Driving along with police car behind me

[Iloverain]

I did not know here to post it. Am probably absolutely Aibu to worry?
NC.
I’m fairly newish driver in late 40s I would say not much confident.
I was driving yesterday from work.
A police car gave me a way on a busy roundabout and drove all the way behind me across quiet town where I live- about 3 miles- behind me all the way.
I was keeping the speed 30 ( got to 31 for a split of a second) but was nervous, thinking are they observing my driving, am I too slow, should I give way too oncoming vehicle in a narrow road if the vehicle was too still far..
Tell me I got nothing to worry about- as I said I don’t drive often, once a week maximum really.
I am now worry that I will get some fine for wrong kind of driving.
In the end I turned into my road and they kept driving but still.

[billyt]

@Oblio

'When I started driving I was given this advice - 'Drive as though a police car is behind you...'

Exactly what I do....

drive excessively fast, run red lights, drive straight through junctions without slowing, handbrake turns..........

You know, the usual

[DynamoKev]

From University of Bath research, but plenty of other sources for basic Physics.

[DynamoKev]

@Woeismethischristmas

Actually 55 is the sweet spot in terms of fuel efficiency.

Actually it isn't - not in absolute terms at constant speed, which is what I said.
The faster you go, the more fuel you use.
Using a conventional vehicle, you will ALWAYS use more fuel the faster you go.
There is some kind of urban myth bollocks that 50 is more economical than 20 or 30 - it's just factually wrong but seems to have gained some weird traction.

[Woeismethischristmas]

Actually 55 is the sweet spot in terms of fuel efficiency.

[DynamoKev]

@poppycat10

As for fuel use - that's proportionate to speed (albeit not linear) so should we all drive everywhere at 20mph to save the planet

Not true, you use more fuel at 20 than you do at 30. Around 55 is the sweet spot.

Incorrect. Just total arse.

[GlassBoxSpectacular]

@Mumofsend

Doesn't everyone get the fear with police behind them?

You sound like you need more confidence though

I’d say everyone feels a bit wary and is ultra-cautious with the police behind them. But not everyone is still worrying about it the next day, replaying various parts of the journey, worrying that they’re going to get a letter about their ‘wrong’ driving or being 1mph over the limit, and asking about it on Internet forums.

That’s far beyond the bounds of a normal reaction.

[Hallyup5]

As you get more confident you'll realise that the police are worse drivers than you. I used to worry about it but now I know they have no reason to stop me so I don't care.

[Mumofsend]

Doesn't everyone get the fear with police behind them?

You sound like you need more confidence though

[Iloverain]

@HerMammy it’s not my car, I only drive occasionally when available or to work, which is mostly Wfh now anyway.
Plus English is not my first language perhaps I have not explained it in well written English.

[NaturalBlondeYeahRight]

@Bluedeblue can I ask you a question that I saw yesterday. A police car (lights on, no sirens) was following a car that was driving slowly along a busy road with nowhere safe to pull over. Should the car have just pulled over and stopped or carried on like it was, to find a safe place to pull over?
It got me thinking at the time that I wouldn’t have known what to do.

[HerMammy]

Regardless of the police, you need to improve your confidence, your terminology is also odd about ‘give them the way’ etc, driving once a week is pointless, get out and about, take some advanced lessons, nervous unsure drivers are just as much a cause of accidents as speeders.

[topcat2014]

I get nervous when followed by Police - and I was a special Constable for 10 years :)

But, basically, drive normally and it's no issue.

[DIshedUp]

@murbblurb but no one has said they are going at 80? What on earth are you going on about?

Don't pretend its our brains that aren't working when it's you who misunderstood speed

[Thefamilybusiness]

They weren't following you, they were going somewhere and needed to go that way. They'd have stopped you if they had any concerns.
You need to work on your confidence skills when driving.

[tttigress]

I don't think they are observing you.

But hate being followed like that.

Had a situation where I was followed by a police car on a 30 road.

I did exactly 30, the police car then over took me even though it was in a built up area, no blue light, they obviously must have done over 40 to overtake me, and I was forced to slow down to allow them to overtake safely.

[TheThingsWeAdmitOnMN]

It's Friday, pour yourself a drink & give your brain a rest! If anything was amiss they'd have pulled you over!

I got my licence in NZ (in those days a FULL licence, no provisional ir anything) at 15 and I'm now 52, driven loads, all over the world, all kinds of vehicles ...and I STILL don't like it if they're driving behind me, to the point I'll change my route when I can 🤣

[murbblurb]

FFS, the MN absolutes again. I sometimes wonder how some on here keep their ears apart as clearly their brain isn't doing it.

Drag goes up as square of speed, going at 80 is not only illegal but uses a lot more fuel, especially if you drive a modern chunkmobile. As I said, get your arse out of bed earlier.

[Osirus]

@Iloverain

Thank you.
As I said I’m probably idiot thinking about it still, but I think can they have a cameras in that car a measure my speed which I kept( it’s 30 zone) well they enough time to pull up my details.
They had no blue lights on or anything.
At one point when I was to give a way to oncoming vehicle in tight road I misjudged it and went though- the oncoming car sped up so I had to break, the police had to do the same - drove behind me same ways they followed me the same way as I went- meaning they did not give the way to that oncoming car either.
I always worry about everything..

They shouldn’t have followed you - as hard as it is to avoid temptation (we’re natural followers), you are meant to wait. They were wrong here.

[SweetestThing]

I still feel very conscious of my driving if I have a police car behind me. Many years ago, I'd pulled an almost all-nighter at work to finish a bid and dropped a colleague off at four in the morning before driving home from Croydon to our town about fifteen miles away. A police car followed me all the way from Croydon town centre to the boundary with Surrey and then went its own way. I like to think they were making sure I was safe, as a lone woman driver in the middle of the night. Or maybe they were checking I wasn't driving under the influence 🙂

[poppycat10]

As for fuel use - that's proportionate to speed (albeit not linear) so should we all drive everywhere at 20mph to save the planet

Not true, you use more fuel at 20 than you do at 30. Around 55 is the sweet spot.

[DynamoKev]

@murbblurb

BTW national limit is 70mph, so you can't legally overtake someone doing slightly less. Should have got your arse out of bed earlier. And if you give a fuck about the planet (most don't) then you won't speed as it uses more fuel.

Eh?
You can on a motorway or dual carriageway (although ti may take a while).
As for fuel use - that's proportionate to speed (albeit not linear) so should we all drive everywhere at 20mph to save the planet?
As it uses more fuel to maintain a steady speed uphill should we all slow down a lot when going up hills?

[MakeMineALarge1]

So what are you going to do to increase your confidence?

[DIshedUp]

@murbblurb if a car is going 68, and you are going 70 you will still overtake them? If a car is going 69.8 and you are going 70 you will still eventually get passed. That's how speed works

[stealthninjamum]

Oh op I totally get this, I’m still more careful when I see a police car. I remember being ‘followed’ by one just after I passed my test. My first car was a tiny one with small engine and I was horrified that it could only do 35 to 40 going up a hill in a 60 speed limit area. I was convinced I’d be pulled over for going too slow. Obviously I wasn’t and for the next week I asked everyone I know how fast their car does going up that hill.

[murbblurb]

BTW national limit is 70mph, so you can't legally overtake someone doing slightly less. Should have got your arse out of bed earlier. And if you give a fuck about the planet (most don't) then you won't speed as it uses more fuel.