I still can't believe I failed my first test, and after I saved my instructors life too! We were totaly going to hit that bus until I saved us! Really...
In Hungary you have to indicate regardless of the conditions and you can fail the test instantly if you forget to indicate once. But people forget this as soon as they get their licence...
It's the same here, and it's the way it should be IMO. You indicate regardless of traffic around you. I don't care if you're driving on the friggin' Northpole, if you make a turn you indicate. You shouldn't have to think about it, either, it's something you just do. There aren't many things that annoy me more in traffic than people who don't bother to indicate. And for some reason it's usually people in big BMW's, Audi's, Mercedes' and the like. What, do indicators come as an option in those cars?
Agreed. I too failed my first test, damn parked cars coming from all directions.
The pigs are a bunch of arse holes, dont let them intimidate you & more so dont let them waste any of your time. I glad you went & complained good for you.
Do it.
I'm guessing you did and read the thread.
Just came across this thread.
Glad you reported it, glad you feel better now, and hopefully it did some good as well.
Most actual traffic officers I've ever spoken to (or observed) drive well and are very professional and patient (god knows they need to be given driving standards these days).
The guys you encountered (young?) clearly hadn't a clue about how to drive, and didn't think about what they were doing. That's training (not) for you
The regular patrol cars and police vans I see around town are almost always driven poorly - lack of lights in poor vis, lack of indications, tailgating, poor positioning, all common faults. I had once assumed that all police drivers allowed out at the wheel of an official vehicle were trained in some way, but since they drive just like normal members of the public, I now believe I'm wrong about that.
(Btw, jesus Becky, I hope I never accidentally walk up behind you in a dark alley, make you nervous and activate your kill-switch
)
Glad you reported it, glad you feel better now, and hopefully it did some good as well.
Most actual traffic officers I've ever spoken to (or observed) drive well and are very professional and patient (god knows they need to be given driving standards these days).
The guys you encountered (young?) clearly hadn't a clue about how to drive, and didn't think about what they were doing. That's training (not) for you
The regular patrol cars and police vans I see around town are almost always driven poorly - lack of lights in poor vis, lack of indications, tailgating, poor positioning, all common faults. I had once assumed that all police drivers allowed out at the wheel of an official vehicle were trained in some way, but since they drive just like normal members of the public, I now believe I'm wrong about that.
(Btw, jesus Becky, I hope I never accidentally walk up behind you in a dark alley, make you nervous and activate your kill-switch
)You've nothing to fear, I only ever once started a fraccas: Drunk, in the pub, guy thought he deserved special treatment on the pool table because of some reason or other i've long forgotten, anyway we ended up disagreeing, so I whacked him with the pool que I was holding then beat him about a bit. A few months later he started working at the same place as me and it turns out he was an ok guy, it's an incident I regret.
Every other incident i've ever been in wasn't started by me - but because i've had quite a few of them - with mixed results - I tend to get on the offensive very quickly before I get hurt, as experience has tought me that going on the offense quickly leaves me hurt a lot less often.
you mean once they let him out of hospital?
You may be on the money there... And I can't argue with how threatened a lone female driver would and should feel when tailgated in that fashion late at night. (You might even be able to explain it successfully to the judge.)
Anyway, glad to hear you're not totally psychotic
http://cinematropolis.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/rambo.jpg
The image I get when reading Beckys stories, I can't say i'm convinced that the whole "go on the offence thing" will save you from getting hurt, because 9 times outta 10 you'll start a fight where there doesn't need to be one. Also will land you in jail....
The image I get when reading Beckys stories, I can't say i'm convinced that the whole "go on the offence thing" will save you from getting hurt, because 9 times outta 10 you'll start a fight where there doesn't need to be one. Also will land you in jail....
lolz @ Neilster & Bawbag
Experience has taught me when things are going to get out of hand, i've been in enough scrapes to know when I can walk away with only a few punches being lobbed at me (in which case i'll usually take them), and when things are potentially serious. I endeavour to be first to hit when the need arises because usually this will go a long way towards things not getting very out of hand. It's all about control, and when an opponent is intent on hitting the only way to gain control is to be sure you're the one doing the hitting.
Out of choice I run.
