What would you do?

1. 83

   Lily Roseposted 13 years ago

   Okay, you're driving on a freeway in a light rain with some traffic, but not too much. The speed limit is 70 mph and you're doing about 72 mph in the "fast" lane when you see a police car coming a bit fast behind you - no lights on.  Do you immediately get out of that lane to let the police car speed past you or do you maintain the speed limit and stay where you are?

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   1. 60

      Mr-Yo LVposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'd remain the same speed or move to the next lane to let the cop car pass.  Most of the time they are checking your license plate when they come up fast behind you.

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      1. 83

         Lily Roseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Oh, no - she came up fast behind me on her way to go wherever she was going, then got right up on my tail to try and intimidate me into moving over. Seriously, I'm sure she could not have possibly been able to even see my license plate as close as she was to me!

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      2. 73

         Reality Bytesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         No need to "run plates" anymore, Law enforcement has a tool that automatically runs plates.
         
         
         http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com … ight-crime

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2. 70

   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   Since I rather have police in front of me, so I know where they are, instead of behind, which requires me to constantly check my rearview mirror more often than I would regularly...I would move aside and let him/her pass me.

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3. 78

   Aficionadaposted 13 years ago

   I normally get out of the lane as soon as it is convenient, to allow the official vehicle to pass, even if it's not using flashing lights.  But I don't rush to do so, unless the lights are flashing.
   
   So, I guess my immediate reaction is that I would stay where I am, until the lane to the right is absolutely clear.
   
   Is this based on an actual event?

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4. 83

   Lily Roseposted 13 years ago

   The way I see it, I have every right to be driving in the "fast" (far left) lane at 72mph and I have no obligation to get out of the way of a speeding police car - UNLESS - that police car's lights and/or siren are on indicating he/she is either pulling me over or going by me en route to an emergency.
   
   If that cop is not heading to an emergency then he/she should be obeying the speed limit like the rest of us, not RIDING MY ASS (literally!) for over a mile before turning on lights & sirens causing me to move over and then turning off the lights and sirens after passing me by, right??
   
   Most other days I probably would have just gotten out of the way, but sometimes I just get perterbed with authority and their "intimidation" and feeling of entitlement to break the law!

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   1. 78

      Aficionadaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      Oh, how I can relate!
      
      I also sometimes feel that if I get out of their way too quickly, it is sort of like a tacit admission that I was doing something wrong!
      
      I think a whole lot of my reaction depends on the details of the specific circumstance, including what the traffic is like immediately around me.  If it is light enough for me to move over quickly, then it is also light enough for the cop to move over quickly, if it is a situation when they don't want to use lights or sirens which might alert some bad guy a little further down the road. - But in situations like that, I've had an officer blink their high-beam lights as a silent request for me to move over.

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      1. 83

         Lily Roseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I hear ya! The traffic was definitely light enough for she (or I for that matter) to easily move over.  Had she flashed me as she was approaching from behind I would have been courteous and moved over, but the way she rode my tail on the rain-slicked road (dangerous!) really pissed me off so I was not in a courteous state of mind at that point - when she turned on her lights I was almost wishing that she was pulling me over because I wanted to argue - okay debate - this one out!  Oh, well...

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   2. 0

      klarawieckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Dunkin' donuts had a 2 for 1 special!

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      1. 83

         Lily Roseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         LOL!

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5. 83

   Lily Roseposted 13 years ago

   @ Cagsil - oh, I didn't need to look in my rear view mirror at all because SHE was riding my ass so close that she was practically in my back seat!
   
   @ Aficionada - yes, as I imagine you've figured out by my last comment.  I felt the need to get opinions because I called my husband after this happened (he's in law enforcement!) to tell him and he thought I was wrong. He argued that I don't know that the cop wasn't going to an emergency somewhere and my arguement is "then she should have had her lights on or I have no obligation to move!"  ...he and I are not talking right now!

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6. 62

   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   Oh...   I missed the part about no-lights-on.  I was thinking this thread was a kind of driving-safety type question.
   
   No lights?  No.  I wouldn't get out of the passing lane just because a police car (with no lights) was in back of me.  I'm not one to stay in the passing too long anyway, though, so it wouldn't be long before I was in the next lane over.  I like having as many lane-options as possible.  I feel too pinned in the passing lane. 

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   1. 70

      platinumOwl4posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have had this happen to me, my first thought is what the.... then I wait to see what is  on their mind. I think the police are increasingly becoming the sanctioned gangsters.

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7. 43

   Mikeydoesposted 13 years ago

   If you were doing that in the left lane my Uncle would flip a lid!! Haha.
   
   If I could get around you by just going in the right lane I would just pass you. IF you were holding up traffic, that's different, you could cause accidents!

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   1. 83

      Lily Roseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Mikey - I take it your uncle is a cop? 
      
      Yes, she could easily have gone around me on the right, but I guess since the law technically states that you must pass on the left, not right, she didn't want to break the law .... oh, wait, but the tailgating and speeding were against the law, too! ;-)  I definitely wasn't holding up any traffic - just her!

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8. 83

   K9keystrokesposted 13 years ago

   On occasion even a cop has to flex his/her badge muscles. She was probably just having one of those days. It is a real ego boost to watch drivers try to accommodate you when you are in a cruiser; some officers have a real problem with this, even receiving reprimand because a citizen has reported the situation. She was way out of line for the tailgating, but moving to the right is always best no matter how much of a brat an officer may be at the time (remember she has the ticket-book).
   Sounds very frustrating.

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   1. 83

      Lily Roseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, but I would have enjoyed defending THAT ticket in court!

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9. 77

   mega1posted 13 years ago

   There's several explanations for why a cop would do that,
   
   if your vehicle looked like one they were searching for, she might have been running a check on you (which can take awhile)
   
   or she might have been checking to see whether you were going to exceed the speed limit
   
   or she might have been trying to let you see that you were going a little slow for the fast lane (even though it was the speed limit)
   
   maybe you looked like someone she'd had a run in with before and it was a case of mistaken identity (which I would bet is what was happening, she thought she knew who you were and was waiting for you to make a wrong move) 
   
   like maybe she'd seem someone in a car like yours using a cellphone while driving?  Or maybe it looked like that was what you were doing
   
   maybe other explanations too.  Sounds like she was definitely warning you about something
   
   I always get out of the cops way, carefully, signaling and moving over.  I don't want them following me and if they aren't really following me then they won't follow into the other lane.  I have occasionally gotten frightened by a cop unneccesarily and then angry at them because I was upset - all not even the cop's fault, so I'd probably side with your husband on this one.

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10. 83

    Lily Roseposted 13 years ago

    None of the above.
    
    It was extremely obvious that she was not after me or even suspecting me of anything - I saw her coming up fast from a ways back and there were cars between her and I (who did move out of her way) - it's hard to explain, but it was obvious that she was simply speeding to wherever she was going and I just got in her way. Riding my ass was her way of telling me to move over and let her through but I don't respond well to intimidation, at least not yesterday!
    
    She wasn't warning me, just trying to get me out of her way so she could continue on speeding to wherever - that's all - THAT I am 100% positive of.
    
    By the way, talking on a cell phone while driving is not illegal here.  Also, I drive a minivan! ;-)

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