Stopped for not speeding

[Geoff]

This was posted in another forum which I frequent, it didn't happen to me, or anyone that I know personally, so could be entirely made up, but I found it quite funny.

 

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just had an interesting chat with one of East Sussex's finest police officers - let's call him officer Dibble

 

The discussion went something like this

 

Dibble "good afternoon sir, is this your car"

 

me "yes, why have you stopped me?"

 

Dibble "How fast were you driving just before we stopped you?"

 

me "about 55/60mph"

 

Dibble "Actually it was 58mph, are you aware of the speed limit?

 

me "yes"

 

Dibble "then why were you going nearly 20 mph over the limit?" (at which point a lecture about the danger of speeding, failing to respond to road signs, how it was a country road etc etc etc)

 

me "sorry but are you aware that this section of the road is national speed limit?"

 

Dibble "no it's not. It is a 40 mph zone, the signs are back there"

 

me "so what about that sign I passed saying it was no longer a 40 zone but national limit?"

 

Dibble "there is no sign"

 

me "let's go back and have a look shall we?"

 

Dibble "there's no need, we clearly saw the 40 mph signs"

 

me "you are not local are you?"

 

Dibble, "no we are from Heathfield (about 20 miles away) but that doesn't

make any difference. You were still exceeding the speed limit"

 

me "If you were local you would know about the national limit sign on the post which is kind of hard to see since the council put a sign up which almost hides it"

 

Dibble "well we didn't see it"

 

me "does that mean it's not there then?"

 

Dibble "no, but it does mean that in our opinion you were speeding"

 

me "so you are going to give me a ticket for doing 58mph in a 60 mph zone because you didn't see the sign? Who's going to ring the local papers - you or me?"

 

Dibble "don't get sarcastic with me"

 

me "shall we go back and have a look at that sign now?"

 

Dibble "no I'll wait here with you and my partner will go back and check"

 

me "I'll lock my car up and we can all go back together - I can show you where the sign is then"

 

Dibble "do you think we are incapable of seeing a sign at the side of the road?"

 

me "I'm not going to answer that one because you'll probably accuse me of being sarcastic.........but isn't that why you stopped me in the first place"

 

Dibble then went to his car and sent his mate off to have a look, 2 minutes later he's back and the two of them are having a bit of a chat

 

Dibble "You are half right, there is a sign there but because it's partly obscured by other signage and the hedge then it doesn't apply"

 

me "you've just made that up haven't you?"

 

Dibble "no that's how it works so although the sign is there because you can't see it then it doesn't apply so you were speeding"

 

me " I did see it, that's why I accelerated from 40 mph to 60 mph, it was you that didn't see it which is why you stopped me for not speeding"

 

Dibble "I've told you about being sarcastic"

 

me "so if I were going the other way and didn't slow down for the 40mph sign which is actually partly hidden in the hedge at the moment I could use this argument and quote you to avoid getting nicked - would you write it down for me along with your name and number?"

 

Dibble "I've told you about being sarcastic"

 

me "Look this is going nowhere, either give me a ticket for speeding or let me go home"

 

I then got a pen out of my car door pocket and started to write down his number

 

Dibble "what are you doing"

 

me "without wishing to sound even slightly sarcastic, I'm writing down your number so that I can report you"

 

Dibble "OK, go on then, carry on, go home or wherever you were going just don't do it again"

 

me "don't do what again?"

 

Dibble - no answer just got in his car and they drove off

 

Now, should I report the muppet or not?

[webman]

Hilarious

[bossman]

YES: just for the way he treat you in an insulting manner which not only lowers your opinion of the police force around your area but also his partner who is either too intimidated by this bully or just a bully himself.

 

Geoff: just think if had been person who was not as sharp as yourself they would have probably caved in to his bullyboy tactics and would be looking at an £80 on the spot fine and penalty points.

 

Tell me you will do the right thing just for other peoples sake. No wonder people have lost faith in the police.

[bossman]

Geoff:

apologies for not reading the beginning of your post (one of those day's)

it was not you and it may or not have been true Doh!!!!!!

[contink]

Geoff:

apologies for not reading the beginning of your post (one of those day's)

it was not you and it may or not have been true Doh!!!!!!

 

I'm sorry sir, where does it say that this isn't Geoff's experience... I certainly didn't see anything... it was partially obscured by my tea mug, so it doesn't apply...

 

*ahem*... I'll get my coat then shall I? 8)

 

 

Sorry, couldn't help myself...

[localzuk]

Sounds about right in my experience of police. I've been arrested in the past for holding a poster outside a shop which told people what that shop had done - because it was offensive to the shop owners (it explained that the company had paid money to another, ill reputed, company for cosmetics/animal testing. The language was simply factual, along the lines of 'Company X paid for cosmetic testing on animals at Company Y, Date')...

 

When explaining that there isn't a law against being offensive to people, let alone companies, the officer simply carried on whilst quoting various laws which don't apply. It doesn't matter that no laws were broken, the officer didn't want to admit that she was wrong when told. So they simply arrest, and then got sued for it...

[ninjabeaver]

The beginning of his post was probably osbscured by another one. So it only half applies.

[Vegas]

Best laugh i've had all week, thanks

[K.C.Leblanc]

Obviousely weren't meating their targets that month.

[Midget]

Sounds about right in my experience of police. I've been arrested in the past for holding a poster outside a shop which told people what that shop had done - because it was offensive to the shop owners (it explained that the company had paid money to another, ill reputed, company for cosmetics/animal testing. The language was simply factual, along the lines of 'Company X paid for cosmetic testing on animals at Company Y, Date')...

Bloody crusty animal righters

*puts on People for the Eating of Tasty Animals T-Shirt*

 

*runs from localz*

[localzuk]

Bloody crusty animal righters

*puts on People for the Eating of Tasty Animals T-Shirt*

 

*runs from localz*

 

Hmm! I'm in no way crusty! I'm very uncrusty in fact.

 

Now, where did I put my paint stripper? (Well, we can all stereotype )

[Midget]

Leave my panda skin jacket out of this

[Joedetic]

LOL. Great story.

 

I hate it when someone tries to have a go at you for something and they're completely wrong...they know it but wont admit it.

 

British Gas are a good example.....some woman quoted the price per kWh for my lecky on the prepay meter....which it isnt...because my meter TELLS me the price per unit. She then went on to tell me that i must be reading it wrong because her bit of paper must be more up to date than my meter which updated the price yesterday when i topped it up.

 

I got full marks in my instrumentation and measurement module...if i can read an oscilloscope i can bloody well read a prepay electricity meter. *sigh* That and 4 different people cant have read it wrong.

 

That and animal rights.......hmmm...i like steak too much to care To take the words of Dylan Moran "You're meant to eat the cows! They'd be hanging around in book shops in the way if we didn't!"

[paulhyman]

tell the other person in the other forum to report them.

 

Police think they are above the law and will try lots of dirty tricks and tactics to intimidate others.

And when you have the bulls to question them, they don't like it and threaten you with worst action.

[tech_guy]

when you have the bulls to question them...

 

OLE!

[tech_guy]

I got fined for not wearing a seatbelt - £30. I'd just finished reversing. Doesn't the highway code say you can take your seatbelt off to aid reversing? PC Plod didn't think so. Appealed and won.

 

:-)

[GrumbleDook]

I've been pulled over for speeding on a pushbike (37 in a 30, but the signpost to say it was a 30 not national was obscured so they let me off on that rather than me contesting that my failure to have accurate equipment to measure my speed makes it difficult to ensure I am below the speed limit ... and since there had been an organised road race on that road the day before you can be sure we were doing more than 30 then too.)

 

I have been stopped during a driving lesson for doing 48 and accelerating in a 40, but that was down to my instructor telling me it was a 60. I had refused to speed up but was told that I would be reported if I didn't (civilian instructor brought in by the army as part of a crash course) and thrown off the course ... when I explained why I was speeding (when I could get a word in edgeways due to the panic stricken instructor) the copper wrote a ticket for the instructor instead and told me that next time I shuld refuse to continue the lesson. A letter went to the OC too insisting that I was not reprimanded.

 

I have been pulled over for going too slow. Doing just under 70 on a motorway in the middle lane and not moving to the slow lane as I was overtaking a number of lorries ... but there were lots of cars behind me. I contested that I was not driving without reasonable consideration (driving without due care and attention would not apply as I was fully aware that various white van drivers were driving too close to me and trying to force me to go faster) but I was driving within my right to overtake slower moving vehicles and to do it at a speed that was safe for me and the vehicle I was overtaking. We discussed the merits of the Road Traffic Act 1988 over 1984 and I was told to go on my way.

 

I did get pulled over whilst on escort and transport duty as I was driving slightly recklessly for a number of reasons. A wave of some paperwork and a quick phone call turned it into a police escort with me having to flash the Officer leading the escort to get him to slow down as I was not comfortable driving at 120mph, even it if was on a pretty empty M5 at 3 in the morning.

 

Traffic law is a nightmare ... police break the rules so regularily themselves that it frustrates me when others get pulled up.

 

However, I have no sympathy for those that moan about getting caught speeding. If you speed then expect to get a fine and points ... it is the risk you take along with the risk of greater injury to those involved in crashes. If you can live with that then I am not going to preach ...

[Joedetic]

I wish i could drive...something that needs to be addressed when i've got some more money through...until then it's the bike for me

 

I was considering getting a road bike but there's not really much sense in it for just going up and down the road to uni and the occassional bit of exercise.

[Guest Guest]

I have been stopped during a driving lesson for doing 48 and accelerating in a 40, but that was down to my instructor telling me it was a 60.

 

Slightly related; I got a "minor" on my test for speeding in a 40, when i reality i was doing 35. Since when is speeding not a major? Just shows he wasnt sure in his decision. I went back and checked and i was right, it was a 40 so at £50odd a test i was livid to say the least.

 

 

When i was 8 or 9yr old i used to play on a little grassed roundabout at the bottom of my road. Really quiet street with no need for a roundabout, more for show than anything. Causing no danger or damage to myself or other, damn i was only a little kid.

Anyway my mum pulled the copper up who kept on moving me, and he actually said to her "ill make up charges againt him"

 

It really is no wonder no-one has any respect for cops. Personally i wouldnt pish on one if he was on fire.

[mattx]

Personally i wouldnt pish on one if he was on fire.

 

Thats a nice attitude based on little experience.

There are good police and there are bad police - I've lost count how many times I have been stopped on my Mbike, never been fined though - just a telling off.

There again I thank the police for making sure I was ok and getting details of the hit and run driver who ploughed into my bike about 10 years ago and I thank the police who took statements and offered me support when a mini cab driver took me out last year at a junction.