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?

There is no excuse for a police car without emergency lights on, not to obey the rules of the road.

I mean hats off to you OP.
I would rather tangle with most known criminals than the police.

Is the general consensus then, that the police can pull over people and fine them for being indignant that they beep at them for driving without due care and attention, and the public should be afraid of interactions with them?

I would hope not. Very dangerous attitude.

Exactly.

US comedian Chris Rock did a sketch years ago called 'How not to get your ass kicked by the police.' I recommend OP watches it.

Yes, the general consensus is that they can pull you over and fine you because you committed two offences in quick succession by using your horn inappropriately. It is not legal to use it as a means of communicating your irritation to another road user.

You then failed the attitude test badly when stopped, so any chance of them giving you a ticking off and letting you go on your way vanished in an instant.

TBF I've never posted anything on TikTok but I've seen a few videos come up with them acting badly just recently so I certainly didn't create the situation for content! I know people with big followings though and it will be posted. Just have to figure out how to edit out me giving my name and address!

Just out of interest, op, are you a celeb, or someone with some ‘status’? You certainly have the chutzpah for it!

There were no instructions before I got out of the car, other than this red faced angry man shouting 'Pull over, pull over'. I was quite shocked by his demeanour.

It's not like they had a valid reason to race up behind me, lights flashing and I immediately knew he had done it because he was pissed off with my beep. I just though I'd get out of the car and go ask him what his problem was.

There were 2 of them in the car. The other one in the passenger seat didn't get out.

Height of stupidity,beeping twice at a police car! Putting it on Tik Tok will give a few people a good laugh though I suppose.

You sound rather naive and daft.

You then failed the attitude test badly when stopped, so any chance of them giving you a ticking off and letting you go on your way vanished in an instant.

See, this is where it becomes really dangerous. So you can’t disagree with the police - you have to be totally compliant, even when they might be wrong? Slippery slope…

Who actually beeps at a police car going about its business. Show them the respect they deserve for goodness sake. They trump you on the road. Sound your horn when an arsehole cuts you up but beeping miffed at a police car is the most mind boggling act of fuckwittery

No the 2nd 'offence' was for not moving off quickly enough when he shouted at me to 'MOVE NOW'. He'd already told me I was getting a ticket for 'not complying' but I was asking him to explain how he could issue a ticket when he'd only just told me to move.

If we all beeped at cars who didn’t signal at roundabouts the UK would be like wacky races. Do you do this a lot?

This sounds like a case of two egos clashing. The policeman sounds like an utter bellend, but you obviously wound him up by beeping.

I personally don’t think I’d have beeped, but mainly because I’ve seen far too many videos of absolutely twattish police officers doing things like this.

Unfortunately the police now seem to want to keep us all in check, and be cross at us if we dare to be offended or annoyed. I’ve seen lots of videos where they make up what you should/shoudn’t be doing and don’t seem to know the law. I remember once years ago in the days of tomtom loosing signal and I didn’t know where I was and pulled over on double yellows and when I looked up a police car had pulled up in front of me. I was practically crying by this point! He asked me if I was ok. Can’t imagine that would happen now.

You brought a lot of this drama on yourself

😆

So dumb, so entitled, and so argumentative.

RESPECT 😂

I used to have a lot of respect for the police. I'm pretty old school.

Absolutely zero now.

Why would anyone respect the police for trying to use intimidation, abusing their power and lying to someone's face, because they drove badly and got beeped at!!

the Highway Code clearly states that use of the horn is to indicate other drivers of your presence only. Is that how you were using it OP?

He wasn't "pissed off" with your beep. He was pulling you over because your beeps were breaking the law. That was their valid reason.

And then you thought you ask "what his problem was"?! Bloody hell, OP. When you're in a hole...

I wound him up?

So the police can abuse their power if they get 'wound up'?

OK.

Yep, warning the police car there were other road users on the road and as per the Highway Code, he should indicate where he was going.

Police are generally low IQ, power hungry scum. Avoid them at all costs. I’d complain but can’t see it coming to much.

why shouldn’t we come to the attention of the police, if we have done nothing wrong ? It’s a democracy.

He gave you a badge number?

Almost as if you were actually the police.

Crumbs, you're a wind-up merchant.