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Can Police Speed Without Lights?


javadude
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I pulled onto the Northampton ring-road last night with a police car behind (volvo estate). I was doing 70mph and the police car just took off past me doing at least 90mph with no lights or siren. Is that allowed? I thought they needed lights and/or sirens? :blink:

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Law for one and another for everyone else I guess. Whose going to chase them down, stop them and question them?

On a similar note, I never understand why police cars who are actually trying to get to an emergency try to fight their way through traffic using their horn as their indication of presence but still leave their blue lights and siren off!!

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I pulled onto the Northampton ring-road last night with a police car behind (volvo estate). I was doing 70mph and the police car just took off past me doing at least 90mph with no lights or siren. Is that allowed? I thought they needed lights and/or sirens? :blink:

Was probably hoping you'd be up for a race :shifty:

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The police don't have to put on any blue lights, or sirens to drive fast mate.

Police drivers, are highly trained in response and pursuit driving, and are only have to put on the blue lights / sirens when they need them to aid there progress through traffic.

In the case of the volvo, he/she was either wanting to get to a call without being noticed, or was trying to catch up with a car in the distance, without alerting the car he wanted to stop.

Hope that helps answer your question .....

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Law for one and another for everyone else I guess. Whose going to chase them down, stop them and question them?

On a similar note, I never understand why police cars who are actually trying to get to an emergency try to fight their way through traffic using their horn as their indication of presence but still leave their blue lights and siren off!!

In answer to your question ........

When a police car pulls up behind a very long / big row of traffic, and there is no way for them to make any more progress ... it is "advised" they just turn off the blue lights and two tones, as usually what happens is .. that all the traffic up front, pannic, and just jump out into a traffic junction, going through a red light causing an accident.

Hope that answers your one ......

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In the case of the volvo, he/she was either wanting to get to a call without being noticed, or was trying to catch up with a car in the distance, without alerting the car he wanted to stop.

or was late getting home :P

Colin,

This was the case many years ago ..... however all police cars are now fitted with an IDR (black box)

This box is read at the end of every tour of duty, so any usage of blue lights / sirens must be justified with a call / stop.

:tomato:

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When a police car pulls up behind a very long / big row of traffic, and there is no way for them to make any more progress ... it is "advised" they just turn off the blue lights and two tones, as usually what happens is .. that all the traffic up front, pannic, and just jump out into a traffic junction, going through a red light causing an accident.

Hope that answers your one ......

Ta Scarface - I guess it does answer it. From a member of public view (and someone who actually has a lot of respect for the boys in blue), I've watched police cars struggle through traffic with no lights (traffic police always have lights on, its usually the smaller cars used by everyday cops) and thought that when they are speeding, surely its got to be safer to have lights and sirens going. But as you say, I guess they are judging the urgency of the call as to the need for the sirens/lights.

Or a more critical person could say that the IDR box you mention is being misused and they are getting through traffic without using their sirens/lights (not a view I'm saying I hold, just saying that could be seen as what happens).

As I say, I support the police in everyway, if I wasn't in IT, I'd have definately taken up a role in the police force.

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In the case of the volvo, he/she was either wanting to get to a call without being noticed, or was trying to catch up with a car in the distance, without alerting the car he wanted to stop.

or was late getting home :P

Colin,

This was the case many years ago ..... however all police cars are now fitted with an IDR (black box)

This box is read at the end of every tour of duty, so any usage of blue lights / sirens must be justified with a call / stop.

:tomato:

the boxes must be defective for the cars based in camborne then......... i see them all the time flying past easily doing 90mph and then taking the turning for the depot

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  • 2 weeks later...

Point of Law

The police are there to uphold the not break it,

No emergency service is allowed to break the speed limit, drive on the wrong side of road, jump red light's etc etc

We all know they do it, if they didn't they would never get to where they going.

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