Being pulled over by the police/garda: is there a standard procedure?

B

Bubbly Scot

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I don't actually KNOW what signs you get when the police want you to pull over. I thought it was a blue light and a hand signal, perhaps a siren if you didn't appear to have noticed?

Can anyone enlighten me? I had an unmarked car with a blue light behind me for miles the other day but just when I thought I better pull over, just in case...he did a U-turn at the county border and went back the way we had come. (think he was getting ready to do an ambulance escort).
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

I thought that it was only (?) in the US that they tailed you and signalled you to pull over and here in Ireland they generally did so from in front?
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

I'm not sure, I've never been pulled or seen it done. Not in Ireland or the UK.

I was told "if they want you to pull over you'll know about it" but never got any info on HOW they do this.
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

A few years ago I was 'tailed' and had to pull over. I was breaking the speed limit and an unmarked car with a flashing blue light came up behind me.

I thought tail-gating me like this seemed to be far more dangerous than my speeding infraction. They appeared to be inches away from my back bumper.
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

From personal experience, I've no idea if its procedure. If its a car they general turn on the lights or blip the siren. Though I've had one on a bike make vague waving gestures which we though was move on, but in fact was pull in. He wasn't impressed. Its usual for a guards to follow a car for a bit if they think your up to something or that you've done something, even its its just bad driving. It usually provokes a reaction if your up to no good, or if you are bad driver you're likely to repeat your bad driving especially if its a habit, or you haven't noticed the cop car.

This is another reason why its aways good to watch the mirror.
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

umop3p!sdn said:
A few years ago I was 'tailed' and had to pull over. I was breaking the speed limit and an unmarked car with a flashing blue light came up behind me.

I thought tail-gating me like this seemed to be far more dangerous than my speeding infraction. They appeared to be inches away from my back bumper.
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Driving like a moron seems to be another trait. So if you miss the vague signal, watch out for that, if someone tailgates or cuts you up. It seems to be some form of test. If you respond by flashing, or blowing the horn, they've got you!.
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

Are we not supposed to flash or blow the horn??? :confused:

How else do we show our annoyance at careless and dangerous driving that we are subjected to?
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

As a woman who drives alone a lot I don't flash or toot bad driving, you just don't know who's in the other car or what they might do back to you.

I just give them filthy looks and shake my head a lot.

Not nearly as satisfying but potentially safer (and legal by the looks of it too)
 
Ive added "is there a standard procedure?" to the title to clarify the question a little.
aj
 
I rememb er ears ago my mother was driving alone at night. The local guard tried to pull her in by waving a torch around. She, sensible woman, kept going!

All was sorted out in the light of day.
 
Re: Being pulled over by the police/garda

micamaca said:
Are we not supposed to flash or blow the horn??? :confused:

How else do we show our annoyance at careless and dangerous driving that we are subjected to?
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I didn't think that flashing headlights was recommended in any circumstances. And I don't think that the horn is for expressing annoyance but rather for use as a warning in potentially dangerous situations.
 
Sign of the times that, if someone toots we automatically think they're annoyed, when in fact it's supposed to mean "hello, I'm here, just making sure you know so you don't bump into me"

I like the three blips of hazard lights when someone lets you pass, very courteous.

Thanks for adjusting the topic ajapale, makes it clearer...although I'm still none the wiser *L*
 
I was a in a car with someone who was pulled over on the M50. We were driving along when the driver said there was an idiot driving close behind him. The idiot then drove alongside in the overtaking lane. I looked over and said "It's a really angry man gesturing, I think he wants to race you".

Luckily the driver didn't race, he slowed down and so did the other car. Then the other car went in front and slammed on the brakes so the driver pulled into the hard shoulder. The other car pulled into the hard shoulder in front and reversed back. Then the angry man got out and put on his police jacket and hat.

I stayed in the car but the driver got out and asked what he did wrong. The policman didn't say anything just asked to see the drivers licence and came over to check the tax and insurance.

It was really strange. The car hadn't been speeding at any point and nothing ever happened.
 
A friend of mine was pulled over on the M1 going north by an unmarked car with blue flashing lights in the grill. When he pulled over he noticed that when the car pulled in on front of him that it had a tow bar attached. Being in the car recovery business he does a lot of work for the gardai, and knew this was highly unusual so he put the pedal down and took off. The car followed but took the next exit off the motorway. This friend called the gardai who advised there was a gang of car thieves who stop people in high end new cars and steal the car. This friend was driving a brand new BMW. The gardai advised that if your any way suspect to the validity of such cars to ring 999 and advise your are proceeding to the nearest cop shop.
 
Golfer18 said:
...he noticed that when the car pulled in on front of him that it had a tow bar attached. Being in the car recovery business he does a lot of work for the gardai, and knew this was highly unusual...
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What has being in the car recovery biz got to do with the towbar?
 
Presumably, he knew that cop cars rarely have towbars attached as he had numerous dealings with the GArdai in his work?
 
Welfarite said:
Presumably, he knew that cop cars rarely have towbars attached as he had numerous dealings with the GArdai in his work?
Click to expand...

Thats the obvously suggestion. But I'm not in the car recovery biz and I could tell you that, as could most people who pay any tiny bit of attention to the Gardai cars.
 
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