Bloody Police!!

LSainsbury · Post by **LSainsbury** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 11:12 am

Hello all,

My second contact with the Police in two weeks....

Last night I got stopped....for having my fog lights on!!!

I explained to the WPC that I had just been driving from Alton to Basingstoke and the road was a bit foggy (the road usually is, with the fireworks ...) and I just forgot I had them on....

She let me off without an FP, but gotta take my insurance etc to the cop shop in the next 7 days...

Haven't these people got ANYTHING better to do than harass tired motorists at 11:30pm? I mean - crime of the century eh???

My feelings about the British Police are slowing dissolving...

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 11:58 am

i know what you mean, i got done for speeding last night :rolleyes:

guess they have nothing better to do on a saturday night

and as for having fog lights on when it isn't foggy - i stopped that years ago after my 3rd fixed penalty notice for it

LSainsbury · Post by **LSainsbury** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 12:03 pm

and as for having fog lights on when it isn't foggy - i stopped that years ago after my 3rd fixed penalty notice for it

*ahem*

I explained to the WPC that I had just been driving from Alton to Basingstoke and the road was a bit foggy (the road usually is, with the fireworks ...) and I just forgot I had them on....

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 12:09 pm

yep, excellent excuse, must remember that

LSainsbury · Post by **LSainsbury** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 12:38 pm

It wasn't an excuse - it was the truth!

I would not lie to a Police officer...

I was up at 5.30am yesterday - spent the day in London installing 100 PC's and went to a Fireworks party in the evening - you could say I was a little tired and not quite with it at 11.30pm!!

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 4:39 am

I think on this occasion the police did the right thing by stopping you with your fog lights on and then letting you off after you gave what seemed a plausible explanation. Similarly after stopping you for an offence by issuing what used to be an HORT1 producer document, it helps to ensure that drivers on the road are adequately documented.

Leaving aside your absentmindedness, it seems an increasing number of cars like to drive on perfectly clear nights with fog lights glaring. If they're behind, I sometimes have to resort to adjusting the rear view mirror to stop the glare, if they're in front, fogs often glare and obsecure forward night vision. Police can't be blamed for trying to help prevent accidents by stopping this practise.

Its those wannabe drivers, usually Peugeot 106's, that think by turning on their fogs they've instantly converted their cars into rally monsters that are sad, sad, sad.

Robbie.

nx · Post by nx » Mon Nov 10, 2003 2:05 pm

you could say I was a little tired and not quite with it at 11.30pm!!

Doesn't driving with your fog lights on (unnecessarily) fall under driving without due care and attention (Derek - is this what you were done for?)?

If so then given what you also said about your condition at the time, it does seem fairly reasonable that they pulled you up on it!

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 2:32 pm

you could say I was a little tired and not quite with it at 11.30pm!!
Doesn't driving with your fog lights on (unnecessarily) fall under driving without due care and attention (Derek - is this what you were done for?)?

If so then given what you also said about your condition at the time, it does seem fairly reasonable that they pulled you up on it!

i just got fixed penalty fines, think they were Â£20 at the time - too young to know better

did get done for driving without due care attention (cd30) after a crash 17 days after passing my test - hit a nissan bluebird taxi which became a convertible when they cut the roof off

charlieannear · Post by **charlieannear** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 3:04 pm

Now, I am a good law abiding citizen and agree that people driving around with their fog lights on unneccesarily are a nuisance, but I think LSainsbury was probably pulled over because the Occifers were hoping to catch a 17 year old (fog lights- good indicator of a boy/girl racer) with no insurance.

When I got my 3 points for an alleged SP30 I was in a stream of traffic. Now either we were all speeding, but I was the fastest which I don't really think is the case, or as I suspect the Occifers saw my car (bright green Chevette) and thought "Prime candidate for having no tax, MOT, insurance" and as they were doing a speed trap pulled me over with my 'speed' as their just cause. Of course I had all 3 required documents. And by then an SP30 too.

Either that or they were bored and playing car snooker. Green cars aren't that common.

I could be wrong though...

col · Post by **col** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 3:51 pm

If you breaking the law, you can't really compain about being pulled over. simple as that!

charlieannear · Post by **charlieannear** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 5:02 pm

If you breaking the law, you can't really compain about being pulled over. simple as that!

I do agree, honest.
If I was speeding, fine, but if I was everyone in the stream of traffic was. And so why pull me over? Because they thought they could get me for something else but needed a good reason to pull me over.

I'm just trying to get across that I think some people are pulled over for reasons other than those given when they are pulled over.
For example, when there is a push to catch uninsured drivers the police can't just pull people over and ask them to show their documents, so they target cars who they think will have a higher probability of not having the required documents, and give a valid reason for pulling them over i.e you had your foglights on.
However, if you're fed up with the bloke next door parking his heap of untaxed (and therefore uninsured) junk outside your house for weeks on end, and you decide to inform the police, what happens? Nowt.

This is only what I think!
I am a law abiding citizen, think that on the whole the police do a great job and that unisured drivers, foglights and speeding (in dangerous places) are evil.

Alex LS · Post by **Alex LS** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 2:26 pm

you could say I was a little tired and not quite with it at 11.30pm!!
Doesn't driving with your fog lights on (unnecessarily) fall under driving without due care and attention

Yep. Especially if you say that you forgot they were on. It indicates you haven't checked your instrumentation in a while...

Mr_AWOL · Post by **Mr_AWOL** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 3:04 pm

you could say I was a little tired and not quite with it at 11.30pm!!
Doesn't driving with your fog lights on (unnecessarily) fall under driving without due care and attention
Yep. Especially if you say that you forgot they were on. It indicates you haven't checked your instrumentation in a while...

I have been stopped about this before though - where i have my seat/wheel etc means that the light can sometimes be hidden.

I only use them in fog, or on country lanes. when you live in the sticks such as i used to you pick up these little tips. I use them there because they provide extra light in a wide angle near to the car, and do NOT dazzle oncoming drivers. people seem to think they dazzle people JUST because there are 4 lights not 2! As long as they are properly adjusted (and not a set someone has fitted from halfords to a car which doesnt come with front fogs, etc) they are cerytainly a LOT less dazzling than the standard headlights of most 4x4 tonka toys (discoveries and the like)

clarelee · Post by **clarelee** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 5:20 pm

I agree with the thought above, they aren't that bad and certainly not as bad as some of the parabolic headlights they are fitting on mercs and beamers these days which almost burn an image into your retina every them they go over a bump.

It is illegal to use the fog lights in aus if it is not raining/foggy but I have never heard of any one being pulled up for it and there are heaps of people that drive around with them on.;

Mr_AWOL · Post by **Mr_AWOL** » Tue Nov 11, 2003 6:24 pm

Well i dont generally use mine if its not foggy, but i have nothing against the loads of people round this way that do. I am sceptical about exactly WHY they changed the law on this in the first place.

When i passed my test it was illegal to have the REAR fog lights on when it wasnt foggy. This is good because rear fog lights mask the brake lights and so cause a danger. I personally am not dazzled by front fog lights and i beleive it is a psychological effect that causes some people to THINK thats whats dazzling them. That or they have been dazzled by poorly adjusted lights.