What is your perception of police driving?

Question

Under no circumstances am I having a go or moaning in anyway about police officers!

I require some background information on the public perception of police driving practices and standards.

The sorts of answers I require are as follows:

As a member of the public:

Do you know what it takes to become a police driver?

Do you know what skills are required?

Do you know what the rules are as a police driver on a blue light run?

How do you deal with a police car when they are travelling behind you with blue lights?

These are just a few examples of things I am looking for, if you have any other information, examples or even moans you would like to add, then that would be greatly appreciated.

If you chose to answer this question as a trained police driver, then please state that in your response, the criteria I must research is specific to "general public" but I am more than willing to read answers from trained officers.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Answer 1

they drive like idiots speeding because they can

Answer 2

I suppose I am "general public"

I think I understand about as well as any what is required to keep a car between the ditches. I have been doing it successfully for well over 40 years.

As for cops, and their training, let's put it this way. There are so many different cops and training facilities that it would make a normal person’s head swim. My sister-in-laws husband trains city and county police. A few miles away we have a Highway Patrol Academy. There is no comparison between the skills needed to graduate from those two classes.

Knowing the above for a fact, I think I can extrapolate to places like Iowa or New Hampshire. There is simply no common ground to compare officers.

I give every emergency vehicle the right of way. I hope every one does, someday they could be coming to help me. I don't always pull to the right. For example if I am stopped at a light and things get exciting I keep my foot on the brake. I'm telling the emergency drive that I am not going anywhere and as long as he steers around I won't move. Of course if there is time to clear the road I will do so.

As you, I have a lot of respect for cops, but mostly I respect the uniform. I think cops as individuals are generally some pretty low life people. Most I have met are on some sort of a power trip and they seem a lot more apt to harass a citizen than try to capture someone who might fight back. I can't imagine a cop with a year on the job that hasn't abused his authority. And I consider small offenses like accepting a free coffee to be abuse. I want the men and women charged with policing me to be above reproach. Unfortunately they are human and that, alone, is a big problem.

How is that? If you want a specific answer to a question I can be reached through my profile.

Good luck on your project.

Answer 3

Their driving is to different standards, a traffic officer is trained to drive at speed while those who drive panda cars just have the normal driving licence and no doubt ability. What really annoys me is that they, along with the public seem to think that parking on the pavement is OK. The fact is that driving standards of the police are as variable as they are for the public just that some have been trained to a higher level.

Answer 4

Sometimes when i see a police car coming up behind me with lights and wailers my first instinct is to check my speed and start worrying they are after me! Then I pull over to the side to see if they go past.

I know police drivers have to take "capacity tests" where they scream down country roads in an unmarked at 90mph while giving a running commentary. This I find more dangerous than a police chase because you have no warning what is coming.

I get very annoyed with people who see emergency vehicles coming up behind them and then stop in the most obstructive place possible! Just indicate and pull over without parking.

Answer 5

i have about 200 hours of school left to become an oklahoma city police officer. I can relate with the question . there are many officers out there that pay no attention to there driving even though we are required to complete standard tests every year. I also know that they have more on there mind then you will ever have, while you are on patrol you have to be proactive not just reavtive you are always looking for illegal activity to everyday people normal activities can turn out to be more harmful than you think

Answer 6

Observations on the police.

Why is it that when you watch videos on television of speeding motorists flying through traffic lights on the wrong side of the raod in built up areas, the police car chasing is doing exactly the same.

Now trained or not, what gives them the right to endanger the life of members of the public, simply to apprehend a possible car thief.

Unfortunate though it is for anyone to lose a vehicle to a thief, it is after all just a lump of metal with some bits of rubber attached. Is this object worth the added danger of a police car chasing at the same speed (indeed faster if he intends to catch it) through our neighbourhoods.

Yes I have heard that stolen cars are usually used in other crimes, but why should I or members of my family risk death or injury just because a stolen vehicle may be used for a crime at some time in the future?.

If a police vehicle is speeding to help a member of the public in distress or in a life threatening situation then you can have some sympathy with their speeding, but not for the sake of a lump of metal.

Could it be that the police are under pressure from the insurance companies to reduce the number of claims against them, or perhaps the police concentrate on and advertise the results of car crime to justify the exhorbitant amounts spent by them on their vehicles.

The officer with his butt in the seat of a vehicle is likely to catch a car thief, however, the officer on the beat is likely to catch the thief before he even takes the car.

So in my humble opinion, when the red mist comes down, the police officer driving the chasing car is every bit as likely to have an accident (and plenty have in the past) as the thief.

I witness speeding police cars past my house on a daily bassis, this is a residential area, the police are doing in excess of 70 mph on a 30mph road - NOT JUSTIFIED

Answer 7

as a driving instructor in a city and allso living near a police training school we see a lot of the police driving . Turning the wrong way up a dual carriage way seen that twice.no use of signal at all.breaking speed limits with no blue lights on.not using a bus lane outside its hours of operation.driving whilst on mobile phones too many times to count.overtaking on approach to pedestrian crossing.oh and the traffic officer who ran into the back of me whilst i was stationary at a red light.

Answer 8

OK to start off with I am a "trained"officer
I have been on the road for 15 years

It takes a commitment to the public, and your family. Being an officer is something anyone can do, but the ones that fail are all over the news and portray us all as bad. If you think it's cool it can be but that isn't the reason to be a cop!

All skills are trained, an ability to use your training in a pinch is also trained. if you have it in the heart you will be a good one.

Police on a 3 run, although we have the lights on and others are required by law to give way we have to take all that into consideration and we never drive like maniacs, even in my personal car I drive the limit.
You never know who that guy is in the Pickup driving no more than 5 over he is probably a Policeman.....We remember...

How to deal with a car with lights behind you.....PULL OVER to the RIGHT DO NOT STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION.
If a car pulls up behind you at a light you DO have permission to enter and cross the intersection to make way check that all is clear first. please don't just sit there.

If an officer is on the side of the road with lights on, for his safety and yours please pull safely to the left to make room just in case the person he has pulled over bails or drives off.

We don't make the laws so when we do pullyou over remember we are just doing our job, we don't make the laws we just try to enforce them, I for one pull anyone over who is in the intersection and the light goes red. Pay attention to your driving and we will never meet.....

In my personal opinion if someone has an attitude with police they are hiding something or they have had some trouble adhering to the laws we must all abide by..... K5...I know where you live.... :)

Answer 9

In my town the cops ride the right expressway lane and won't move for cars on the on ramp (they'd rather stop in the lane), they talk on the phone, tail gate and can't translate "yield". They drive just like the brain dead 65% of the citizens in my town.

Answer 10

They drive at their own risk, same as anyone but the differenceis they should be trainned well enough to not endanger themselves or anyone else, the problem lies in the fact that the public who are also on the roads aren't!

Answer 11

Well i am a police officer and it is sweet to have the right to go any where i want as fast as i want especially when im hungry or i see a hot young girl who ''needs assistance''. I dont guess your question matters cause if it makes people mad ,there is absolutley nothing they can do about it. Thanks and drive safe, im watching!