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?

Seems like bad attitude all round. Police car driving badly. You beeping at Police to tell them off. Police car stopping you and being rude to you. You being rude to them.

The attitude of the police to you was exceptionally poor, though. It was totally unnecessary to be agitated with you. It escalated the situation and police are supposed to deescalate. Police are supposed to be calm in stressful situations, it's a necessary skill to evaluate situations properly, communicate effectively, etc. It's their job.

But it wasn't unreasonable of them to pull you over. You did brake the law and were aggressive to another driver. A police officer's got to be thinking - if the driver will do that to a police car, what on earth are they like to other drivers?

Words of advice seem reasonable, going straight to a ticket seems like overkill for the situation initially, but also words of advice have to be accepted. If they're not and it's a crime (albeit a traffic violation, not a criminal record type of crime) then the normal step is to give a ticket. How can words of advice be a reasonable way of dealing with it if the recipient is defiant and doesn't accept that she shouldn't have done it?

But although that's reasonable, it's totally undermined by the officer being angry and the unreasonable threat of a ticket for being in the bus lane and not moving off that very second when he'd pulled you over into it was ridiculous.

I'd be a bit careful about relying on AI for your complaint OP. It is makes things up. One thing I noticed in your post above was the claim "as his vehicle was unlit and silent, there are no legal exemptions from standard traffic laws." police don't get an exemption from traffic laws because of the lights and sirens. There is no requirement they use them. The exemption is based on operational need. Police frequently don't use lights and sirens when they are trying to be more stealthy (like find a criminal, though I share your skepticism that that's what they were really doing). Nevertheless, I think you're right to put in a complaint. That officer sounds like he shouldn't be in the force.

Yes.

I won’t ask!

I think it sounds like you both over reacted. He definitely should not have been aggressive but it also sounds lole
your tone/ attitude wasn’t great either. The mention of sharing the video on TikTok is annoying too!

I understand why you beeped once but the second beep seemed more because you were annoyed than anything else which isn’t why you should beep a horn.

Did he back down on the ticket and you ask why he was backing down or have I misread this?

It sounds like he had his back up but you also had yours up so you both made this progress into something more. I agree his behaviour was wrong and you should report the manner in which he was speaking to you but also feel like this whole thing could have been avoided.

And I won’t tell. A formal complaint was upheld and I received compensation.

Well I guess lessons learnt.

Ok

No lessons whatsoever learnt by the OP!

You're crazy for beeping a police car. I would avoid any interaction with the police, mostly sexist bullies so it'll never end well.

I cannot STAND people who beep at others just to tell them off. It makes the roads less safe for everyone. When I'm on my bike it often startles me and throws me off course as I don't know whether they are honking at me. The fact that you felt entitled to do this twice as a police officer says all I need to know about what kind of a driver you are.

YWBVVVU. You deserve the tickets and points.

Having said that the police officer also sounds like he was being wildly unreasonable.

Never go to Italy

In a month where 2 police officers have lost their lives due to stupid people antagonising them and filming it for tiktok, I think your words and actions were foolish at best and demonstrate a complete lack of awareness and a dangerous level of arrogance at worst.

She committed an offence and it was witnessed by two police officers. I don't think any challenge is going to go her way...

The police can, and do, pull people over for minor motoring offences. "But officer, everyone does it" is not a defence.

You both sound as bad as each other.

Absolutely this 💯

Yes! You don’t beep at a police car….you just don’t!

I know. Why would you even do that?
Apart from anything else, we all know that you sound your horn as a warning, not a rebuke.

Unfortunately a lot of police are like this, angry bullies in a uniform. You shouldn't have beeped, but he should have indicated. You could pursue a complaint, but not sure you'll get anywhere.

You were acting erratically and without self-control, they had good reason to consider you could be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

You are in the wrong and I’m glad you have been told.

I don't think OP did know that...

Two tickets £130 and 3 points

what are the tickets for?

A horn is to warn of your presence, not a tool for showing you're pissed off at someone. You sound like an arse all the way through the post.

Make a complaint. I’ve no idea what the rules are about beeping in such circumstances, but we don’t live in a police state. If we put up with erratic behaviour like this then we will.