I'm really peeeeeed off.(Rant on)

[Vincenzo]

I have just completed a 10,000km journey in 11 days driving time from Perth to Darwin via Canberra and Sydney.

During this trip I had never brought myself to the attention of any Law enforcement jurisdiction except in Vic where I was complemented by the Highway Patrol following me for 35km for using all correct signals and speed etc. (unmarked vehicle)

Last night I arrived home in Darwin, called in to my daughters so she could help me get stuff upstairs from the new car. Once completed, I took her home again showing her the old peoples home I will be moving into. Now, my car is a 26y/o classic BMW. I had noticed I was being followed by a Police car (3.8km) but it did not worry me, I was doing nothing wrong.

Next thing I know I am getting blue lighted, so I pull over. Officer comes to the drivers door and says he noted I was swerving all over the road have I been drinking and could I get my licence please. I stated I was not wandering, I do not drink alcohol and resent the implication. As a former driving instructor with many Police children as my students I would never drink drive. Officer takes my licence and calls in car details (WA rego).

The Officer returns my licence using my first name and says thankyou you can go. Now, when was the last time you had a Police Officer take your word about drink driving. When I enquired about blowing in the bag or if this was some new form of profiling, he simply said good night. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh (Rant off)

[The Yeti]

sorry mate I'm missing the point.

what's the problem, you wernt breath tested? or that he used your first name

[MercurySilver]

obviously got more info about you when he called it in.

its like getting pulled over and they ask you do you own the car?
well you know i do because as you were following me you typed in the rego and got all the details
when you pulled me over you asked for a licence
that licence has a photo and all the details match, so you can tell i own the car

but you still ask me if i own the car
never understood that

thing is tho
that cop lied
you were not swerving all over the road
he just made it up and used it as an excuse to pull you over

a lot of 5.0 bashing goes on around here and that is a result of people having bad experiences with certain police officers who think they are above the law and in some instances are down right nasty
its these one or two that spoil it and make all the good hard working honest ones go into the same basket

looks like you had a good experience

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

sorry mate I'm missing the point.

what's the problem, you wernt breath tested? or that he used your first name

Yep me too - I'm not seeing a problem.

[Dave R]

That sounds like a good experience to me. Not long ago I was accused of being high range intoxicated, I don't even drink, after half an hour on the side of the road being treated like a criminal it turned out the machine he was using was faulty. I don't even see that as a bad experience, at least they took the time to get another breathalyser instead of just arresting me for the secondary at the police station.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

Not long ago I was accused of being high range intoxicated, I don't even drink, after half an hour on the side of the road being treated like a criminal it turned out the machine he was using was faulty. I don't even see that as a bad experience

I would.

If he hasnt got enough common sense to figure out that the guy he's looking at cant possibly have returned the result the machine says he did, he shouldnt be doing that job.

[flappist]

There is a good chance that you actually were breath tested. There are little gizmos that are worn in the pocket that would have gone beep if they detected anything naughty.

The other point is you are in Darwin in an old BMW with number plates that could not checked on the fly. You have lived there long enough to understand.........

[bingoTE50]

May have thought it was stolen and blue lighted you to see if you reacted the wrong way ?

[Kryton]

Police doing their job.........
What else were they meant to do?

[jaydee]

If he'd had a whiff of alcohol then he would have prelim tested you.
As said, WA plates in the NT may have got them wondering a bit, but really at the end of the day I think you should lighten up a bit.
You're only going to get your blood pressure up for nothing.

[Vincenzo]

Thanks to all those who read my rant.

My point was if you think I was wandering all over the road why not get me to blow in the machine. Why take my word for it.

My daughter could not stop laughing as I had just finished saying it was 13 years since I was last pulled over for a breath test and that was with a student on board and a vehicle clearly marked as a Driving School car.

Yes, you are right, word will get around until I get the rego changed over but geez, I had only been in town 35 minutes.

Having had a close working relationship with the Police over a 15 to 20 year period as an Ambulance Officer / Paramedic I guess does have its benefits. I guess after driving through from Camowheel to Darwin in one hit I was probably just a little touchy.

Thankyou to everyone for helping to keep me grounded.


Cheers Vincenzo

[svo supporter]

Police will use any excuse as to why they pulled you over.....The reason they didn't breath test....Couldn't smell it or any indication of trying to hide it...

