91 replies to this topic

[JackF]

I've just turned 18, and have been driving for nearly a year now, and without wanting to jinx it, I have not been pulled over.  I dont think I really have a bad word to say about the police (or any of the emergancy services for that matter) as I think the work that they do is amazing, and sometimes we all forget what they deal with day to day.

 

I try to keep it legal, I ty my best to keep the car to the standard that is needed on the roads. I'm a full time student with a prt time job, and I use my car to travel to both of these places. If you give the police no reason to stop you, then you shouldnt get stopped.

 

Do we as young drivers need to take a step back and look at the way we drive? Then a lot of us would see why we've been pulled over/stopped/caught speeding etc. Because some of the driving I see from people my age is, lets say, not impressive.

 

Unfortunately we all get tarred with the same brush...

[Teapot]

With a great effort of memory I recall in 1966, aged 25, being pulled out of a line of traffic going up Whiteladies Road in Bristol by a police panda (Morris Minor) which whizzed all the way up the outside of the convoy till it got to me.

"What's the hurry, sonny?" said one of the two young officers.

I said I was in no more of a hurry than the rest of the cars in the line, all going at the same speed (probably 35 in a 30 zone).

Maybe they didn't like my open-top MGB.

"Well, watch it," he said.

What is "it" they always want us to watch?

The only other grumpy PC I've met was in about 1975 when a young officer told me to get the numberplate off the bonnet of the rally-prepared mini I'd borrowed and if he saw it illegally mounted again he'd report me. The mini's owners just scoffed and left it where it was.

Other than that in my younger days the few (!) policemen who stopped me had good cause and were extremely reasonable.

Nowadays I hope they'll just ignore the old man in a pickup   

 

[myredmini]

I'm 19 and been driving just over 2 years and not been pulled once yet. I drive sensibly and always keep my cars in check. But never been pulled for a "general check" neither. Maybe just lucky!

[retroracer1275]

I got pulled over in my truck not so long ago...

 

no idea why 

 

[ibrooks]

Whilst the health and safety of customers in supermarket car parks is the responsibility of supermarket management, it generally isn't the responsibility of trolley boys to enforce this, if it was they have to be paid much more than the basic minimum wage that they generally get. So I would ignore such jumped up trolley boys, as their role generally doesn't even extend to engaging with customers, let alone patrolling the car park and enforcing alleged speed limits. If they persist, I would ask them to accompany you into the supermarket to discuss the matter further with the Supermarket manager, as you don't believe that a trolley boys role extends as far as harrasing customers about their driving skills and you feel that the manager should be made aware of this behaviour, so that it can be addressed at his next appraisal/performance review!....... Then watch said trolley boy back down!

 

 

 

 

Done the job have you? - I'd suggest obviously not. Admittedly it was the best part of 20 years ago whilst I was at college but your  suggested actions at the store I worked at, with all three of the general managers that worked there whilst I did, would have earned you an earful from said manager and you would have been told get back in your car vacate the premises and don't return. H&S is a BIG issue to them and one or two lost customers who drive like pricks is far less of a loss than they would get through the bad publicity if someone were to be injured. Bear in mind that the car-park is that guy's working environment and treat him and it with a little respect and he'll get on with you just fine.

 

We had a list of taxi companies held at the customer services desk who had been told in no uncertain terms that they were not welcome and if they wanted to drop customers off then they should go to Halfords next door and let the customer walk the 50 yards and we would be happy to explain why if they complained.

 

Of course you should also bear in mind that you are quite likely to be leaving your car unattended whilst the "lowest of the low trolley guy" is the only person around so the extra scratch or dent that has appeared when you return? Sorry mate - didn't see anyone anywhere near it.

 

Iain

[GTIAlex06]

Im young (21) and drove my mini on average 12,000 miles a year over the last 3 and a half years and iv never been pulled over once.

Usually to be found driving like a bit of a *******, especially in the dead of night...and my tyres poke a bit far out the the arches.

 

Never been pulled due to me being sensible when theres people around and also im extremely paranoid about undercover police cars, especially at night. 

Also make sure my car isn't too loud and all the little things like brake lights are in check.

 

I drive on the A449 near Worcester lots and passed countless police sting operations that they run on a regular occasion on that stretch. 

[holmesy]

I always check my lights everytime I drive at night. for the sake of a quick 5 seconds its worth it

[666junky]

Ive been pulled 3 times now, once in my current mini.

