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?

That was his collar number.

In your dreams.

The police officer had right if way. You have to give way to the right.

A lot of people saying OP is in the wrong because he had right of way. But she thought he was going straight on. His right indicator wasn’t on.
I’ve been driving for many years but remember my lessons, if you’re keeping going right around the roundabout you keep your right indicators on so people giving way can see that you’re coming around still.
You can’t always see the left indicator of people as they’re turning off, their positioning isn’t always good.
So he had right of way but how was she to know??

Well she did say she would put it on TikTok so you might be onto something.

So he had right of way but how was she to know??
Because the police were first into the roundabout.

So he had right of way but how was she to know??

Because he was already on the roundabout! It's not a difficult concept. And you always need to be prepared for people who haven't signalled, changed their minds, missed their turn, etc. A good driving instructor will teach you not to rely on signals, but also things like where are their wheels pointing, as that can give you a better indication of their intentions.

In the 90s I was taught to drive defensively. I was taught to never trust what another car is indicating (or not). Never pull out in front of a car because you think you know what they are going to do.

I think that's very good advice.

You can't just assume what someone will do - you need to make sure before pulling out.

she should have known they had right of way as they were on her right. Indicators are irrelevant.

I don’t think he was one of them.

Exactly as I was taught too. Never trust a signal or lack of one.

Same, to this day I don’t trust a car is turning until I see the wheels turn. Especially as there are so many drivers who drive along the road with a turn signal left on after overtaking.

My driving instructor told me to assume everyone else on the road is an idiot! It was good advice.

no you can disagree with them all you like and think what you like but it doesn’t mean you should or can beep twice at them and think they won’t want to talk to you. You can be pissed off with anyone on the road doesn’t mean you have to beep and give attitude and then post it on the internet here and TikTok and think everyone’s going to give you a pat on the back and a well done.

I wasn’t actually condoning the beeping, as the Highway Code is quite clear on appropriate use. I was questioning the you then failed the attitude test badly comment I quoted, which seems to imply that if you are meek and contrite, you will be treated better than if you stand up for yourself. People should not be afraid to speak up for themselves if they have a point to make when dealing with the police. Fair treatment shouldn’t be conditional on how subservient you are.

When you beeped him twice what did you really think was going to happen,? Sounds like you wanted a reaction and you may think you were calm and polite but from what you've written you don't sound polite at all.
It's not worth arguing with the police, it's not going to end well. As for posting it on line don't. That's just embarrassing.

Which point was that? The accusation that the policeman was a liar? The do you know who you’re talking to? The instant interrogation of name, badge number, station, all while filming him like OP was MI5 or something. She did not disagree, she was rude, confrontational and entitled.

He won’t be. Fortunately. Your complaint will be seen for what it is. Crap. Thank heavens.

Seems clear he was only giving them because I wasn't meekly accepting him telling me off.

That is NOT the way the police are supposed to work is it?

Yes. Be stroppy and confrontational towards police officer = get ticket.

Never mind what the Highway Code says about indicating. Try reading what it says about using your horn.

which could have caused an accident if I had sped off without looking properly as many of my fellow road users seem to do Did you beep because you believed he hadn’t seen you and you were concerned an accident was about to happen? Or did you beep because you thought he was driving like a twat and needed to know that? You’ve left yourself without a leg to stand on, just to make a point about someone else’s driving.

And because you decided to get all cocky, you don’t even have grounds to complain about his behaviour. I’m only surprised you didn’t tell him that your taxes paid his wages.

The attitude test presumably doesn’t apply solely to the op, though. It implies that we’re all supposed to adopt a certain ‘attitude’ with the police - compliant and obsequious. That’s what I have a problem with, because if taken too far, and people are afraid to take issue with anything a police officer says or does, it gives the bad apples carte blanche to behave exactly how they want with no constraint.

I think you are doing an awful lot of inferring. Attitude test to me simply means were you polite and cooperative. You have inferred an extreme that surely was not intended by the context.

Compliant, yes. Not obsequious. She was recording. She’d have had the evidence she needed to make a formal complaint about his behaviour. All she had to do was give him enough rope and he’d have done the rest himself. But she decided to get what she describes as argumentative and ask him who the fuck he thinks he’s talking to. Now she looks like someone who can’t control themselves or their behaviour. What senior officer or magistrate is going to take her seriously over him? She’s fucked herself over.

Totally delusional and self importantly.