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Yep Chad, my 3.0 MV6 has a similar effect. Also the headlight pattern must be recognisable as people often slow and move over as I approach. Just as well, as I'm often going quicker than they are :-)
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Dark blue or black Skoda Octavia on the M1 in Northamptonshire.
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Couple of dark blue V70s with lots of aerials in S Yorks: as seen on "Car Wars." There's also a new liveried 5 series: didn't see what sort (other side of the road, doing about 90 (him, not me!))
O
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I ride a Honda Hornet motorcyle with an aftermarket half fairing and unusual 'projector' headlamp design.
It looks nothing like a Plod machine. In daylight.
At night, if I stick my fluorescent Sam Browne on, and of course have the head light on, it's different. Cars don't so much move over as leap out of the way!
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A colleague in a Mazda 323 V6 seriously hassled a car on the Marlow bypass that refused to go any faster, and just sat in the outside lane.
Flash, flash.
Zoom up behind.
Drop back.
Flash, flash,
Repeat.
After a while, the Police Stop sign popped up in the back window, and something else nearly popped out of the rear end of my colleague.
Thankfully for him, the sign then went back down, and Plain Clothes Plod carried on.
Same colleague got nicked for speeding in Sweden two years ago.
140KPH when the motorway limit is 110 KPH. Having no Kroner, Swedish Plod confiscated his passport, and then asked him to follow them to a cash machine. Yes, they did give an official receipt.
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Spotted a W Reg Black / Dark Blue Saab 9000 / 9.5 on the M9 today, pulled some guy in his Golf. Flashing lights in grill and integrated into car's lights.
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Mrs No Dosh was driving home this evening, outside lane, keeping a safe distance from the plodder in front who was overtaking a truck on the Dual Cringeway at the required 0.75mph speed differential.
Goldf TDi tears up behind her, within feet of rear bumper, and starts weaving back and forth, gesticulating for her to get out the way. No point really, with a sluggardly scenic and a sloth-like scania acting as a mobile roadblock.
Said scenic stays in outside lane after the truck, whilst Mrs ND floors her Laguna, leaving twit in Golf behind, before dropping back into left lane. Mr Impatient gathers himself and roars past, gesticulating at all and sundry before repeating the weaving and tailgating with the scenic.
60 seconds later, an Omega tears past..... and promptly flickers into life as it catches the chump in the Golf. Dorset Police helicopter hoves into view, having shadowed said Uber Driver for a while, it would seem.
Mrs ND was pleased to report that she slowed as she past the somewhat sheepish numpty on the hard shoulder, beeped her horn and gave Monsieur Le Flic a nice big thumbs up. Smiles all round from El Ploddo.
Moral of this story? Cars? Forget trying to spot the unmarked ones. If you are daft enough to speed between Dorchester and Poole, you had better have a sky-view mirror.
For those not familiar with the area, the chopper is based at Winfrith, near Dorchester, but spends most of its time in Bournemouth and Poole. En-route to calls they have nothing better to do than watch for nutters who intimidate other motorists. They don't seem overly bothered with speed, per se, but poor driving REALLY gets their attention.
Dorset
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Never though too much about unmarked police cars, until I was going for lunch with a couple of friends to the Black Bull near those Golf Ball radar things.
A white van half parked on the grass verge. It looked to have one of those extended height roofs, where you have the doors then a kind of another section on top with what could be windows if they weren't made out of metal.
In actual fact, when we were closer we noticed that the top section was a little trapdoor/flap and sticking out were two speed cameras and 200 yds up up the road and around a bend was the police. Not impressed at all. Still in a car with irish plates and license - ticking off and the potential for a fine. (An english licnse works well in ireland too - fine only).
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In actual fact, when we were closer we noticed that the top section was a little trapdoor/flap and sticking out were two speed cameras and 200 yds up up the road and around a bend was the police. Not impressed at all.
I am impressed because it was very probably an Auto Number Plate Recognition van. Seen them many times in the Heathrow /A3 area.
There have been other postings on this.
Not specifically after speeders but you are stopped if no MoT or Insurance or Tax is found on the computer databases. Surprise surprise other query items are often come to light once a vehicle is stopped.
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Another waste of money!
I'm not convinced of the value of Police helicopters - even air ambulances, I'm not sure are the best way to help accident victims.
If it were this simple, surely the accountants that run our emergency services could work this sum....
£££££££££££££ to operate helicopters = minimum prevention of ANY cime, motoring or otherwise.
£££££ instead, to run MARKED Police vehicles, if you see the car, you don't speed, or go about any illeagal activities, should you be that way inclined.
Therefore, we can either save ££££, or have more mobile officers!!
VB
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A helicopter can "patrol" a much larger area in the same time with the same manpower, can respond much quicker and more directly, and can also be used more easily for searching or pursuing. But it should be just another tool of the trade, not replacing mobile units.
The Air Ambulance has been discussed before, and IMHO generally carries out an extremely valuable service. IIRC it's cost was only 2 or three times the cost of sending a road ambulance to a call but it gives the patient a much greater chance of recovery.
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Manchester now has two police helicopters, and they both seem to be constantly hovering over my house, just 1/2 mile from Moss Side ;-)
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Britain is full of unmarked police cars - hopefully the occupants will help to put some of the more manic drivers around off the roads for some time to come.
The simple answer to maximum road safety, dramatic reduction in accidents and less burden on the NHS is for every driver to explicity follow the guidance of the Highway Code....
Unfortunately too many change personalities when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
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