The first two times I was in a rat look seicento, The first officer just wanted a look round, license check and general poke about. The second time undercover police followed me for around a mile and into a carpark.. 4 of them bundled out with big torches examining the car and giving it a good look over.. All they could tell me was to change the colour on the logbook! (It had just been painted that week)

 

The pull over in the mini was entirely my fault. Indicators weren't working and i zipped across a roundabout in the dark in front of a panda car, they followed me off and blued me. I was on my way to a party so wearing a skin tight dress and all makeup done.. they were surprised when i began to repair the faulty fuse by the side of the road myself! One of them had a good look round the car (Lets admit, its crap) and promptly told me it was **** and needed a bit of love! I couldnt fix it so they escorted me home on the blue lights.. how embarassing! Got home, fixed it and made it to the party!

[Shifty]

I've only been pulled 3 times in 20+ years of driving, and with good cause!!

 

- Mk2 Rs mexico, I was driving it around, unaware that the alarm was going off

 

- Orion Ghia, no tax or Mot(I thought It had Mot though)

 

- Jetta, driving around with no bumpers, in my defence I was on my way to get the bolts I needed to fit the new ones(the old bumpers had been stolen!!).  When I told the copper this he laughed and told me to piss off home!!

[Jayme 1275]

Im just about to turn 20 now, passed my test a month after i turned 17. i havent had any points, and would like to think im a sensible driver 80 percent of the time. 

 

Bearing in mind im from northern ireland and we have to display our r plates for a year showing we have only passed . 

for a majority of the almost 3 years ive drove my mums megane which is just a standard car. only drive my mini in the summer for aslong as i can afford to insure it generally 3 months 

 

My first week driving i got stopped 3 times at checkpoints, the 3rd time i asked why to which i got a rather smart mouthed officer reply " see them we r's in the windscreen mate they are cop magnets you'l learn quickly"

 

the following weeks i got stopped and took to the side of the road, got a told my number plates where not legal. The same plates had been on the car that left the dealership 2 years prior. My father took the car to the local police station the next day and manged to get talking to the head of the traffic branch which told him " Personally i wouldn't have had an issue with them, they are clear to read and aren't faded". when we looked into it the letters where 1mm narrower than regulations.

 

few months later while at a local meet with some friends i got pulled over yet again and fined for plates. 30 mins later same car stopped and said a light was out. 

 

all above was my mums car 

 

the mini has its moments. been stopped a few times at check points but just to check tax which is normal 

 

Its normal to get allot of grief but just take it on the chin, don't snap back or they will come down on you like a ton of bricks. 

 

 

 

[Andrew O]

I have been driving for nearly a year now and have never been pulled over ...

Andrew

[AVV IT]

Done the job have you? - I'd suggest obviously not.

Yes Iain indeed I have, hence my insight into the role. For me it was also the best part of twenty years ago, whilst I too was studying. The full time staff performing that role at the store I worked at were probably the most retarded bunch of idiots I've ever had the misfortune of working with. They were forever getting in trouble with the store management for overstepping the mark and taking it upon themselves to get involved with issues that didn't concern them. Over and over again they were told to report their concerns to security staff who were trained and paid to deal with those issues, but none of them seemed capable of following even that simple instruction.

So maybe the trolley boys at your store were something of a different breed and the management actually had some faith in them and anything they had to say, but at the store I worked at the management were forever having to apologise to customers for the latest trolley boy "faux pas".

My personal and somewhat unforgetable favourite moment, was when "Brian" (our chief trolley numptie) took it upon himself to rugby tackle a customer to the floor in the car park, fracturing said customers jaw in the process! Apparently Brian had seen the customer running from the store with a product in his hand and therefore assumed he must be a shop lifter. Unfortunately for Brian, the customer had actually paid for the goods and was merely running to catch the bus that was waiting at the stop on the other side of the car park! Brian's employment was subsequently terminated following that episode and the ensuing legal
case, but he was soon replaced by another trolley boy half wit, who was equally as "special". Fortunately for me, I was transferred to another position inside the store, which meant not only did I not have to freeze my ass off in the car park all winter, but more importantly that I didn't have to be associated with the trolley pond life anymore!

Edited by AVV IT, 02 May 2013 - 06:53 PM.

[Ripple]

its not just a younger driver who will get an occasional traffic nazi...

