Last night I was returning from competing in a road rally. My navigator had gone home separately so I made the rather poor navigational error of getting on the dual carriageway in the wrong direction! After about a mile on the dual carriageway I came to a roundabout, which I wasn't expecting. I went round it a couple of times to establish the error I had made and which way I needed to go then went back up the same piece of dual carriageway. I was driving at about 70mph on a completely empty dual carriageway when, having just gone past the slip road I should have used in the first place, a set of bright lights approached from speed in my mirror and then sat on my bumper. I first assumed it was probably another rally competitor trying to get me to drive back in a spirited fashion, having just done a rally driving fast and wasting fuel whilst risking getting a ticket was not something that appealed to me.
After about 30 seconds the car was still very close behind me so I flashed my fog lights at it, hoping the site of red lights would give it a scare, the car behind did seem to slow down but then came back and sat on my bumper, still making no attempt to pass on an empty dual carriageway. In frustration I eased off the throttle and slowed to 60mph, still no attempt was made to make a pass. Rather worried that this brain dead idiot behind me was going to end up in my bumper I then started braking very gently down to about 40mph, still it just stuck there. I started weighing up whether I was going to pull into the layby ahead and confront someone who could have been deliberately trying to make me stop, alone on an empty dual carriageway at 11.30pm or dialing 999, and potentially getting somebody I knew getting stopped for driving like a tosser.
The last possible thing that I was expecting was my mirror to fill with blue lights! I was half relieved that I wasn't about to meet someone nasty, my feelings soon changed when I realised that I had just been intimidated and been put at unnecessary risk of genuine danger by someone who was meant to be a professional driver, let alone a police officer, and that's before we get to the possibility of entrapment/fowl play. Getting out I found out that I had been stopped by an Astra, and given the lack of white hats, I think not even a traffic car.
The explanation given was they were trying to read my number plate, admittedly it was muddy from the rally but I could read it without issue from the backseat. I don't think this explanation justifies a following a car for what must have been about 5 miles, when they were going to stop me for it all along anyway. Unfortunately I then learnt that the insurance had come back negative, this nugget of information meant I had to do everything possible to avoid getting the car seized. Having explained my specialist policy with Competition Car Insurance I think he was satisfied, that there was a reasonably high chance I was insured and rather bemused. After a good check round they couldn't find anything other than the rally bits, rather glad that they didn't consider the car I had just be rallying with defective.
Was told they had suspected I had been drink driving when they saw me go round the roundabout, must have been from a distance because I didn't see any other cars. They told me that I hadn't indicated correctly at the roundabout and could get 3 points for driving without due care and attention for it, I think its unlikely that they'll be able to provide evidence of this given how far away they must have been. Then told me I could get 3 points for dangerous driving for the slowing down, again reckon with video evidence they'd be unable to justify how close they were or that I didn't slow down in as safe a manner as I could, and also there is the argument that the slower I was traveling when I actually needed to brake the smaller the accident would have been.
In the end I got a producer for insurance and MOT, went and did it today.
Given the ridiculously dangerous driving, which in all probability was a case of attempted entrapment trying to make me speed up or do something stupid, I would fully support 3 points and a fine at the very least for any member of the public tailgating like this. I do want to take it further, not to get back at anybody, but to hopefully to stop this happening in the future. In fairness the officers who stopped me were polite and reasonable and the driver certainly seemed to feel rather small once I had a go at his driving standards, even if he couldn't bring himself to appologise. Having read a bit about it I don't want to make a formal complaint and ideally would like to be able to talk to someone who takes it seriously and can give those responsible a bollocking and hopefully stop them doing it again.
Has anyone had any experience with making similar complaints and is it worth bothering doing? Other cases on the web would suggest there is little point in bothering but normally they weren't actually pulled over and as a result don't have the details of those involved. I still have my producer notice giving all the details needed.
After about 30 seconds the car was still very close behind me so I flashed my fog lights at it, hoping the site of red lights would give it a scare, the car behind did seem to slow down but then came back and sat on my bumper, still making no attempt to pass on an empty dual carriageway. In frustration I eased off the throttle and slowed to 60mph, still no attempt was made to make a pass. Rather worried that this brain dead idiot behind me was going to end up in my bumper I then started braking very gently down to about 40mph, still it just stuck there. I started weighing up whether I was going to pull into the layby ahead and confront someone who could have been deliberately trying to make me stop, alone on an empty dual carriageway at 11.30pm or dialing 999, and potentially getting somebody I knew getting stopped for driving like a tosser.
The last possible thing that I was expecting was my mirror to fill with blue lights! I was half relieved that I wasn't about to meet someone nasty, my feelings soon changed when I realised that I had just been intimidated and been put at unnecessary risk of genuine danger by someone who was meant to be a professional driver, let alone a police officer, and that's before we get to the possibility of entrapment/fowl play. Getting out I found out that I had been stopped by an Astra, and given the lack of white hats, I think not even a traffic car.
The explanation given was they were trying to read my number plate, admittedly it was muddy from the rally but I could read it without issue from the backseat. I don't think this explanation justifies a following a car for what must have been about 5 miles, when they were going to stop me for it all along anyway. Unfortunately I then learnt that the insurance had come back negative, this nugget of information meant I had to do everything possible to avoid getting the car seized. Having explained my specialist policy with Competition Car Insurance I think he was satisfied, that there was a reasonably high chance I was insured and rather bemused. After a good check round they couldn't find anything other than the rally bits, rather glad that they didn't consider the car I had just be rallying with defective.
Was told they had suspected I had been drink driving when they saw me go round the roundabout, must have been from a distance because I didn't see any other cars. They told me that I hadn't indicated correctly at the roundabout and could get 3 points for driving without due care and attention for it, I think its unlikely that they'll be able to provide evidence of this given how far away they must have been. Then told me I could get 3 points for dangerous driving for the slowing down, again reckon with video evidence they'd be unable to justify how close they were or that I didn't slow down in as safe a manner as I could, and also there is the argument that the slower I was traveling when I actually needed to brake the smaller the accident would have been.
In the end I got a producer for insurance and MOT, went and did it today.
Given the ridiculously dangerous driving, which in all probability was a case of attempted entrapment trying to make me speed up or do something stupid, I would fully support 3 points and a fine at the very least for any member of the public tailgating like this. I do want to take it further, not to get back at anybody, but to hopefully to stop this happening in the future. In fairness the officers who stopped me were polite and reasonable and the driver certainly seemed to feel rather small once I had a go at his driving standards, even if he couldn't bring himself to appologise. Having read a bit about it I don't want to make a formal complaint and ideally would like to be able to talk to someone who takes it seriously and can give those responsible a bollocking and hopefully stop them doing it again.
Has anyone had any experience with making similar complaints and is it worth bothering doing? Other cases on the web would suggest there is little point in bothering but normally they weren't actually pulled over and as a result don't have the details of those involved. I still have my producer notice giving all the details needed.
