Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I've got a few questions that maybe some of you could answer...

I'm one of those annoying "good drivers" who piss people off by driving according to the law, as in stopping at stop signs and going the speed limit.

I hate that I'm a traffic hazard just by being lawful, with people passing me all the time in double-line areas, tailgating me, and honking and charging me for actually coming to a stop at a stop sign/light. I shouldn't have to pull over or (alternately) speed up to let them own the road by being stupid. What would be the best thing for me to do if they're tailgating - speed up or maintain? What if I DID speed just to make myself no longer a hazard (due to the people behind me, not counting the threat I become by speeding) and a cop pulled one of us over...would it be ME pulled over or the person tailing me since they'd be going even faster otherwise?

Another unrelated question: I plan to get my old Toyota Supra fixed up like new again, and that includes new paint and trim. I want reflective striping to outline my big side-stripe; is that legal?

I also wonder why cop cars seem to be above the law when it comes to doing slow-through-passes at stop-intersections and speeding in general...are they allowed, are they usually doing that for stealth pursuits, or are they just as guilty as any other civilian?

For the record, I live in northeast TN in an area where the driver test is a JOKE and people are just really stupid drivers. Any insight on how to be a safer (if not legal) driver would be appreciated.

I wish people would be more careful, since road laws are generally there for good reasons. I also wish I knew what to do if one day a cop were to pull me over for simply trying to NOT be a traffic hazard but breaking the speed limit in doing so.

What would be the best thing for me to do if they're tailgating - speed up or maintain? Maintain obeyance of Traffic Ordinances.



What if I DID speed just to make myself no longer a hazard (due to the people behind me, not counting the threat I become by speeding) and a cop pulled one of us over...would it be ME pulled over or the person tailing me since they'd be going even faster otherwise?If you sped up and pulled away, then you would be pulled for speeding since they aren't tailgaiting anymore. Maintain the legal speed.



I want reflective striping to outline my big side-stripe; is that legal?Yes, at least in NC. I'm sure you could most places.



I also wonder why cop cars seem to be above the law when it comes to doing slow-through-passes at stop-intersections and speeding in general...are they allowed, are they usually doing that for stealth pursuits, or are they just as guilty as any other civilian?Felt like I was buttered up by the first questions, to get to your real inquiry.... Oh well, I'll answer anyway.

Police are exempt from Traffic Law when in the performance of their duty. As long as it is done in a safe and prudent manner that does not endanger lives or property.

Thanks for the quick response. :)

No, I wasn't buttering-up...just some honest questions. It's just disconcerting seeing a cop roll through a 4-way stop making a left-hand turn, with no seeming reason other than that particular cop's own convenience.

And I do feel bullied and like I'm thus dangerous on the road, especially when my driving style tempts speeders to pass in very dangerous places (little 2-lane semi-rural backroads).

One thing that another thread made me remember (I'm full of years of questions and finally found a forum with people answering honest traffic-related questions)...if I have a cellphone with me while I'm driving and I'm at a place where using it would be safe, would police want me to report someone driving in a VERY suspicious manner? For instance, a while back, at a very busy intersection, a SUV sped through a red light turning left (the light had been red for some time) and thankfully nobody was coming from the other direction. There were a few other cars stopped at the intersection, though. This SUV then made an immediate right into a bank's parking lot (well visible from the intersection). They then went on down the road in the direction I was heading, and apparently they had gotten caught. I'm not sure what all they did, why they did manage to get caught, but I didn't call since I didn't know what to do. I'm glad they did get caught, though.

Sometimes I wish I either had an "honorary good driver reporting license" to call in reports of really bad drivers...or maybe I could find a label-gun that would shoot accusatory labels onto their cars. ;)

I'm at a place where using it would be safe, would police want me to report someone driving in a VERY suspicious manner?You'd want to check with your local PD. Each agency has their own prorities, whether it be traffic, drug work or Community Policing. Though it never hurts to call in things you notice illegal, they may not be prioritized in the manner that you wish them to be.

Have you ever considered anti-anxiety medication?

Just a thought....

I don't see how that's relevant.

I'm just concerned that being legal and being safe are two different things here, and what I should do for it...aside from not drive at all (which isn't an option) or to pull off into the grass every few minutes to let the tailgaters pass. We're not talking about little bumper cars at the fair here.

Just follow the Law. Speeding up may seem to be antagonizing to them. Not a lot you can do about *** drivers. If you feel you need to pull off of the road to make yourself feel safer, than by all means do it.

With the pulling over, I'd have to do it many times over into grass...which I think is ridiculous for someone just needing to get somewhere safely...in a manner that's supposedly proper. :confused:

It might eventually "encourage" a wreck one of these days because I get passed like that very often on two particular roads that have reasonably posted 30mph zones. I KNOW the car I'm currently driving actually reads slightly "slow" (so I'm technically speeding a little if it's reading the "correct" speed unless those speed flashers aren't right)...so I'm not going under the speed limit like this incidence of double-lane passing would make one think.

It's just that the people never see any kind of enforcement there, and many like the feel of speed too much to worry about the hazards of speeding in low-visibility residential areas: curves and hills. My parents live in a valley below one of the curves, and we've seen too many "accidents" from people going 50-60 along these roads, taking out our trees and pasture fence, and one utility pole has a remarkable history of hits and a "drive-through." One look at the guard rail along the worst part of that curve is a good indicator too. :p Too bad there's no place on either of those roads for a cop to park and check these people until it's too late and they drive down someone's gravel driveway to assess the damage.

Okay, you're worrying about this too much.

Just do what you are supposed to do, and be done with doing what you think may need to be done. Doing what you did, or what you think you should do, doesn't make them do what they did anymore than they did it before you do what you think you should do; or should have done did, or whatever.... Dude.

Sorry for that, just years of frustration over it and finally finding a place to ask questions.

And meanwhile I've been reading the forums in more detail. Seems I'm not the only one who's mentioned how bass-ackwards northeast Tennessee driving is! The driver tests (and DMV in general) are a total joke, and people have serious road aggression/road-hogging here. The written test is a random series of somewhat irrelevant, obscure stuff, two or three questions I remember were not covered in the little manual (which we don't get to keep, by the way). The actual driving test is...pull out of the little parking lot, turn left onto a little half-dead residential road, stop, turn right, stop, turn right, stop, turn right onto the ONLY "busy" road nearby, then park again, straight in. There's no traffic light, nothing above 30mph, and no parallel parking...just one little block of quiet half-dead roads and one tiny section of the busy one. At least I did manage to get a halfway decent driver's education course and had my parents teach me some too, but even that didn't cover everything.

The once-rural areas are now sprawling with cramped subdivisions where rich road-hogs live, and the roadways are hardly keeping up with the boom. And that's not counting the stupidity that comes with the denser parts of the city where the roads and intersections are seriously mis-planned. Most of the "little artery" residential roads are 30mph (not 25 like apparently in most other cities, and people don't event want to drive "that slowly")...it's a mess. If I didn't love this area so much (it's quite lovely in northeast TN) and have so many great friends and family (and my husband FINALLY landed a job in this awful city), I'd move quite readily out of my home town. But then, I'd just move to another country entirely. ;)

....ok

If you want to conserve gas, please dont do it in the left lane.

Common sense will tell you that the left lane is usually the EXPRESS LANE.

The reason for most accidents is usually because the "slow ones" will ultimately pull into a lane meant for "fast ones".

Do you ever look into your rear view mirror and see if you caused traffic behind you? Although you may not have bad intentions and probably are driving 65mph on the dot, others behind you may not appreciate that you are holding them up.

I recently witnessed a van rear-end an F150 and turned the truck on its side. :eek: The gomer driving was I believe speeding, and definitely not paying attention, because the other driver I saw had their signal on way down the road about 300 or 400 feet before the turn.

The sooner you realize that bad drivers are going to be bad drivers and you just need to drive defensively ( at least the limit) , you'll be fine. What you describe goes on in EVERY state and COUNTRY. The US does not hold the monopoly on idiot drivers.

Keep in mind you can't teach anyone else how to drive. As much as you shouldn't HAVE to pull over and let others pass do you want to piss off someone with anger management problems and an itchy trigger finger just for the principle of driving at the speed limit? If you are in only one lane for the direction you are travelling and some ape is behind you honking and having a stroke and you can find a safe place to pull over, do it. He'll be gone ahead of you and your problem is solved.

If you are on a two lane section and are using the passing lane to teach others to drive the speed limit you are the source of your own problems. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Let them suffer the consequences of their driving, you don't need to cause a traffic jam for ego.

Keep in mind it is not always tactically sound for police to go to calls with lights and sirens --it just alerts everyone we are coming and we may not want them to know. We may have a priority call that dictates a stealthy but quick response. TV has conditioned the public to believe that we respond to all calls with lights and sirens and that isn't true.

The reason for most accidents is usually because the "slow ones" will ultimately pull into a lane meant for "fast ones".

Well that's the biggest load of **** I think I've ever seen :mad:

There is something inherently wrong with one who believes the one obeying the Law is at fault for the accident involving one who doesn't.

I'm not out to "teach" anyone (but it would be nice if I could ;)), and I'm not an "aggressively slow driver" or someone who goes 5mph under the limit with other traffic around (THAT is extremely hazardous here). I don't intentionally piss people off.

I stay in the right lane of multi-lane traffic unless there is plenty of room to move over for people merging in (I hate all the tight blind cloverleafs around here and in central KY) or if something has happened along the right shoulder/lane, or of course if there just happens to be someone going even slower than I am.

I've been doing about 5mph over in places where the major tailgating occurs (yes I do frequently see that I've still got a tail of about 5-7 drivers who simply can't stand going THAT SLOW) as it does seem to be the safest compromise between law and idiots. The only time I intentionally speed beyond that is if I am passing someone on the highway and they or other passers are making me nervous (usually with a sleepy trucker barely keeping in the lane)...and then I slow back down to about the speed limit after I have passed and made safe distance between us. I'd rather get ticketed than sideswiped/rear-ended by one of those or alternatively be rapidly heading into a wreck they caused. It's another reason why I love these nimble little Supras so much...they MOVE when I need them to.

I did get pulled over for an awkward "not really a U-turn" once and got let go, partly because I think the officer saw that I had no history, driving a red turbo Supra. :p

I am sure you bought a red Supra Turbo to motor along at within 5 mph of the limit etc ?? If you drive as sedately as you claim, a Corolla would get you their with better mileage and cheaper insurance, BUT it sure wouldn't be as FAST.

*LOL* "Just smugly resting assured that I COULD go faster."

No, these cars are simply fun and reliable to drive, turbo or no. Speed isn't the only reason I love them. The handling and comfort factor in, among other things. My own car is pre-stock-turbo era. The ones I'm borrowing from my dad while it's in the slow process of restoration...those are the newer ones (but still back in the late '80s) with stock turbo...the bodies are heavier, and the boost helps.

Corollas are nice, but they aren't as pretty, and I'd have to buy a new-ish one to know I'm getting a safe and reliable car. They do come in one of the prettiest colors ever, that mystic teal mica. If I get a "family car" for any reason, it would be one. I might have to make some odd modifications to equal the comfort I feel in a Supra though.

Another thing is that buying an old used Supra is far cheaper if we needed to, and my dad specializes in repairing these cars. It's also fun to see another Supra driver on the road and have that bond; most of the ones around here are friends of mine already (either through Dad or by bringing friends into the Supra crowd). But I am guessing my city has one of the higher ratios of nice-looking good-condition older Supras on the roads. ;)

If you are on a two lane section and are using the passing lane to teach others to drive the speed limit you are the source of your own problems. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Let them suffer the consequences of their driving, you don't need to cause a traffic jam for ego.
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This is exactly what I was implying.... umm... BEARCAT.


:eek:

Well that's the biggest load of **** I think I've ever seen :mad:


Im talking about going down a 4 lane highway, and the ones going oh lets say 35mph on the highway will cut into the "express lane". Lots of cars on the road are not that great from 65-35mph braking ON THE DIEM.

Does that make sense to you?

I truly believe those who are severly under the speed limit creates a hazard on the road. As well as traffic congestion.

Personally, I drive next to the "express lane" as I am not one for road ragers and rarely ever go 5+mph over the speed limit in my little 4cylinder junk box.

The reason for most accidents is usually because the "slow ones" will ultimately pull into a lane meant for "fast ones"..
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Im talking about going down a 4 lane highway, and the ones going oh lets say 35mph on the highway will cut into the "express lane". Lots of cars on the road are not that great from 65-35mph braking ON THE DIEM

In your original post you gave this as the reason for "most" accidents, not presented as opinion but as a statement of fact - this is (as previously stated) complete ****. Out of interest how many accidents have you investigated?

Those people who drive "severely" under the speed limit may well present a hazard and in most cases there is laws that can deal with them.

Oh and out of interest did you mean "diem" (day) or dime?

Oh and out of interest did you mean "diem" (day) or dime?

Carpe diem!

Hutch

Common sense will tell you that the left lane is usually the EXPRESS LANE.

The reason for most accidents is usually because the "slow ones" will ultimately pull into a lane meant for "fast ones".



I am going to have to correct you on this. The left lane is the PASSING LANE, not the "fast lane." While nothing pisses me off more than someone doing 60 on a 65 in the passing lane, the lane is there so you can pass the other vehicles, then get back over into the other lanes. It isn't for those who are late for work and need to drive 75+ I do share my frustrations with people in the passing lane who are stuck behind someone doing 5-10 under.


No, I wasn't buttering-up...just some honest questions. It's just disconcerting seeing a cop roll through a 4-way stop making a left-hand turn, with no seeming reason other than that particular cop's own convenience.

To what convenience are you refering to?
What if the officer is going to a call requiring a prompt response, but not requiring lights and sirens? Running through a stop may be an inconvenience to you, but a fast response time is more important that inconveniencing you.

In your original post you gave this as the reason for "most" accidents, not presented as opinion but as a statement of fact - this is (as previously stated) complete ****. Out of interest how many accidents have you investigated?

Those people who drive "severely" under the speed limit may well present a hazard and in most cases there is laws that can deal with them.

Oh and out of interest did you mean "diem" (day) or dime?



LOL sorry it was a typo, meant to type DIME.

I know in the midwest and south there are considered passing lanes, here they are considered "express".

I should have stated that a lot of accidents happend from which I have personally seen in front of my eyes happened from someone jumping into the express lane while going severely under the speed limit.

I had to have seen this more than several times.

Sorry, I have a real hard time speaking on the internet, lol. It was deffff not meant to be a fact, as it is definantly not a fact.

;)

Those people who drive "severely" under the speed limit may well present a hazard and in most cases there is laws that can deal with them.

When was the last time any LEO that posts here pulled over someone for going too slow? :D

If more people practiced "lane courtesy" traffic would flow much more smoothly.

When was the last time any LEO that posts here pulled over someone for going too slow? :D

I have made many stops on vehicles traveling excessively under the limit, and more than not, they turn out to be DUI.

That cop in that example MAY have been in a "stealth hurry"...but it still did irk me, as I see that kind of thing a lot around here and wonder what kind of things other less-lawful people think they should be allowed to do, when "the law" isn't doing what "the law" says we must do. Although I don't judge the cops' ability in their jobs, it unsettles me to see most of the ones around here usually seeming to speed or take those "shortcuts." It happens, to my perception, more often than not. I guess mostly I see them as role models and reinforcers of sorts and wonder why they wouldn't behave as such more to the public (with the teenagers around here especially). But it does make some sense in that they all ARE more skillfully trained than 99.99% of the drivers around here and can more sharply discern driving conditions.

I get the feeling a LOT of people in here would be rather annoyed seeing me on the road, cruising along at speed limit in a car they know can go faster. At least if you're in my company along a multi-lane road, that shouldn't be a problem...unless you see that double-lane merging into one ahead. ;)

I do want to take my little '85 when it's restored to the local "Tuesday night drag races." I know it'll get beaten by souped-up and newer cars, but I might still embarrass a few telling them they should have done better against an unmodified 20-year-old car.

I get the feeling a LOT of people in here would be rather annoyed seeing me on the road, cruising along at speed limit in a car they know can go faster. At least if you're in my company along a multi-lane road, that shouldn't be a problem...unless you see that double-lane merging into one ahead. ;)

Unless you are given the authority to violate traffic code responding to calls then yes you will get flak for that.

I think it's safe to say probably every police department in the country tends to be understaffed for its call load. Which means calls tend to stack up and hold. You clear one call and you're on your way to the next. If you aren't you are probably trying to get paperwork done. People already complain about our response times. Chances are the cops you see are on their way somewhere and are probably trying to make up time or get somewhere without alerting everyone there that the police are coming. People hear sirens and start running. A lot of what we deal with is time sensitive. So you know what? I like doing my job and I want to do it well. I want to cover the calls in my area so my buddies don't get jammed with them. I am going to get to them as fast as I can and handle them as fast as I can.

So instead of assuming the cop is speeding to get a doughnut why don't you give him the slightest benefit of the doubt that he's trying to get to some damn call that's apparently important to someone that he be there?

We either get peckerwoods complaining we are too slow or peckerwoods complaining we are too fast.

This seems particularly apt.


A POLICE OFFICER SPEAKS


By Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia State Police

Well, Mr. Citizen, it seems you've figured me out. I seem to fit neatly into the category where you've placed me. I'm stereotyped, standardized,characterized, classified, grouped, and always typical. Unfortunately, the reverse is true. I can never figure you out.

From birth you teach your children that I'm the bogeyman, then you're shocked when they identify with my traditional enemy...the criminal!

You accuse me of coddling criminals...until I catch your kids doing wrong.

You may take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks each day, but point me out as a loafer for having one cup.

You pride yourself on your manners, but think nothing of disrupting my meals with your troubles.

You raise hell with the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you.

You know all the traffic laws...but you've never gotten a single ticket you deserve.

You shout "foul" if you observe me driving fast to a call, but raise the roof if I take more than ten seconds to respond to your complaint.

You call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but call it "Police brutality" if I strike back.

You wouldn't think of telling your dentist how to pull a tooth or your doctor how to take out an appendix, yet you are always willing to give me pointers on the law.

You talk to me in a manner that would get you a bloody nose from anyone else, but expect me to take it without batting an eye.

You yell "something's got to be done to fight crime," but you can't be bothered to get involved.

You have no use for me at all, but of course it's OK if I change a flat for your wife, deliver your child in the back of the patrol car, or perhaps save your son's life with mouth-to-mouth breathing, or work many hours overtime looking for your lost daughter.

So, Mr. Citizen, you can stand there on your soapbox, and rant and rave about the way I do my work, calling me every name in the book, but never stop to think that your property, family, or maybe even your life depends on me or one of my buddies.

Yes, Mr. Citizen, it's me...the cop!

Have you ever considered anti-anxiety medication?

Just a thought....


That's what I'm on.;) :D