Pulled over by the police with blue lights flashing because I BEEPED at them!

[BeepedAtPoliceCar]

Long but I've tried to make it easy to read!

Tonight, I dropped DS at work and on the way back had just started moving off from a large roundabout to go straight across it. It was 7pm and the road is an A road, not a residential area.

I had noticed a police car coming down from the opposite side of the roundabout (no lights flashing) and assumed it was going straight across as it had no indicators but it turned right towards me so I had to stop.

As I moved onto the roundabout after it passed me. I beeped. A short tap to say where the hell are you going. I had also had to stop. I was moving when I beeped. This is important.

I assumed it was going to take the same exit as me but it It then continued round the roundabout again. Still no indication. So I did another short beep. The direction he was going in was to our local police station about 2 minutes down the road.

Yes it was in frustration as there are many idiots who don't indicate in my area and I've had many near misses. It's pretty shit the police are driving like that as well and it was also a hazard to other road users.

Maybe the driver wasn't aware his indicators weren't working?

Anyway I drive on but see in the my rear mirror a police car speeding up the road behind me, lights flashing, in the bus lane. The speed limit is 40 and I was doing that so he must have been doing 60 at least as he caught up with me in seconds.

I immediately knew he was coming after me.

The car came alongside me and the driver wound his window down, as did I, and shouted at me to pull over now, pull over now. He looked apoplectic with rage!

I pulled over in front of him in the bus lane and he drove behind me, bumper to bumper. I have never been stopped by the police before and got out of my car to go to speak to him (oops lucky it wasn't in the US!).

He's screaming get back in your car now, get back in your car now!

So I get back in and luckily had the presence of mind to start videoing on my phone as he came over. I asked for him name and badge number which he fired off so fast I couldn't catch it. He refused to repeat it. Refused to tell me which police station he was stationed at. He said I had contravened the highway code for beeping inappropriately and would be getting a penalty ticket.

I admit I was a bit argumentative (not rude) and said he only stopped me because he was pissed off I beeped at him and the police should know better.

He then said they were looking for a 'criminal' and were on police business so didn't have to indicate (no lights except when they came for me!) and they also didn't know where they were going. He also said he didn't need to indicate unless he was exiting the roundabout.

I asked him why if he was looking for a criminal, he decided to go after someone who beeped at him for not indicating.

He said I was stationery when I beeped so that is a road traffic contravention. I was moving so I asked him why he was lying. He then stated he'd need to do drug and alcohol tests.

I asked if he was joking and what basis did he have to suspect I was driving under the influence. He said because my behaviour - beeping at him - was 'bizarre' and I was driving dangerously, then asked if I was refusing? So I had to do them. They were clear obviously.

I said I would be making a complaint as I believed he was abusing his power because he was pissed off I beeped at him and 'how dare he bully members of the public'.

He then said MOVE NOW because I was in an active lane (bus lane where he forced me to stop) and if I didn't move now I'd get another ticket for failing to comply with an instruction from a police officer. I said 'who do you think you're talking to'.

I was very WTF and asked him to repeat the law I had broken and told him to give me the ticket so I could challenge it in court, so he said he did and I would get it in the post.

Two tickets - £130 and 3 points.

I then drove off. He didn't come behind me so I can only assume he went back round the next roundabout in the direction of the police station and the looking for a criminal was rubbish. In fact he said it so sarcastically, I think he meant looking for someone to book!

I have video of most of the interaction and he comes across very bullish and rude, especially when he was shouting at me to 'move now'. Literally no more than a minute until I did but he still said he had given me a ticket.

I did tell him I was putting the video on TikTok and would be making a complaint.
Quite shocked about this, and on reading about challenging the tickets in court, it seems that you can end up with a criminal conviction if you lose!

The lie about me being stationery when I beeped (which I have on video) should be easily disproven by their dashcam. Would they have to give me this if I challenge it?

Sadly I don't have my own. I ordered one ages ago, kept forgetting to set it up and it was on top of the bookcase at home!

WIBU?

Sorry should read “you called him out”

You were very foolish to beep at the police, and twice! 😂. Yes you were irritated but in your place I’d have muttered some profanity to myself and then just carried on as normal. You did yourself no favours there.

Why don’t they believe you? Haven’t they met any men before? They hate being challenged and especially by a woman!

Because you were provoking a reaction and drawing attention to yourself. Picking an argument with someone who has the power to arrest you is foolish.

everyone knows when police are around you keep your head down, you don't seem very street smart.

Matters not.
You don’t need to be stationary to commit the offence

OP
Do you beep at all drivers who don’t indicate on roundabouts??

just wondering

Yes, I agree and most police forces, including the ones in Europe are armed.

That is as may be.
You are not the authority for admonishing him.
If you were, beeping would not be the way to do it.

Everyone should fear the police. They are every day people with exceptional powers to cause a whole lot of shit in your life. Because they are every day people, you get all sorts of people doing the job, nice people, wonderful humans and complete absolute arseholes, women haters, and the type that would beat their wives. And because you don’t know what type of person the police person is when you encounter them, you should be very very nice to them as they have powers that you don’t to arrest you, charge you and turn your life upside down if they choose to. They also like to stick together, so just don’t piss them off.

OK, now you sound unhinged calling this poster “hysterical”. You’re clearly loving the attention.

I mean, really he wasted his own time didn’t he? What would have happened if he had just ignored something as mundane as someone beeping their horn at 7pm in a taxed, MOT’d and insured car at 7pm? Not much really. He could have just gone about his day tbh which is really what you would expect from a police officer, level headedness, prioritising crime etc.

Well, no grounds for testing other than the fact that it tends to require drugs or alcohol for most people to be complete wankers both when driving and then even more of a wanker when the police officer has pulled them over.

They have a collar number.

Didn't you just post this -

Section 6 of RTA 1988
if moving traffic offence committed - which beeping a horn is one - then breathalyser can be requested. Even if alcohol not smelt

Make your mind up!

Can you not beep when stationary?! I have before once when I thought someone was about to reverse into me

This was her post -

What the hell? Please tell me this AI nonsense will stop soon. OP, if this is genuine then please stay off the roads, you do not have the right temperament to be behind the wheel of a piece of machinery that could kill someone.

She thinks because I beeped my horn, I could kill someone.

If that's not hysterical, I don't know what is.

Just make sure you don't do it to a cop. Reversing into you or not!

Just don’t. Don’t you realise that they’re all twitchy with this chicken idiocy going on?! Law abiding citizens are meant to be on their side not honking their horns at them in annoyance. The horn is only meant to be used as a danger warning! Give your head a wobble, don’t waste anyone’s time on it, or you’ll make an even bigger tit of yourself.

I think that’s fine. You can beep for immediate danger of a collision.

She doesn’t think just because you beeped your horn you could kill someone, but you know that really. You are very argumentative. I’m not surprised the police officer was annoyed with you.

Obvs the copper was out of order but come on, trying to reprimand him was never going to end well was it?!

Yes. This is very sensible advice. Most people already know this.

Seems like OP doesn't know this but hopefully she will learn one day.

oh yawn, we get it, you filmed it. You have it on video, blah, blah. You’ll post it on PrickTok, then you can really show them who’s boss, eh? That’ll teach them, those pesky police officers pulling you over for your entitled driver horn honking act of bravery. 🙄

Deliberately winding up a copper with all that's going on lately, it's not a good look (imo).
Shoulda gone home & written a strongly worded letter!!

I think you may have misread my post. The bit in bold is a quote from another poster. My comment on what I think about the ‘attitude test’ is below that. I’m agreeing with you, op!