Law on Police cars speeding and DWDC etc.
 

So as not to derail http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.php?p=733634#733634 topic, I wonder if anyone can shed some light on the law regarding speeding police cars not using blue lights and sirens? As I understand it, they are subject to same laws as us in this situation?

Who do we report them to?

how do you make sure they get prosecuted to the same extent as Joe Public? (I don't care if they lose their job too, they knew the risk)

ETC?

This is one area that really undermines public confidence in the traffic laws, when folk see them being broken willy nilly by the police - apparently with impunity.

I think the rules are simple.

A Police, or any Emergency Vehicle must obey the laws of the road, in the same way we all have to. The exception for this is when they are on an Emergency call, and are using sirens and lights appropriately. If it's late at night, and the traffic is light, it might be acceptable for no siren to be used - but lights must still be flashing.

I recall a case a few year ago, where an Ambulance was flashed by a speed camera. To avoid prosecution they had to prove that it was on en route to a logged emergency. The Police should be no different.

I've asked Police to move their vehicles before, once for parking on a double-yellow line and going shopping, and another time for parking on the zig-zag lines by a pedestrian crossing - pointing out to the officers that not only were they causing an impassable obstruction for other traffic, but they were also reducing visibility for pedestrians trying to cross the road. I didn't get arrested on either occassion, and the vehicles were duly moved.

By and large, traffic cops seem very good. It's more "normal" police in cars that are a problem/driven badly. Just out of interest, do normal police have any additional driving training above what joe public has?

I would think that they do- they also have to answer emergency calls and should be trained to drive safely in such situations.

My brother (a paramedic) told me years ago that he was told the following:

When not on an emergency, you obey the same laws as everyone else.
When on an emergency, you're given speed limit + 10%.

I'm not sure the truth of it, or if it was only applicable whilst on training, or if it's changed since then. But if an ambulance is coming for me or the kids on a 999 call, in a 30 zone, he better be going faster than 33mph as far as I'm concerned!

The way I ride, is that if a police car is going faster than the speed limit, I'll follow him at the same speed, at a safe distance. If they decide to pull me over for that, then I'll argue the toss, mainly as I'll be using them to gauge my road speed & paying attention to other areas of my riding :D

So when they break the law, who do we report it to?

The Force's Chief Constable - it will be delegated down to the right Officer from there.

You may find that you get a fairly useless reply saying "but our officers are trained to drive like that, you're not", as my parents did when they complained about a Plod Car doing 40mph+ in a 30, the same area where my brother got pulled over for doing nearly 40 (the speed limit had recently been changed) a week or so before.

That could just be Bradfords (West Yorkshire) standard answer because they think the speed limit is tosh on that road, but can't be bothered arguing the toss with the council.

Well I would not accept that!

I used to work in a pub not that far outside Llandudno. One of the regulars is a local councillor, and another is a judge ;) I know who to complain to ;)