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?

Wtf you beeped at police HAHAHA why not flip them off while you're at it. Sorry that is so funny.

It isn’t strange. He knew what she meant. The physical location of his number is irrelevant.

I think OP, that he pulled you over because you were acting suspiciously, because no one beeps at the police twice, that in itself is enough to warrant further investigation from them, a quick google explains where you went wrong:
The Law and the Highway Code

• Rule 112: According to the The Highway Code, you must only sound your horn while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence or immediate danger. 1, 2]
• Prohibited Uses: You cannot use your horn aggressively, while stationary, or to show annoyance at another driver, including a police officer. 1, 2]
• Time Restrictions: You must not sound your horn in a built-up area between 11:30 PM and 7:00 AM unless an emergency danger arises. 1]

Risks of Beeping at Police

• Fines and Penalties: Misusing your horn is a legal offense. Doing so out of anger or frustration can lead to a fixed penalty notice or a public order fine. 1, 2, 3]
• Escalation: Even if a brief beep to prevent an accident might be defensible, beeping at police out of impatience often results in officers pulling you over to question your actions or issue a warning. 1, 2]

i don’t think you have a leg to stand on tbh.

No. I am saying - as you should know, being the excellent driver you say you are - that beeping the way you did is not the proper use of a car horn, and is against the highway code.

Wanting to argue the toss about it with a police force member who pulls you up on this is insane behaviour, and doubling down on your crazy self-righteous argumentative attitude on this thread is nuts.

Enjoy your day in court. I expect you will argue with the judge.

This Thread has a mix of opinions but it’s clear the policeman has a huge ego problem and you do not deserve to have two tickets issued! I’d go to the local police station and complain tomorrow (or after the BH)

We only had to indicate on a roundabout starting at the exit before the one we would use. ,so by my lessons, and my Highway Code at the time, he was correct

Even more dumbassery getting out of the car. Common sense is not strong with this one.

I think it was definitely the double beep after reading more into it, they are trained in things like when to spot someone who is acting strangely and double beeping a police officer is unhinged enough for them to warrant further investigation into who is driving and why they are acting outside of normal social boundaries, Ie knowing not to beep twice at the police.
When Might They Choose to Pull You Over?
Under Section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a police officer in uniform has the absolute power to stop any vehicle for any reason. They are highly likely to use this power if: 1]

• Aggression: The beeping is accompanied by tailgating, dangerous driving, or hand gestures.
• Suspicion of Impairment: Aggressive horn use can signal to an officer that a driver is experiencing road rage or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Availability: The officer is on a routine traffic patrol with no other immediate tasks, meaning they have the time to stop you and issue a fixed penalty notice. 1, 2, 3]

I don't believe her narrative at all. She wrote it to make herself look better and still came across as dreadful. I would imagine if we were able to watch the incident opinions would be different.

could you not have just waited for him to go past on the roundabout and then move off? I wouldn’t beep at anyone not indicating on a roundabout or my hand would never be off the horn!
I did use my horn once at the police trying to flag them down urgently and that seemed ok with them (also flashed my lights)

Six of one and half a dozen of another comes to mind!Beeping twice at a police car is ridiculous to put it mildly. But he certainly tried to intimidate you. Don't bother complaining. They will ignore you and you will get upset.

No way would l accept that fine or the points.
.i wouldn’t have pulled over either if I could see he was male.
I would have kept driving -heading either towards my home /nearest police station (whichever was closer) and would have phoned 999 to tell them what I was doing.( My DD (19) is under strict instruction to do this. )
l suspect if you had done that you wouldn’t have a ticket.
I also suspect if you were a man it wouldn’t have happened either.

He sounds like a prick - the type who wonder why the public have very little trust in them. Such a pity they don’t put as much effort into actually catching criminals rather than women who dent their ego.
I would go into the headquarters of the force he represents on Tuesday morning with my phone, ask to see someone in authority and lodge a complaint.

I live just outside the jurisdiction of the Cleveland constabulary and feel very supportive of the police atm but I could not in all honesty accept a ticket for two short beeps of the horn.

And murderers and rapists.. Poor Sarah E x ps. Can't believe you beeped twice though lol 🤣

Like I said, he sounds rude and intimidating, but you surely can see that you aggravated him? You said he didn’t signal, he’s saying you used your horn inappropriately. Potato / Poh-tart-toh Unfortunately he has the power to issue tickets and you don’t. So…

What were you hoping your beeping would achieve? That he would instantly reprimand himself and never do it again?

That man may have just told someone their child had died in an accident, he may have just administered CPR, he may have just done a 10 hour shift and was keen to get back to the station. Who knows he may just be a really shit driver. Either way it’s not for members of the public to be assessors of his signalling skills.

He may have initially pulled you over as he thought you were in danger, to then be informed that you just think he should have signalled.

I beeped at a police car once because I thought my friend was driving it. We were stopped at red lights on a huge cross roads, as the police officer turned to see who beeped I could see it wasn’t my friend. She undid her window and asked if I was ok. I said ‘I’m fine. I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else’. She laughed. Bet she wouldn’t have been so friendly if I said ‘Oi you didn’t signal when changing lanes back then’.

You told him off with your horn, he told you off with a fine and some points. Seems fair.

Exactly. Indignant, shaming toot, toot!

Hope it was worth it.

We are almost 300 miles from Middlesborough, where the terrible incident with the policers being killed happened, so not sure what relevance that has to me beeping my horn at the police for their bad driving has anyway.

The poster who mentioned AI has done me a massive favour actually.

I only use it fact check stuff posted on X normally because it's useful in compiling information from across the web rather than from a single source.

I put in all that happened and it's made me a very comprehensive complaint to send to the police force.

I thought the refusal to state base station and repeat name and number after he reeled it off at 100 miles an hour was not right, and it's apparently against PACE and Standards of Professional behaviour.

He gave no verbal Notice of Prosecution for the Traffic Offence of failure to comply with a traffic officers directions and he wasn't directing traffic anyway. We were in an empty bus lane and the other officer remained sitting in the police car. The offence requires an officer to be 'actively engaged in the regulation of traffic on a road' so it constitutes an abuse of authority and is legally void.

It also said his admission that he didn't know where he was going and was trying to 'find a criminal' (he states this twice in the video) indicates his split attention meets the legal threshold for driving without due care and attention and as his vehicle was unlit and silent, there are no legal exemptions from standard traffic laws. As he admitted not indicating and I was moving off, there was reasonable grounds to alert a distracted driver to the presence of other cars on the road.

I don't believe he was looking for a criminal though, he was just saying that as if he was doing important police work (which he ditched to try to pursue me!). The police will know if he was out on a call though so that will be further evidence of him lying.

I am requesting all bodycam footage etc and requesting the penalties be cancelled and the evidence be reviewed by Professional Standards.

They have a month to respond. I will come back to update.

Feel better now. Off to bed.

You beeped at a police officer twice, then threatened them with TikTok?! 🤣🤣🤣

Well that was a very long (and subsequent) post OP to demonstrate stupidity.

Oh, you're double-tripling down. This will go well for you.

Just admit you shouldn't have beeped your horn in these circumstances, and go to bed.

@BeepedAtPoliceCar were the drug and drink tests negative or positive??

It is best not to piss off some people as it can be more trouble than it is worth. Police and immigration officials are on my list of people l am polite to regardless of their behaviour.

This is the funniest thread I've read all week!
I can't stop laughing out loud.
OP you are crazy! Who beeps at the police?

This really isn’t the flex you seem to think it is. Congrats on making yourself look weird as fuck 🙃

You misused your horn and have been fined.
You cannot use your horn to "pull people up on bad driving"