Earlier this evening I was joining a motorway. I was driving up a dual lane slip road in the outside lane of the two when a white Fiesta 2010 or 11 cut in front of me causing me to slow. I didn't react at all just stayed behind.

Upon joining the motorway I overtook him in the middle lane (he was in the inside lane). As I did I glanced across and saw him looking straight at me, didn't think anything off it really.

Carried on cruising at a normal pace 75/80mph and this guy continued to follow me and almost followed my every lane change. It was a bit weird. I slowed, he slowed, sped up so did he.

The passengers in my car said he's wearing a uniform. At least a black tight fitting Lycra type t-shirt with shoulder pads, button down things which were also black. Looked kind of like a security guard or off duty police officer or police staff. Couldn't really tell but was a bit freaked out as this guy was just following me in a his plain Fiesta which I noticed had a bit of bodywork damage to the rear bumper.

Eventually i turned off and he went another way. Could this have been a police man? He was heading in the general direction of the police HQ. Or just a bloke wanting to race me.

Edited 14 June, 201412 yr by austenw90

Shame you never got the number of the vehicle, that way you could have rung the police and reported him for menacing behaviour & possibly impersonating a police officer!

Well I've learnt never to react to bad driving now as I had my car damaged by a very angry man when I shook my head at him. It went to court but the evidence was poor so he got off with it.

Ever since I've kept my opinions to myself!

My guess was possibly an off duty officer or member of staff but his clothing could have meant anything.

TheWanderer,

Or proceeding in an orderly manner on the way to his place of employment,

while calling in to check on the details or report the driver acting in a strange manner.

 

george

George, how do you mean by strange manner? I assume by the "driver" you mean me?

It seems the little green Skoda sometimes attracts unwanted attention, especially tailgating company execs and the like trying to push their way past.

Really?

was he off to the Southampton nick on Millbrook Road?

No m27 east from Eastleigh to Hamble.

austenw90,   not being serious,

its just summing up how an officer of the Law might see it, or just someone in an Fiesta Van trying to get a shift on.

 2 ways of viewing what happened, depending on what vehicle you are in.

 

I was in a hurry on a long journey heading through Glasgow & further North 2 weeks ago,

some muppet in a Blue 07 Octavia vRS did not like being passed even though he was going slower in the inside lane,

and proceeded to race passed,

block me, and generally show what a fast car he had each time i tried to keep to the speed i usually do.

I was just trying to get a move on with about 100 less BHP while looking out for Parked up Traffic Cars.

 

Like Skodas, but seriously dislike tailgaters.

No m27 east from Eastleigh to Hamble.

OK, I could have asked a mate to keep an eye out if it was Soton Central.

austenw90,   not being serious,

its just summing up how an officer of the Law might see it, or just someone in an Fiesta Van trying to get a shift on.

 2 ways of viewing what happened, depending on what vehicle you are in.

 

I was in a hurry on a long journey heading through Glasgow & further North 2 weeks ago,

some muppet in a Blue 07 Octavia vRS did not like being passed, and proceeded to race passed,

block me, and generally show what a fast car he had.

I was just trying to get a move on with about 100 less BHP while looking out for Parked up Traffic Cars.

I see your point regarding two perspectives.

It was a 3 or 5 door hatch.

It's strange how competitively some people drive isn't it.

A bloke across the road from me drives an old Jetta 1.9 TDi. I always see him driving like a clown.

From what you've described, it sounds like one of our boys in black in one of our unmarked pool cars. Chances are he was running checks on the car to make sure everything was all in order, for whatever reason.

 

As long as he didn't use any threatening behaviour or he didn't try to run you off the road, then I wouldn't worry about it mate. As long as you were lawful in what you did and didn't aggravate the situation, then you're fine. Sounds like a bit of a jobsworth trying to shake you up a bit, and clearly it's worked a bit! If your mates were keeping an eye on him then it was probably fuel for whatever bizarre fire he was lighting underneath you. 

 

Did you get the reg of it? Police staff will always wear blue shirts, black shirts are the preserve of police constables.

 

For what it's worth, I have been followed on more than one occasion by a clearly bored member of our fine constabulary.

Cheers Sam. Probably saw youngish lad in a bright green vRS and wanted to check it was all as it should be I'm guessing. Felt picked on to be honest as there were cars overtaking me going much faster than they should have been. He did cut me up as well but these things happen and was driving very close to my rear bumper.

I was a little over the speed limit but never guessed he was police until my passengers said it. I guess that in a pool car there's nothing much they can do apart from call it in etc and remember the car and reg?

Didn't get the reg, just remember it being 10/11 reg and having some damage to the rear bumper.

Edited 15 June, 201412 yr by austenw90

I had something a bit like this a few weeks ago, cruising along at 50-60 mph next minute a black bmw comes flying up behind me and indicates me to move over for him to over take, whilst flashing like crazy.

Baring in mind this was on a road with no centre line, the car in front of me he overtook on a bend just after a narrow bridge.

There was no indication that it was a police car just looked like a basic black bmw 1 series with a guy wearing dark clothes and what looked like a high viz vest on the dash board!

Do you know if these pool cars have ANPR, cameras etc?

Should have gotten along side him and got your passenger to take a photo him.

Never, ever pull over unless there are blue lights involved.

If they have a truly burning desire to speak with you, your reg will be circulated and you'll be picked up by a marked unit/a unit with blue lights at a later stage.

Austen- don't worry about your speed. 75-80 on a regular speedo equates to 68-75 in real life. No self-respecting traffic officer will do you for 75, they'd get laughed out of the station. I'm not saying it's acceptable to speed, but you'll need to be going a bit faster than that to catch their attention!

Pool cars are literally just A-B cars. No sirens, no lights. You're not allowed to respond in them. I use them to get to community projects and that's about it!

Earlier this evening I was joining a motorway. I was driving up a dual lane slip road in the outside lane of the two when a white Fiesta 2010 or 11 cut in front of me causing me to slow. I didn't react at all just stayed behind.

 

So the white Fiesta undertook you on the sliproad?

 

Doesn't sound like a manouvre typical of a police vehicle, marked, unmarked or pool car.

 

Sounds to me like he wanted to join the motorway at a faster speed than you were allowing him to by being in the right hand lane.