Todays run in with Rozzers ...

[nb_racing]

Reminds me a little of a video being discussed on Pistonheads.

[YOUTUBE HD]icopwLTYII4[/YOUTUBE HD]

Majority opinion over there is the van did not do a great deal wrong, and the Focus tried to close the gap while knowing the van was going that way... Thoughts?

The van always had his nose in front. He should have indicated out of courtesy, but then the police car clearly accelerates into a gap that is about to disappear...? If he'd not accelerated unnecessarily, there would not have been a problem.
Also the van clearly gives the cyclist a safe gap too.
My guess is jumped up young 20 something copper playing the big "I AM". Just my opinion.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Police should have given way but the van should have indicated. Police should know better...

I don't know the legal situation but failing to indicate was a big boo-boo.

 

[whitenemesis]

I don't know the legal situation but failing to indicate was a big boo-boo.

Particularly with a police van following!!

 

[AMGeed]

Perhaps if the OP had politely informed the police officer why he had thought it necessary to use his horn things may have evolved differently. Certainly never advisable to argue with an officer of the law, let alone swear at him....

Whilst no great lover of the police and their application of the law I agree with the above. Why wind up the police by swearing at them? What did it achieve apart from delaying you whilst your car was given the once over?

 

[John Jones Jr]

GPD's (General Police Drivers) one day course and they think they are a pursuit driver. Van did nothing wrong, positioned to go straight ahead, arrow indicates traffic from left moving across to right, van moves to right, nothing on his right so no need to indicate. Focus driver is an ass tries to close the gap realizes he cant and backs off. Shocking display of poor driving from someone who should know better

Hard to disagree but do you not think that the van should have indicated, if he should have, surely he's only asking plod to pull him?

 

[ItalianTuneUp]

First thing to note - I drive a SWB transit (the Pikeys favorite mode of transport) and I am pulled on a regular basis and everytime its just so the Coppers can have a shufty in the back and I always take it in good grace and often end up having a bit of banter with the cops, the reason for being pulled is always the same "spate of burglaries in the area" etc etc and it really is no bother.

But today this copper was literally 10 yards from the cyclist when he gave me the finger and cannot have missed that the cyclist had jumped a red light. The copper from the outset was arrogant with me from the first word that came out of his mouth. Was obviously in a strop due to having to stand in rain I should imagine.

Simple fact of the matter is he knew he was in the wrong because otherwise he would have arrested me - its not the first time this has happened to me (check my previous posts !)

I feel your frustration with all of this, and I think I would have been irritated too.

If I had been calm, I would have spoken politely to the PC and apologized for sounding the horn 'excessively'. Then he's seen I have a deferential attitude towards him and the situation that occurred.

Then I would have said that perhaps my understanding is incorrect, and ask him to remind me and clarify what the Highway Code says on the subject. When he repeats it...he might start to cool and realise that you're not so stupid...inspector Columbo style

 

[sjmaxwell]

I always indicate when merging; cant be accused with driving with undue care and attention (if that still exists!) but clearly the van was ahead of the Police car and they closed the gap on purpose - wonder what the officer said though?

 

[John Jones Jr]

Particularly with a police van following!!

Being candid, I've no sympathy for white van man.

 

[balge]

usually much better to be polite to Police and contrite too ..

And whatever you do don't mention the fact they are public servants and are supposed to be polite and respectable to the citizenry who pay their wages...

 

[poormansporsche]

I feel your frustration with all of this, and I think I would have been irritated too.

If I had been calm, I would have spoken politely to the PC and apologized for sounding the horn 'excessively'. Then he's seen I have a deferential attitude towards him and the situation that occurred.

Been there done that, toadied to the jumped up little hitlers but not in this case.


The thing that irks me more than anything is that I didnt sound the horn excessively whatsoever, its was not a grey area matter - it was a short toot not done in anger. The copper was a ****

 

[John Jones Jr]

I just looked at that video again, am I right in thinking the cyclist was an obstruction to the van as it accelerated and the margins left were minimal for the van to avoid the cyclist and pull out to the other lane?