 

I have been driving 22 years now, my first 5 years were all minis (of varying degrees of condition/legality) and i couldnt count how many times i got pulled over in that period, whether deserved or not.

 

But even now as a responsible 39 year old father you can still get the short straw every now and again

 

Got pulled in my 58' Vectra Estate recently for doing 66 in a 60 at 12.30 in the morning with the wife and child in the car. It was a straight dual lane road (not dual carrigeway though as no divide between lanes). Copper ran up and grabbed my keys out of the ignition and hauled me out of the car to breathelise me, this woke my 5 year old daughter up and she proceeded to expolde in tears as she thought they were going to take me away! Tried to explain that i had been to my mums for her birthday and was  on my way home but he insisted on checking every aspect of my car for 3/4 hour before sending me away with a Drivers Awareness Course and a £60 fine

All for 6mph over

 

Also had a Defect Form issued for my Pug 205Gti. I was driving down an unlit road on full beam when a traffic car came round the corner approaching me, i immediately flicked full beam off and as he approached he flashed his blues at me and spun round behind. I pulled in and he started ranting about "kiddie" drivers (i was about 35 at the time!) with their fog lights on all the time to make their cars "look cool". I explained that they lights in question were in fact Driving Lights and were part of the full beam system, also my mint condition 1.9Gti in ice white didnt need fog lights on to make it cool. He decided that i was lying and issued me with a defect ticket. I went to Peugeot the next day and got a letter confirming that they were indeed Driving Lights, not Fog Lights. I also went to the MOT station to get the ticket stamped and had to pay £10 for the guy to write "UNKNOWN DEFECT LISTED - PLEASE CONFIRM FAULT" on the form... I did enjoy going back to the station, asking for the guy that issued the ticket and handing him the forms back, turning my back and walking away.

 

 

You do get gooduns though, ive been let off more times than ive been punished

 

[GTIAlex06]

Actually I have been pulled over, i totally forogt.

 

Was in a line of cars in rush hour doing around an indicated 35 in a 30 keeping with the flow like everyone does.

 

Police motorbike pulls me over and moans at me for speeding. Said i was doing 30 and just going with the flow of traffic and he suggested I was doing ?40? and told me to slow down.

 

I was totally lost for words and just nodded and off I went.

[Tamworthbay]

I work very closely with the Police in my proffesion and have a huge amount of respect for them. In my experience most officers are far too busy dealing with societies undesirables to have the time to harrass teenagers in this way, but sadly there are a few who are essentialy just bullies and wouldnt dare try it on with more mature members of the public in this way. It's not a new thing though, these types of officers existed when I was a teenage driver and a new generation of them will no doubt be doing exactly the same thing when your kids are teenagers too.
So just be polite, smile, nod and agree with everything they say. Tempting as it is to get smart with them, that's exactly what they want you to do. They're looking to exert their authority on someone, so if you "act up" you're giving them an excuse to do just that.
If however you just go along with everything they say, they soon get bored and frustrated as they're not getting the reaction they want, in short don't play into their hands.
As for the trolley bloke, just remember that he is the lowest level of staff employed in the supermarket business. He earns less than the people who stack the shelves and much less than those who work on the tills. Basically you are unlikely to find anyone more likely to want to exert their complete lack of authority than someone who scrapes a living as an ageing trolley boy.
Whilst the health and safety of customers in supermarket car parks is the responsibility of supermarket management, it generally isn't the responsibility of trolley boys to enforce this, if it was they have to be paid much more than the basic minimum wage that they generally get. So I would ignore such jumped up trolley boys, as their role generally doesn't even extend to engaging with customers, let alone patrolling the car park and enforcing alleged speed limits. If they persist, I would ask them to accompany you into the supermarket to discuss the matter further with the Supermarket manager, as you don't believe that a trolley boys role extends as far as harrasing customers about their driving skills and you feel that the manager should be made aware of this behaviour, so that it can be addressed at his next appraisal/performance review!....... Then watch said trolley boy back down!

Or perhaps the 'trolley boy' has seen someone come screaming into the car park and doesn't want to see a kid/ pregnant woman/ OAP run down? Just because someone does a low paid job doesn't mean their job isn't valuable and doesn't mean they can't contribute to the workplace. We get it at work sometimes, other middle management don't speak to the 'minimum wagers'. Why? Do people think they are superior? It seems strange that you complain about bullying tactics of some police (which I agree with you on) but then suggest someone does exactly this when asked not to speed in a busy car park.