Experience has taught me when things are going to get out of hand, i've been in enough scrapes to know when I can walk away with only a few punches being lobbed at me (in which case i'll usually take them), and when things are potentially serious. I endeavour to be first to hit when the need arises because usually this will go a long way towards things not getting very out of hand. It's all about control, and when an opponent is intent on hitting the only way to gain control is to be sure you're the one doing the hitting.
Out of choice I run.
The police regularly use entrapment techniques in order to try and push people in to breaking the law in circumstances where it can't be proven in court that they did so. Then they do you and there is bugger all you can do about it because it's the word of a police officer, (or two), against yours. Despite the fact that the law is not supposed to grant the testimony of a police officer any more weight than that of a civilian, in practice it never works that way.
Many police officers regularly overstep the bounds of their authority with impunity. Comes from the fact that many people join up purely for the authority it gives them. Just a fact of life unfortunately.
As to whether you should complain. Well given that very little ever happens when you make an official complaint, (unless it's in the media spotlight or you have plenty of witnesses), any other avenue is going to be worse than useles IMO.
Edited to add - just read the post about the response you got.. Have to admit I'm rather surpised you weren't just fobbed off. Lets hope they carry through their promises and actually talk to the officers concerned.
Many police officers regularly overstep the bounds of their authority with impunity. Comes from the fact that many people join up purely for the authority it gives them. Just a fact of life unfortunately.
As to whether you should complain. Well given that very little ever happens when you make an official complaint, (unless it's in the media spotlight or you have plenty of witnesses), any other avenue is going to be worse than useles IMO.
Edited to add - just read the post about the response you got.. Have to admit I'm rather surpised you weren't just fobbed off. Lets hope they carry through their promises and actually talk to the officers concerned.
Lolz at you and yet again one of your BS theory's, maybe you've got lots of experience with people wanting to fight you because they too are also sick of the things you come out with. Its a mega "lolz" when the OP talks about his experience with a police officer tail gating him and you say that you would bash them off the road or zoom off into the night, potentially killing someone. (I haven't re read what you said again but I think I remember you saying this would also be your intent, to cause as much harm as possible to this tail gating person)
Oh the joys when your little rush of blood to the head leads to an innocent person being killed, GG. Though I'm sure it done wonders for your E-penis posting this crap on a forum, it really does make you out to be the alpha male that's for sure. :bowdown:
Think about the situation bawbag. Your being harassed on the road by somebody who wants o do you harm. The OP ha no way of knowing it was a pig until way too late. Police shouldn't drive like that, and they turned their light on exceptionally late. I wouldn't have trusted they where police. With no other options, and with a very real threat against your life in progress, what would YOU do? Keel over and wait for the tummy rub?
I originally said I'd have bolted before the lights went on, and sod stopping for that car. That's all. It's not in any way unreasonable and all incident would be the fault of the chasing car in suhc a circumstance.
You can be a bit of a dick sometimes Bawbag, so how about instead of citing argument between us - we've each now said something (though I had to edit mine in because I have no desire to attack anyone on a forum) to the other. Let's shaddup, ok?
I originally said I'd have bolted before the lights went on, and sod stopping for that car. That's all. It's not in any way unreasonable and all incident would be the fault of the chasing car in suhc a circumstance.
You can be a bit of a dick sometimes Bawbag, so how about instead of citing argument between us - we've each now said something (though I had to edit mine in because I have no desire to attack anyone on a forum) to the other. Let's shaddup, ok?
I think if you decide to go hell for leather on a public road because you got a bit spooked over nothing (and then continued to drive like a nutcase even after the police car lit up) you would have a hard time convincing a jury that your actions were justified.
I had a pair of idiots in a Focus RS tailgate me for half an hour down unlit single-lane roads with their high beams on when I had to take a diversion from the A1 last year, middle of the night, nobody else around. When we finally got back to the A1 they overtook straight away, waving and grinning like they'd done something clever. I got angry but at least I didn't make the situation more dangerous, nobody got hurt, best outcome possible.
I really wish you hadn't of editted your post because it is a public forum and everyone is entitled to share their views, good or bad they should be able to openly speak.
Anyway, if you can find me someone in the world who is a perfect gentleman all day everyday and never upsets anyone (A bit like your almighty self) then I might try and be less of a dick, but until then i'll continue to express my opinions like every other person on this forum.