Considering you were working closely with them for so many years, you should understand how they operate and why they pull people over randomly.

Just incase people think I'm cop bashing....That's not the case....They have a job to do and providing you're not doing anything wrong, nor agro towards them with their first impressions, leave them do their job and you can get on you're merry way quicker.

[GK]

If you're a good driver, with a long history of not being randomly pulled over by the federalis, then I can understand Vincenzo's reaction.

Probably a bit of a shock for him that's all.

GK

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

Having had a close working relationship with the Police over a 15 to 20 year period as an Ambulance Officer / Paramedic I guess does have its benefits. I guess after driving through from Camowheel to Darwin in one hit I was probably just a little touchy.

You think that’s touchy?

Try driving a B double up the Hume when the Task Force are out making sure that the state keeps its AAA rating. Some of those coppers will ream you so hard, you won’t be able to sit comfortably for a week.

Take it from me. Any time that you drive away from a roadside interception with a polite word and well wishes from the officer who hit the angry lights is a great outcome.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by GK

If you're a good driver, with a long history of not being randomly pulled over by the federalis, then I can understand Vincenzo's reaction.

Probably a bit of a shock for him that's all.

GK

What?He must be used to getting pulled over. He was pulled over in Victoria and complimented in his driving!!!!

Cops must be busy in Vic...

[MITCHAY]

If any police officer pulled me over because they thought I was swerving all over the road and then did not breatho me I'd be worried. Talk about lazy lol

I got done doing 25km/h over the limit and was surprised I wasn't put on the bag (I actually had zero booze BTW).

Should be routine IMO if you can be arsed to pull people over in the first place.

[atec77]

Originally Posted by Kryton

Police doing their job.........
What else were they meant to do?

Many coppas are just fine but , some are like the general populace a mis-informed paranoid goose , last time I got pulled in the bimmer the ocifer was quite rude and made incorrect assertions about my driving
My passenger was a family member ( a state Judge) who I introduced and oddly things went better from there on in
We left shortly after a short exchange of pleasantries and the ocifer becoming very red-faced.

[devilcv8]

Yesterday I moved the ute from th front to th lane way out the back of the house. Total distance covered was under 150 metres. I noted a cop sitting outside the jail pulling people over so I made sure to seat belt up. Low and behold he follows me into the lane and lights me up for a RBT and license check. Told him my wallet was inside and his response was why aren't you carrying it. My answer because I'm moving the effing car around the back. Rbt done with zero, and a please carry your license always.

As he was driving off I waved him over and asked if they'd mind targeting the speeders every day between 7 and 8am as myself and the neighbors don't appreciate dicing with death every time we leave our houses.
All in all, a waste of time, but more pleasant than most interactions.

[GK]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Cops must be busy in Vic...

Yep they are!

GK

[fanboi]

Originally Posted by flappist

There is a good chance that you actually were breath tested. There are little gizmos that are worn in the pocket that would have gone beep if they detected anything naughty.

********

[39ClevoUte]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

obviously got more info about you when he called it in.

its like getting pulled over and they ask you do you own the car?
well you know i do because as you were following me you typed in the rego and got all the details
when you pulled me over you asked for a licence
that licence has a photo and all the details match, so you can tell i own the car

but you still ask me if i own the car
never understood that

thing is tho
that cop lied
you were not swerving all over the road
he just made it up and used it as an excuse to pull you over

a lot of 5.0 bashing goes on around here and that is a result of people having bad experiences with certain police officers who think they are above the law and in some instances are down right nasty
its these one or two that spoil it and make all the good hard working honest ones go into the same basket

looks like you had a good experience

Don't have to type in rego details scanners read plate and have details on screen even for cars passing the other way. Welcome to the 2000s+.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

obviously got more info about you when he called it in.

its like getting pulled over and they ask you do you own the car?
well you know i do because as you were following me you typed in the rego and got all the details
when you pulled me over you asked for a licence
that licence has a photo and all the details match, so you can tell i own the car

but you still ask me if i own the car
never understood that

thing is tho
that cop lied
you were not swerving all over the road
he just made it up and used it as an excuse to pull you over

a lot of 5.0 bashing goes on around here and that is a result of people having bad experiences with certain police officers who think they are above the law and in some instances are down right nasty
its these one or two that spoil it and make all the good hard working honest ones go into the same basket

looks like you had a good experience

OK the only reason cops pull you over (unless it's a traffic offense) is because they are suspicious (could be same old biddy complained about a car like yours 2 minutes earlier or a weird rego plate or an expensive car in poor suburb and you look like a slob, whatever). Yes copper has all the car's details on screen before he even pulls you up. Then asks you a bunch of questions to which he already knows the answer in order to gauge if you are telling the truth, or your reaction.

You lie and he has probable cause, he can then take it further from there.

Pretty standard policing.

They are just doing their job.

[Keepleft]

That was one hell of a polite rant!

[Vincenzo]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

That was one hell of a polite rant!

Thankyou, I'm sure I can do better next time

[LTDHO]

You rant because something good happened?

What's this world coming too?

[JG65TE]

Few years ago the orrificers in Vic were given movie passes to hand out to drivers who displayed good driving habits. Most got given to family and friends because the general population don't wish to be pulled up by the cops for doing good or bad. You would have to be the first person I have ever heard of being pulled over for a pat on the back. Take it from me, if a Vic cop grabs you it usually results in a ticket.

[Vincenzo]

I think people are confusing the two incidents. I was a Driving Instructor for many years both in the Ambulance Service and seperately running my own Driving School.

Getting stopped by an unmarked Police vehicle after being followed for about 35 km and congratulated for following every possible road rule: proper lane changes, speed zone changes and general road behaviour, was proof to me that the high standards I set my students and myself was / is worth the effort.

Had the Police in Darwin said we would like you to do a random breath test I would of had no problem. Being pulled over for weaving over the road, asked if I have been drinking and then taking my word for it without testing me peeeed me off. What if I was lying (which I wasn't). This point of view comes from years in the Ambulance Service at accident scenes where patients would tell the Police they had no alcohol. Then when we are transporting them to hospital they admit to having "several" drinks. That's all, that's it.

Cheers Vincenzo

[gtxb67]

many years ago after being picked up hooning around a car park, the first words they said to me was "how much have you had to drink"
no breath test was given and they let me off for everything - they actually fined my mate for hanging out a window, because he gave them grief

maybe they thought i could have been drinking, maybe they were just trying to test me for what i would say . . . . either way, they were just doing their job
you don't need to give someone a breath test to see if they have been drinking. you only need the breath test to see how much they have actually drunk


they are damned if they do and damned if they don't

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

You rant because something good happened?

What's this world coming too?

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

Had the Police in Darwin said we would like you to do a random breath test I would of had no problem. Being pulled over for weaving over the road, asked if I have been drinking and then taking my word for it without testing me peeeed me off. What if I was lying (which I wasn't). This point of view comes from years in the Ambulance Service at accident scenes where patients would tell the Police they had no alcohol. Then when we are transporting them to hospital they admit to having "several" drinks. That's all, that's it.

Cheers Vincenzo

No, I got what you wrote!
Would you have felt better if he did RBT, then defected your car and fined you for hooning??

You dodged a bullet, so buy a lotto ticket and don't rant!

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

You rant because something good happened?

What's this world coming too?

This would have to be one of the stupidest threads I’ve seen on AFF for quite a while.

FFS, here we have some bloke who because he was a driving instructor thinks that he’s so much better than everyone else and that the law of the land shouldn’t apply to him. How dare the police pull me over, I used to be a driving instructor.

Get over it princess.

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

Getting stopped by an unmarked Police vehicle after being followed for about 35 km and congratulated for following every possible road rule.

If I wrote a bloody story for every time I’ve been pulled up in the last 25 years by the police, Vicroads, RTA / RMS, Queensland Transport or Transport SA and had nothing wrong, AFF wouldn’t have any room for anything else.

Obviously this is a little bit of drama in your life and you feel the need to tell everyone about it.

I’ll tell you what. I’ll ring the coppers up there and tell them that the next time they see you to give you a touch up, cuff you. Give you another touch up and throw you in the back of the divvy van, then hit every gutter on the way back to the station, then accidentally slam your head on the door as they’re removing you, give you another touch up, then leave you in the lock up for the rest of the day while you car is being defected while they’re impounding it.

Will that make you feel better?