Bloody Northhamton police!

[Mav_UK]

Just thought I'd drop a note of support to all those living in the northampton area (Nige, you have my sympathy).

Travelling back to the Netherlands on Saturday, at about 3pm on the A6 heading towards Desborough there is a long hill that has a crawler lane. I was using this to overtake, even keeping to the limit (long drive, plenty of time no rush), and about halfway up this hill the crawler lane dissapears for a right turn. Just after this it re-appears, and this is where my trip was very nearly very short. As the road is going around the corner at the time it's pretty blind, but it is a crawler lane for going uphill, and you shouldn't cross the line if you are going down. As I pull out this cop vectra appears, blue lights flashing, but no siren. I pull hard over, he does the same and after a bit of wobble from the suspension all is well again. Apart from my girlfriends and my hearts......

Had this have happened when I was another few yards alongside the car I was overtaking there would have either been a *big* accident with me and the cop, and I wouldn't be writing this, or there would have been a four car accident as we both hit the cars we were overtaking.

Why did this copper not have his two's on? I'd have heard and looked out, and certainly wouldn't be overtaking until I knew what where the noise was coming from. But no, just flashing lights you can't see around a corner during daylight. Bloody stupid!

Sorry, just wanted to get that off my chest!

Stu

[Networkguy]

To be fair, regardless of if the police car had his lights on, siren on or whatever, he was totally in the wrong as you describe it. I am pretty sure that if he had done the same whilst under instruction, his instructor would have slapped him.

Quite simply, when overtaking, you must be able to stop in half the distance you can see to be clear at all times. This is taken from Roadcraft and is used by all the police forces. The police driver will have had this drilled into him at some point and has probably just learnt why this rule exists.

Just out of interest, was the police car just a panda car or was it a traffic car?

[Peter Spurway]

Perhaps my "Roadcraft" is an old version.

Quote "Always drive so that you can pull up in the range of your vision whether by day or by night"

[Networkguy]

>Perhaps my "Roadcraft" is an old version.
>
>Quote "Always drive so that you can pull up in the range of
>your vision whether by day or by night"

Check the section on overtaking.

The above rule is correct EXCEPT for overtaking.

[Mav_UK]

The car was a marked Vectra, other than that I couldn't say as I was too busy trying not to hit either it, or the car on the other lane, and it was definately going!

Stu