Kev, I think they would of been flashing their lights at you so you would pull over and let them by? On all single track roads other people will know them and if your driving down it for the first time then you will be going a lot slower than the person with knowledge so it's just courtesy to let them by. I hate it when I drive on Mull (mostly single track) and tourists plod around at 20mph.
Sorry, I meant a single lane each way, there was room to overtake. I tried slowing down expecting them to pass but they just slowed down with me. They weren't flashing their lights, they just left them on full the whole time. I thought about retaliating with fog lights but I just wanted to get home, not get into a willy-waving contest with some cretins.
Ah I see, wonkers then, especially in such a car where overtaking is piece of pewp!
Is "wonker" a Scottish insult? Sounds interesting :-P
Not one I've heard, but then I've been out of the country for almost a decade now.
Maybe a typo, what with 'a' and 'o' being so close on the keyboard
Maybe a typo, what with 'a' and 'o' being so close on the keyboard
Or just Ray showing off his mad spelling skollz.
So you wish to attack other forum members and have them roll over for tummy rubs? I edited in a small jibe to make the point that it's not worth having a flamewar over
As for whether i'd be right or wrong, I think I said this in the original post but certainly I say it enough, the only time you really know what you'll do in a given situation is when it happens. As it's theory we're talking, then each of us may perceive the events differently - or more importantly, the psychological effect of said events.
Also i'm well aware of the stark difference between me and the norm where in the past i've had to toughen up because bad things did happen, and yes my reactions in situations where I feel threatened are much more defensive than the average person and i'm well aware of that, but in relation to the way those police officers acted it's very rellevent isn't it - that the entrapment they where attempting to attain could, in some circumstances, very much backfire on them.
So go get some psychological help before you go killing someone over a stupid driver following you too closely.
Becky, that old adage comes to mind: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity".
I don't know you so I take at face value that you've had plenty of scrapes, including some seriously extreme ones (SMG fire), but you must realise that this makes you pretty unusual.
Most people can go through their lives and never fall foul of taking the approach that someone driving badly behind them probably isn't trying to attack them, but is in fact just a shit driver.
I guess it's probabilistic. For an average member of the public, taking the extreme "all guns blazing" response to disconcerting situations will in hindsight turn out to be an over-reaction almost all of the time. So the outcome (difficult explanations to the police about it, damage, injuries etc.) will generally be worse than it would have been if you were a more optimistic soul.
But every now and then, an average member of the public gets killed where they might have survived if they had taken the worst-case assumption and gone off the extreme end in their offence=defence reaction.
Everybody makes their own assessment about the relative probabilities of the horror-movie scenario vs. the normal-day scenario... For most people, they will probably have hundreds or thousands of situations which turn out to be harmless and approximately zero of the other kind. So for a quiet/chilled/stress-free life, people mostly assume they aren't being targeted for major grief and nearly all of them get away with it nearly all of the time.
But since you have a somewhat more scary life you may be right to judge that the balance is different for you...
I don't know you so I take at face value that you've had plenty of scrapes, including some seriously extreme ones (SMG fire), but you must realise that this makes you pretty unusual.
Most people can go through their lives and never fall foul of taking the approach that someone driving badly behind them probably isn't trying to attack them, but is in fact just a shit driver.
I guess it's probabilistic. For an average member of the public, taking the extreme "all guns blazing" response to disconcerting situations will in hindsight turn out to be an over-reaction almost all of the time. So the outcome (difficult explanations to the police about it, damage, injuries etc.) will generally be worse than it would have been if you were a more optimistic soul.
But every now and then, an average member of the public gets killed where they might have survived if they had taken the worst-case assumption and gone off the extreme end in their offence=defence reaction.
Everybody makes their own assessment about the relative probabilities of the horror-movie scenario vs. the normal-day scenario... For most people, they will probably have hundreds or thousands of situations which turn out to be harmless and approximately zero of the other kind. So for a quiet/chilled/stress-free life, people mostly assume they aren't being targeted for major grief and nearly all of them get away with it nearly all of the time.
But since you have a somewhat more scary life you may be right to judge that the balance is different for you...
Should I make a police complaint?
(76 posts, started )
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG