Police Speeding

[EvianBaby]

Are the police supposed to only be on emergency calls to be allowed to speed and does that mean they would have to have sirens, flashing lights or both?

Twice in the past couple of days I have been over taken by speeding police cars on dual carriageways who had to have been speeding but not appearing to be on an emergency call. Are they allowed to do that?

[boxtops]

I think that they can go through junctions against lights if safe to proceed, so perhaps the same applies on motorways. They might be chasing someone and not want to draw attention to themselves.

[AlBags]

They cannot .. no.
But many do .. and will get away with it .. because that's what they do.

[ABerrant]

As per S.87 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended) ...
"No statutory provision imposing a speed limit on motor vehicles shall apply to any vehicle on an occasion when it is being used for fire and rescue authority, ambulance or police purposes, if the observance of that provision would be likely to hinder the use of the vehicle for the purpose for which it is being used on that occasion."

"Police purposes" extends beyond emergency response (e.g. it includes training a person to drive vehicles at high speed) but does not include racing to the chippy.

[douglas9401]

At work we're on a main road and see and hear various emergency service vehicles going about their business. The ambulance and fire engine drivers seem to be more in control as they go about their duties giving consideration to other road users . The polis give the impression that they regard any taxpayer who has the temerity to use the same piece of road as them as deliberately impeding their progress on their way to delivering sarky remarks.

[Hopkirk]

Not a fan then, Dougie?

[douglas9401]

On the contrary as the son of a polis I support their struggle with the forces of evil but there are some right knobs in there.

[hc4361]

Often police have to respond to an emergency using 'silent approach' so the offenders are not alerted.
In any event police should only use their sirens and or lights to clear a way through traffic.
Drivers tend to do stupid things if the hear a siren or see the blue lights flashing.

[Andyvon]

My step-father was in the police for thirty years and my mother for eleven. Traffic officers are highly trained drivers and they have to pass very advanced tests. However, those officers driving ordinary patrol cars most definitely are not trained and they have the same driving qualifications and experience (often less) than anyone else.
My step-father was a terrible driver and he frightened me no end of times. Whether he was in a patrol car or not he would lurch in front of on-coming traffic, he never used his indicators and speed limits didn't exist! I remember him being disciplined after a member of the public reported him for driving a patrol car the wrong way down a one-way street. He just thought he could because he was on duty and in a patrol car!

Many police patrol cars are driven very badly indeed - no indicators, speeding etc. Unless they are going to an emergency they must obey the rules of the road like everyone else. But who's going to stop them and argue?

[ABerrant]

"Unless they are going to an emergency they must obey the rules of the road like everyone else."

Nowhere in the legislation covering speed limit exemptions for police vehicles is the word "emergency" used.

However a speed limit is but one "rule of the road". Several other rules are exempt to a police driver when using blue lights (e.g. red traffic light, driving along a motorway hard shoulder - even against the direction of traffic) but there are several which cannot legally be ignored under any circumstance, such as a 'No Entry' sign or driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

[Andyvon]

Maybe when using blue lights ABerrant. But many police officers using patrol cars for getting around on various duties do drive in a very bad manner. As I said, my step-father was a very bad driver and I've seen many other patrol cars being driven just as badly as he did.

[EvianBaby]

Thanks for the answers. I did wonder if they might be 'sneaking up' one someone but they weren't zooming past me. Just going faster then they should have been.,

Mdoo - I know they were speeding because on both occasions I was driving at the exact speed limit and they were going faster than me.

[EvianBaby]

One one occasion the limit was 40mph on the other it was 70mph. They were going by fast enough for me to be certain they were speeding regardless of any anomilies in speedo readings. As well as the other cars all driving roughly the same speed as me, I feel pretty confident in this.