 

[John]

In the van clip - agree with the majority. Van should really have indicated to merge in out of courtesy but it looks like as soon as the Focus spotted the potential van pull-in they accelerated to stop it happening and failed.

I got pulled last night after some spirited driving. They said they were following another car at first but heard me initially and then struggled to catch me... I wasn't travelling that fast but often sound is equated to speed in my experience.

My head is not in the right place at the moment which I did convey and to their credit they were really nice chaps in an unmarked Mitsubishi Warrior or similar.

I treat cops how I would want to be treated and the cop who actually 'stopped' me understood my situation and they said they didn't have the video to do anything anyway but advised me to be more careful. Their comments about Traffic, which I won't divulge any details on, weren't complimentary at all...

I do understand losing patience with them though - I once got pulled probably 12 years ago for weaving on a road. The road was covered in potholes so I suggested to the officer he might do better not moving into CID. Jumped up dkcihead.

 

[John]

I just looked at that video again, am I right in thinking the cyclist was an obstruction to the van as it accelerated and the margins left were minimal for the van to avoid the cyclist and pull out to the other lane?

It looks that way. I suppose you could argue the van could have waited for the cop car to pass but may have mis-judged the manoeuvre...

We don't know the guy in the van wasn't on his mobile - could have been pulled for that?

 

[John Jones Jr]

I suggested to the officer he might do better not moving into CID. Jumped up dkcihead.

Ha, ha.

 

[nb_racing]

We don't know the guy in the van wasn't on his mobile - could have been pulled for that?

That is a fair point.
And we only know what we see.
The van could have been driving like an idiot for several miles, bilkin, TWOC, burglary, speeding, mobile phone etc.

 

[GLK]

I'm just glad I have front and rear dashcams ...

 

[flango]

Hard to disagree but do you not think that the van should have indicated, if he should have, surely he's only asking plod to pull him?

Its a hard one no real right or wrong IMHO, based on the traffic around him a courteous indication might have been helpful. However legally there is no need for the van driver to indicate, the driver of the focus should have expected the van to move across (this is taught on the one day GPD course) from the driving positions they could both see quite clearly the left lane merged so I think the focus driver was just being an ass. It's a bit like the Advanced class 1 driver course when you overtake another vehicle you do not indicate to pull back in, its taken as a given the other driver you have overtaken expects you to do that. Would I have indicated? its a bit hard to say without being in the drivers seat but if I looked down my offside and it was clear with the Focus definitely behind me probably not. In that situation I think my mind would be on negotiating the hazard that was the cyclist and the Focus behind me did not represent a hazard so I would have dismissed it.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Yeah, it's an interesting one alright especially that there's no legal requirement for the van to indicate.

 

[meeeb]

I recall reading another thread involving 'poormansporche' in which, if my memory serves me correctly, he acknowledged having a bad attitude toward the police and was regularly 'pulled'. My impression then, and it remains, was that because of his behaviour, in the widest sense of the word, he is targeted by them. I think that he further acknowledged that he is his own worst enemy in that regard, and I suspect that there may be more to the current incident than meets the eye.

As for the video. I can't understand why when stationary the police car wasn't closer to the vehicle directly in front of it. The gap was an invitation to the van driver and should have been closed by the police car before anyone started to move. The police vehicle was slow off the mark, perhaps intentionally, but again an invitation to the van driver to fill the gap? Again I suspect that there's more to this than is evident in the video. For example maybe the officers were hanging back because they could see the van driver, via his door mirror, using a mobile?

Whatever, the driving of the police vehicle could not be described as defensive!

A lot of conclusion jumping in the thread though.

 

[artyman]

The van was clear ahead of the police car at all times, which should have dropped in behind it. discourteous driving IMHO. I would have phoned the van company and offered them the video footage.