it. THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR WHAT YOU DID OR FOR YOUR THREAD OR FOR YOUR MISGUIDED OPINIONS.

Purpletigers · 26/12/2019 15:29

I did 35 mph in a 30mph zone a few years ago . I did the course and tbh it was worthwhile. I’m much more aware of speed limits esp on the outskirts of a large city when they change every few miles.
. You broke the law as did I . Book the course and accept that you were the one in the wrong . The police are in no way at fault here . But you already know that . The timeline is irrelevant.

ProfessorSlocombe · 26/12/2019 15:30

so I'd think I'm a pretty good driver and ...

Words guaranteed to chill the marrow of any police instructor ....

SpoonAndString · 26/12/2019 15:30

Your responses are so arrogant

Darkbendis · 26/12/2019 15:30

I think the police writes the report and sends it to the crown prosecution office and it's the crown prosecution that decides if something, if anything happens with it, not the police.

I am sure it will be OK if you contact them and let them know that you received the letter on date x and the next available course in your area is on date y and see what they say.

Brefugee · 26/12/2019 15:30

OP I gather you can either take points or do the course? so take the points, if you usually drive with due care and attention they'll expire before you get more.

You're VU in that you are trying to wiggle out of it with talk of NIP and timings, and so on. Accept it and move on. And be glad you didn't run a kid over or something.

namechange1041 · 26/12/2019 15:31

You went through a red light so you could have caused an accident.
Dont do the crime if you can't do the time...or driving course, whatever Grin

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 26/12/2019 15:32

If you can’t handle difficult traffic you have no business being in a car. Get yourself a bus pass.

Purpletigers · 26/12/2019 15:32

Imagine giving your excuse to the parents of a child , father , mother , husband , wife of the person you killed by jumping the red light .
If you couldn’t imagine saying it then you know your answer. There is no excuse for what you did , just as there was no excuse for what I did. Own your mistake and learn from it .

MadisonAvenue · 26/12/2019 15:33

Great to see the police taking action. Far too many people seem to think that stopping at red lights is now optional.

Cherrysoup · 26/12/2019 15:33

It’s not the officer’s fault the notification took ages to come through-nothing to do with the officer who would have submitted the note. Also not his fault you broke the law. You’re being dumb. Suck it up and bloody well learn from it rather than whinging on.

randomchap · 26/12/2019 15:33

OP, you're not going to have many people supporting you here. You drove like a dick, got caught and now have to deal with the consequences.

I lost my wife to a car accident, and although that was no-ones fault, people driving dangerously causes hundreds of deaths a year. Do the course, stop whinging and be thankful that your error of judgement didn't harm anyone.

Piggywaspushed · 26/12/2019 15:34

I genuinely can't get beyond someone who jumps a red light when they have seen a police car just behind them!

I mean - obviously- you shouldn't jump a red anyway but your circumstances aren't unfortunate... they're just beyond ridiculous.

Purpletigers · 26/12/2019 15:35

One piece of information has stuck with me when I completed the course
A child hit at 40mph has an 80% chance of dying .
A child hit at 30mph has an 80% chance of living .

WireBrushAndDettolMaam · 26/12/2019 15:36

You didn't notice the red light. Therefore you were not being observant enough

Errr! She absolutely did notice it. She admits she deliberately went through it to avoid sitting in traffic.

TheGoodEnoughWife · 26/12/2019 15:37

As others have said, as you were stopped the police then had six months to contact you. It is two weeks only if you are caught but not stopped such as being on a camera.

You went through a red light. Own it.

Radardodgingninga · 26/12/2019 15:37

I can see that the time delay (and the Christmas delivery) is irritating. You thought you’d got away with it and you hadn’t - that’s a bummer. But seriously, you can’t expect one rule for you and another for the rest of us. You knowingly and deliberately broke traffic regs because you were in a hurry even though you knew there a police car nearby to witness this. What sort of twit does that? And ironically, in doing so, delayed yourself even further. Take the points or do the course, respect red lights in future and get over yourself.

Original poster
NThound · 26/12/2019 15:38

which was auto-corrected
I think I see a pattern here.

Which other US spellings have I used? You're right though. Auto -correct doesn't exist - I just made it up to excuse my appalling spelling which could have caused serious offence or an accident, or something.

*In your OP you say 'there was awful traffic', yet in a later post you maintain 'the road was clear'.

Those statements are unlikely to both be true.*

They are - we were queuing on a main road through a town centre and that was very busy, but the junctions either side were quiet. Nothing was coming from the side and there was room for me behind the car in front having gone through the lights. Still wrong, but not dangerous.

OP posts:
Hingeandbracket · 26/12/2019 15:38

but if the road is visibly clear (which it was) it won't magically cause a crash with a non-existent car or pedestrian just because the light was red
OP this is the only point on which agree with you - no-one died.
You need to check your tyres more often though in order to avoid driving with an illegal one.

Memoriesmemories · 26/12/2019 15:39

Be honest with your employer.

sweeneytoddsrazor · 26/12/2019 15:40

. It's my business whether I phone in sick - people here don't know my boss or circumstances so i won't be losing any sleep over that.
You choose to go through a red light, you try to escape punishment, you are happy to lie to your employer. I am sure nobody on here expects you to lose any sleep over it. Your moral compass sounds askew.

Piggywaspushed · 26/12/2019 15:40

I think the pattern OP is meant to be your use of passive voice...

Original poster
NThound · 26/12/2019 15:41

One piece of information has stuck with me when I completed the course A child hit at 40mph has an 80% chance of dying .A child hit at 30mph has an 80% chance of living.*

That is interesting - genuinely. I'm not being sarcastic - I think I've seen that stat before and it is food for thought. I don't speed and was doing nowhere near 30mph at the time of this incident.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread