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?

People just love making stuff up here.

I had no logical reason to think they would pursue me at high speed with lights flashing, no. I pretty much assumed they were in a WTF way but I might have been wrong and considering I was on an A road with no stopping, the other lane was a restricted bus lane, there were no exits so I nowhere to stop until I got to the next roundabout, where was I supposed to pull over? They caught up with me just before the next roundabout.

They came up in the bus lane. Maybe they had found their criminal?

I'm wondering why she hasn't shared it already?

Can you even share videos on MN?

Not that I'm going to. You can wait until it goes viral.

Right. Maybe you can't. Could you not give a link?
Perhaps let us know when it goes viral.

I think we have much more of a problem when people don't take the police seriously and treat them with contempt. That way lies lawlessness.

If you think that was a high-speed chase, you've got another think coming.

They brought it on themselves.

The police don't go out for a burglary but will chase a woman for beeping at them!

Shocking!

Burglary ‘decriminalised’ across London as break-ins go unsolved | The Standard

"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."

So according to your first post he came towards you, you stopped, he passed you, you started to move onto the roundabout and then you beeped.

But according to this post:
"I didn't beep at him the first time after he had passed, he was coming towards me."

So which is it?

most people modify their driving to be on absolute best behaviour when they see a police car.

the op went in a completely different direction and is surprised that she got pulled over 🤣🤣 even then if a police car is behind you most slow down in the hope they go past lol

im not making comment on the police's actions as I suspect the op has over egged the interaction. However , there are means and ways to deal with these situations- choosing to escalate the situation at the time just was plain stupid in multiple ways.

OP has a friend who knows someone with a big following on TikTok, who do you think you're calling silly?!

Did you put that in your complaint too?

What a massive waste of resources you have caused throughout this whole thing.

Last time I am posting on this thread as OP will not accept she IBU.
A moving traffic offence is one whilst a vehicle is in motion or in a live traffic stream.
so whether or not you were moving makes little difference.
hence why they are allowed to also ask for a drug/alcohol test.
if they believed that a vehicle was being driven by someone who might be under the influence this would take precedence to searching for a criminal.

However, you seem incapable of understanding that beeping is an offence, which set of the train of events you describe.

as I have kindly provided the legal knowledge you lack, am bowing out

One way to make a video go viral is sharing it on social media, such as online forums.

If only there was a very popular forum where the incident has already gained some traction.

According the Highway Code, the onus is on you OP. You have a responsibility to be aware that other road users may not be signalling correctly and then to drive safely accordingly, not to beep angrily at them. It’s you that has breached the Highway Code.

Rule 185 When reaching the roundabout you should
give priority to traffic approaching from your right, unless directed otherwise by signs, road markings or traffic lights

check whether road markings allow you to enter the roundabout without giving way. If so, proceed, but still look to the right before joining

watch out for all other road users already on the roundabout; be aware they may not be signalling correctly or at all

look forward before moving off to make sure traffic in front has moved off.

This gets better.OP thinks the video will go viral! Totally deluded and doolally.She cannot even accept she was in the wrong with the beeping!

I am almost certain you are supposed to stay in your car with your hands visible and wait for instructions from the police officer.

Instead you started approaching their car after beeping aggressively twice for no apparent reason, I can see quite clearly how the officers would feel threatened in these circumstances and though you were impaired because it’s such strange behaviour!

@BeepedAtPoliceCar I think you should set up your own YouTube account filming through the day. I bet this incident with the police is not the only argument you've had lately.

Somehow I don't think that she will. She still hasn't accepted that it was an innappropriate use of the device.

I would subscribe to this!

60 or 75. Moveable feasts never impress me.

How do you think the police would catch up with you if you they drove the same speed as you? You should have just apologised for misusing your horn and got on with your day instead of giving attitude.

My ex got pulled with me in the car for driving through a red light. He had actually passed the light but was stuck because of a box junction and exit being blocked, as the lights changed there was space and we moved off as the other lane was changing to green but in time not to be in the way. The police car was a few cars back, all he saw was lights changing and us moving. He just apologised, was asked for his licence then had a think type telling off and we went on our way. No ticket.

Like I said earlier she isn't a reliable witness.

If it's like the force where I worked an inspector will look at it during the Sunday afternoon quiet time. He/she will either phone her or pop in to see her if out and about. Sympathise with tilted head, reassure her it will be dealt with but obviously cant let her know the outcome. Go back to the station and file it in the appropriate receptacle.

It's gone to the IOPC too so I don't think so.

Fabrication of an offence is not something they can refuse to investigate.