Pulled over by police

[NotAScoobyDoo2]

I'm posting here for traffic more than anything. I'm just wondering what other people think of this and whether it's something they've experienced, if they've been pulled over.

A few months ago, I was driving home from hospital, visiting a relative - it had been quite a long day so although I was trying desperately to concentrate, I was a bit tired. I also had my 11 yo son in the car with me.

About halfway home, I noticed a Police car behind me - I hadn’t realised my speed was creeping up and when he pulled me over, I was doing 75. I got out of the car, on the hard shoulder of the motorway. When I got out, he told me the speed I was going and asked me to follow him. He drove about 15/20 minutes to a completely abandoned car park in what felt like the middle of the Surrey hills. When I got there it was starting to get dark.

I started to feel a bit weird about the whole thing. I got out of my car and the officer that pulled me over told me to get into his car so he could show me footage of my driving. I asked him if he was joking and said absolutely no way am I getting into anyone's car. He then asked me to lean in so he could show me my driving. When he replayed it, he started back pedalling really quickly by saying actually, "it's not as bad as I thought and maybe you should just go home and read the highway code". It's been bothering me ever since. Every time, I read about the Sarah Everard case, this occasion comes to mind. I just want to know if he was being unprofessional or whether I was being over cautious. I'm a single woman and feel vulnerable at the best of times.

Ive been pulled over once and that was on a motorway slip road, the officer made me follow her into the service station.
When I told my friend who is a serving police officer she told me that you dont have to stop if you feel it is unsafe.
Obviously you dont enter a police chase but you can call 999 and verify the situation and explain your fears.
This info was also broadcasted around the sarah Everett case.
If I was you there's no way I'd have followed him into a car park after that amount of time. Just because they're police they aren't right or rulers of the kingdom.
Id feedback to the police force the situation and how if made you feel.

As this happened 'a few months ago' , why have you not spoken to friends and family about it , reported it before now , and left it to internet strangers to give backdated advice which won't help now?

@NotAScoobyDoo2 75 isn’t a chargeable offense in a 70 , 77 and above is.
If you genuinely drive for that long to somewhere remote then yes I’d say you had a lucky escape.
Sounds very weird .

I find this hard to believe.

Why were you made to drive for 15-20 minutes?
That would have been miles if you were doing 30mph.

Also, no one gets picked up for doing 75 on a motorway- there is an accuracy allowance of 5% ish on speed.

If this really did happen you need to report him. BUT as you say this is months ago, you won't get anywhere as there will be no record of who it was.

Why have you waited months to talk about this here?
Did you not talk to your family or friends at the time?

I'm asking MN to take a look here as it doesn't sound right.

I'm just thinking out loud, but if he had intended something untoward, might he have initially not noticed your son was present, and then "let you go" when he realised he was?

If this happened as you say (and I have no reason to doubt you) then I think you need to report it and let the relevant authorities decide whether something inappropriate has occurred.

It was Surrey Police who mishandled the abduction and murder of Milly Dowler case. She was seen walking on the busy road by a schoolfriend and caught on CCTV. She suddenly vanishes between footage and the police do not check the residents of the flats behind the bushes - actually they do visit but get no answer so they go away.

Colin Sutton was brought in after Amelie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell were murdered (who might have been spared but for the police failings) and he joined the very simple dots to Bellfield’s flat.

A lot of police were involved in these cases who will either still be working or on a fat pension - both at our expense.

Isn’t there a tolerance level of 10% which at a speed limit of 70 m/per hour, you were under, so I’m very surprised you were stopped in the first place.

What did your son who was in the car think about all this?

Sorry for the gaslighting comments @NotAScoobyDoo2 . Some people on here are real cunts. Well done for doing the right thing. I wouldn't get out of my car to a lone male officer.

Maybe the OP was brought up to trust the police - but this incident has bothered her - especially after the shocking Panorama programme.

People dismiss incidents for fear of looking foolish and they come on here to ask for opinions. It has raised awareness for others who might find themselves in the same position which is far more helpful than your post.

So did you get a ticket? If it happened as you describe you could complain although like others I suspect your timings may not be quite as you recall.

I can quite easily see how the drive would be 15 minutes.

Until recently I had quite a long motorway commute. There’s a long stretch where I’d sometimes see people pulled over - especially at night (it’s a bit of a put your foot down stretch after coming out of busier areas into open countryside).

They seemed to ask them to drive to the next junction and pull into the lorry layby just off the junction. It’s quite a distance to the exit, so you could easily rack up a good few minutes getting there.

A Police Officer would not pull you for doing 75 on the motorway. You probably wouldn’t even set off a gantry camera doing that.

No one would drive 15-20 mins to a deserted car park with the police. Think about it OP how many people outside simply made off rather than followed? (Yes I know you’re traceable but that certainly wouldn’t stop people fleeing)

if It happened like this I would be complaining to the police commissioner. (Not that I’d have much hope of action) otherwise, if this were to happen to anyone else stay on the hard shoulder and dial 999 to check his credentials. Pull off the motorway and refuse to leave the first safe place you can pull over after that.

If you are certain that this was actually a police car (and people do impersonate the police) then this is all very suspicious. There is no way the police are going to be stopping cars on a motorway for doing 75 - ok, if you've been also driving like a prat generally, but just for doing that speed, no way, motorway hard shoulders are far too dangerous for something that trivial. Secondly if they did want you to stop on the hard shoulder they would have had you get safely into their car for a "chat" OR they could have had you follow them off at the next junction where they would have stopped asap.

What they did must be reported, either because they weren't the police or because he wanted to try something on, then chickened out.

Report report report.

So you were driving with a child in the car when you were so tired you had to desperately try to concentrate. Despite that you didn't notice you were breaking the speed limit. If I was you I'd be thankful I didn't cause an accident and that the police officer didn't give you a ticket.

It does sound weirdly fishy... There wasn't another carpark within 20 minutes of the motorway exit?!
I think your gut instinct was absolutely SPOT ON. You sensed something didn't feel quite right and behaved just right. Honestly, it was probably nothing, just a jobsworth, but your followed your instincts and kept yourself safe. Well done. You should be quite proud of that.

Do you think you could identify that carpark again? If you know what junction you came off, you might be able to work it out.
If you can, I think it might be worth just an email to the local police (or maybe the two or three nearest if you were on a major motorway) and reporting it. Even if you don't have any identifying information for the police officer concerned. You never know, someone might recognise the behaviour.

Our police recommend this, have done for decades. We had single women being accosted on the dual carriageway once

It might have taken time to get to the next junction and the OP said 15 to 20 minutes so the car park might have been only two or three minutes from the motorway.

A lone male officer should not ask a lone female driver to follow him anywhere, other than a police station.

And no woman should do that.

I think if anyone is stopped they should keep their car doors locked and make sure they do an ID check on the police officer first.

Traffic police usually work in pairs, as well.

@NotAScoobyDoo2 You could have photographed his number plate or his police number which should have been on his uniform. Easy for us to say but don't be so trusitng.

I'd have done a U-turn once I knew he was taking me to an isolated spot.
Worst case you could be 'had up' for avoiding 'arrest' (not that he was doing that anyway) but better than than being murdered .

We're talking about the M25, M3 or M23 I would guess. At motorway speeds junctions aren't 15 - 20 miles apart. We're getting sidetracked. It's dodgy.

15-20 mins either on a motorway or A road is going to be 5+ miles.

If she's being overly dramatic, what does she need to thank her lucky stars about?

Don't you mean minutes- not miles?
Junctions are often 15 miles apart or more.