Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Benet

This morning around 9am, while I was sitting in snarled up traffic between J21A and J22 on the M25 (St. Albans area) a blue Peugeot 508 came up in between the inside lane and next lane, weaving in and out like a motorbike. I thought it was dangerous driving. But people were giving way because it had the assymetically flashing headlights, and blue lamps from inside, that we instinctively associate with the police. I didn't see the word 'Police' though, and don't the unmarked police cars have an internal police sign? And anyway, surely a police driver would have used the hard shoulder? The reg no. I think was MI65 CUA (not quite sure about the 'I') Are doctors allowed to have blue lights in their cars, and if so, don't they have any training on the safest way to get through the traffic??

I wonder if anyone else has seen this car or one like it?

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Avant

M165 CUA would be too old to be a 508: ML or MT perhaps? Either way that's a Manchester registration, so their police shouldn't be weaving in out of traffic on the M25.

Could be a doctor or a hospital car delivering something urgent.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - gordonbennet

All sorts of official and unusual vehicles running round incognito, i doubt anyone unofficial would be daft enough to fit blue lights to their private car and use them on the road.

Could be anyone from Fire Chief to protection officers.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - RT

Unmarked vehicles need no other lights than the blue flashing ones.

It could be any one of these:-

Emergency Vehicle Definition

An emergency vehicle is classed as a vehicle used:

  • for police purposes (but not necessarily a police vehicle, e.g. search and rescue)
  • for fire brigade purposes (but not necessarily a fire brigade vehicle)
  • for ambulance purposes (but not necessarily an ambulance vehicle, e.g. cave rescue)
  • as an ambulance for moving sick, injured or disabled people
  • by a specialist company for fire salvage work
  • by the Forestry Commission for fire fighting
  • by local councils for fire fighting
  • for bomb disposal
  • for nuclear accidents
  • by the RAF mountain rescue
  • by the National Blood Service
  • by HM Coastguard
  • for mine rescue
  • by the RNLI for launching lifeboats
  • for moving around human organs
  • by Revenue and Customs for serious crime
  • for mountain rescue purposes
  • by the military special forces (e.g. The SAS) for a national security emergency
Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Benet

A very comprehensive list- It seems to include most of the public sector! I wonder if they all have the right training.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - RT

A very comprehensive list- It seems to include most of the public sector! I wonder if they all have the right training.

There's a difference in the training requirement to drive vehicles with blue lights only - and those with blues and twos (blue lights and two-tone horns).

Some police cars only have blue lights, with no two-tone, for use by beat bobbies and PCSOs.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Benet

Yes, it would have been MT or ML

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Bromptonaut

M165 CUA would be too old to be a 508: ML or MT perhaps? Either way that's a Manchester registration, so their police shouldn't be weaving in out of traffic on the M25.

I don't think, given the use of leasing and cross-force procurement, too many conclusions can be drawn from the car's 'port of registry'. Half the Mercs in the UK and a similar proportion of VW/Audi wear the K prefix of northants/bucks/beds. Reason presumably is that both companies are quartered in Milton Keynes area.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Ethan Edwards

Avant - How old would you say MI 65 CUA is?

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Avant

Ethan, if the second letter were an I, it would be a fake, as I isn't used. If it was M 165 CUA it would be 1994-95, the era of the Peugeot 405.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Benet

Ethan, if the second letter were an I, it would be a fake, as I isn't used. If it was M 165 CUA it would be 1994-95, the era of the Peugeot 405.

I wish I could remember it exactly but I think MT165 CUA was the one. It was definitely a new car

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - bathtub tom

Are doctors allowed to have blue lights in their cars?

ISTR they're allowed to have a green light with a sort of wavy, vertical serpent symbol on it.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - slkfanboy

Doctors are green

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - Gibbo_Wirral

It could have been MT65 CUA (most likely), or it could have been an old "cherished" plate out on a new car.

Peugeot 5008 on M25 today - Who gets to have the blue lights? - craig-pd130

Many years ago, my older sister's boyfriend had an ex-police Norton Commando (this tells older readers exactly how many years I'm going back ...).

When he bought it, it still had the white fairing and supplemental flashing lights mounted on the crashbars, with the wiring and switches intact -- all that had been done to 'civilianise' the bike was removal of the panniers, radio gear and siren.

He was going to get it resprayed but decided not to, as he found that car drivers were miraculously getting out of his way wherever he went. He did confess to using the flashing lights once or twice in anger :-)