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?

@BeepedAtPoliceCar By all means put this on TikTok but you'll end up looking like an idiot.

Two misuses of the horn then arguing with a police officer.

Your behaviour was bizarre so it is not surprising you got a drugs/alcohol test.

Had you just apologised for your mistake then you might have just got a warning, but I'm pretty sure that you ended up with points and a fine due to your arrogant behaviour.

The police car was just traveling normally, no lights and entered the roundabout from the opposite entrance. Because it had no indicator on, OP assumed it was going straight on and would exit before crossing her entry and she started to pull away, however the police car stayed on the roundabout and cut off OP's entry to RA. She beeped the horn. I think OP was going to take first exit and assumed that she would be following police car off the roundabout but it continued around and she beeped again. After exiting she looked back the see the police car, now with its blue lights etc flashing. First beep seems normal reaction, I don't know why she was annoyed that it stayed on the roundabout and beeped again presumably as she was exiting.

Please don’t use AI to write your complaint.
AI has a tendency to massively hallucinate legislation and say stuff is wrong and illegal when it isn’t. Use it to draft the bulk if you wish but it is feeding off your input so double check extremely carefully any legislation or codes of practise or you’ll look rather silly.

I work in a related sector and see this ALL the time.

I can’t be bothered to get involved in the rest.

You seriously beeped at a police car!!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️
I mean come on!! Surely you knew that wasn’t going to end well!! And then to make matters worse you were argumentative with him!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️ You’re lucky he didn’t arrest you!!!! At least you’ve given us all a good laugh on this bank holiday morning!! 🤣

My favourite bit was when she said "who do you think you're talking to?" when he asked her to leave the bus lane!
Unbelievable.

This. ^

🤣 I know, I just can’t believe the… well not sure if it’s stupidly? Entitlement?

God, don’t send an AI complaint!
AI butters you up and flatters negative events.
See a solicitor if you want to lodge a complaint about police behaviour but I don’t think you will get away with your second beeb unfortunately.

Can this be moved to classics?!

😂

This isn't deserving of a Classic - more like a bloody car-crash.

Delusional

But when was the last time you heard of anyone being pulled over and fined for beeping their horn at another road user? You have to think deeper about what this means. Separate how you feel about OP and her actions from what this officer did. He was angry that someone challenged his driving and didn’t immediately bow down to him and went over the top. Officers don’t usually put their lights on, pull perils over and fine them for these things. It shows a lack of control on his part and I think OP might have stumbled upon one of the bad apples.

This is excellent. Please post the video!

My interpretation is that you assumed they were going straight on because of no indication (don't do that), so likely looked like you were about to pull out in front of them before braking and beeping at them to tell them off (don't do that), which is why they decided to go round and follow you rather than turn off in front of you. You then beeped AGAIN in frustration (don't do that) and based on all of that odd behaviour they pulled you over. You stopped in a business lane, then GOT OUT (don't do that) and can't understand why they were shouting at you to get back in your car. You whipped out your phone to start filming, got mouthy (likely rude), stayed and argued some more after they told you to move. I'm not suggesting the police are unchallengeable but you weren't exactly coming from a place of total innocence in all this...

And I'd strongly recommend sense-checking what AI gave you before doing anything with it 🫣

Indeed - and its these bad apples that then gives all Police a bad name.

Beeping at a Police car for driving without signalling in ordinary circumstances that the OP describes was necessary, even if it may be deemed a "crime".

Police are not immune or exempt from road use criticism if they drive badly - well done on the OP for calling it out and challenging that unhinged copper.

Dashcams are invaluable for instances like this to showcase and report those bad apple officers.

Oh dear OP…what an absolute idiot! You were not in any danger…why beep…TWICE!! Ffs 🤦‍♀️

I think that it’s quite worrying that people overwhelmingly believe that the police are to be obeyed at all costs, don’t make eye contact, don’t challenge them etc. Pull over when asked to, be spoken to like dirt and just be meek and mild and accept everything as gospel. I was once pulled over for driving too slowly and he spoke to me like crap. It was an unlit road in an unfamiliar area with no other cars for miles (except him) totally unnecessary, car was taxed, MOT’d, insured etc. no drugs or alcohol check so really he just wanted to tell me off for something that technically he was allowed to do but come on! How often do they usually do it? All my experiences with police officers have been negative actually.

Since when does the Highway Code say ‘please beep your horn to criticise other peoples road use’. 🤦‍♀️

Good. Police shouldn’t be treated that way. Hope your brother learned a lesson

Scary for you.

Sadly, reminds me of Sarah Everard circumstances and her life being snatched away at the hands of a corrupt officer.

@Cla7 The OP beeped to notify/warn the Police car - as is allowed under the Highway Code. OP was moving already but had to stop because of the other car that failed to signal - its in the first post.

Quite. What horrible behaviour.

Ah Meghan is that you?

I think this is all about how you deal with a situation. The OP obviously thought it was ok to chastise an officer, film them on tiktok, engage in an argument and threaten actions.
I always wonder about people who are rude and confrontational with teachers, shop staff, waiters etc.
This isn't about challenging the nature of policing; that's a red herring. It's about oppositional defiance,, imo.

I think most of the people replying to this thread think you deserve what has happened..At the very least.. Maybe you should try and get some self control before getting into a car again.

I’m not sure I agree with other posters that you were wrong to beep (although probably unwise to been a police car!) because from the description of the event it sounds like you were cut up by the police car unexpectedly travelling across your lane with no indication, so you in theory were using your horn whilst moving to warn the driver of your presence which is exactly what the Highway Code says you can use your horn for.