Some years ago, innocently driving home from work, I left a dual carriageway road to turn right at a flyover roundabout. As I came round the roundabout, approaching my exit, I saw a car heading towards the roundabout on my left, i.e. joining it from the opposite direction from the dual carriageway I had just left.
I had this instant feeling that he wasn't planning on stopping, and almost as instantly I went through the options:
1) Slow down and let him go
2) Speed up and zip round in front of him
3) Give him horns and lights
As I went through these alternatives, I thought:
1) WTF should I, it's my right of way
2) Bit dodgy - might not make it
3) Horns & lights it is, then.
A that time I drove a car which had a fair amount of auxiliary lighting and a very loud horn, and when 850W of lights and 5 airhorns driven by 2 compressors erupted a few yards from him, then he spotted me, and then he gave way. Rather suddenly.
However, I couldn't help noticing, as I sailed off down the road, that he'd followed me, and I was sure, from the angle at which he'd been approaching the roundabout, that turning left had not been his plan, and therefore following me was a last minute decision.
I was further convinced of this by the fact that he was driving very close behind me, main beam on (it was dark), and blowing his horn.
As I sped up, to try and get away, I thought to myself "You bl**dy idiot, why didn't you let him go - now look, you've got some road-rage maniac on your tail."
It was a 30mph zone, and we were up to 80mph as I came over the bridge by a tube station and saw a red light ahead. I was able to stop, and as I slowed down, I hit the driver's door lock to trigger the central locking. I stopped at the white line, closely watching the traffic on the other road, thinking that if anybody got out of the other car I'd be off, red light or no.
The other car drew alongside me on the right, went over the white line a bit, and pulled to the left in front of me.
Oh sh*t.
As the passenger door opened, and an arm wrapped in blue serge came out, followed by the rest of the body, also clad in blue serge, and now donning a peaked cap with a fetching black & white checkered band on it - Oh f*ck.
Meanwhile, all the other drivers we'd passed had arrived at the lights and were watching with interest.
In reply to the enquiry about what the hell I thought I was doing, I could only say the truth - I thought I was fleeing from someone planning to drag me out of the car and beat me up.
"Didn't you know we were the Police?"
"No - it's dark, your car is unmarked, has no hidden blue lights, no siren, just ordinary headlights and an ordinary horn, and because you were right on my tail with main beam on I couldn't see who was in the car. After I blew my horn and flashed my lights at you back at the roundabout you took off after me. I didn't know who you were, and I was afraid for my safety."
They let me go.
I had this instant feeling that he wasn't planning on stopping, and almost as instantly I went through the options:
1) Slow down and let him go
2) Speed up and zip round in front of him
3) Give him horns and lights
As I went through these alternatives, I thought:
1) WTF should I, it's my right of way
2) Bit dodgy - might not make it
3) Horns & lights it is, then.
A that time I drove a car which had a fair amount of auxiliary lighting and a very loud horn, and when 850W of lights and 5 airhorns driven by 2 compressors erupted a few yards from him, then he spotted me, and then he gave way. Rather suddenly.
However, I couldn't help noticing, as I sailed off down the road, that he'd followed me, and I was sure, from the angle at which he'd been approaching the roundabout, that turning left had not been his plan, and therefore following me was a last minute decision.
I was further convinced of this by the fact that he was driving very close behind me, main beam on (it was dark), and blowing his horn.
As I sped up, to try and get away, I thought to myself "You bl**dy idiot, why didn't you let him go - now look, you've got some road-rage maniac on your tail."
It was a 30mph zone, and we were up to 80mph as I came over the bridge by a tube station and saw a red light ahead. I was able to stop, and as I slowed down, I hit the driver's door lock to trigger the central locking. I stopped at the white line, closely watching the traffic on the other road, thinking that if anybody got out of the other car I'd be off, red light or no.
The other car drew alongside me on the right, went over the white line a bit, and pulled to the left in front of me.
Oh sh*t.
As the passenger door opened, and an arm wrapped in blue serge came out, followed by the rest of the body, also clad in blue serge, and now donning a peaked cap with a fetching black & white checkered band on it - Oh f*ck.
Meanwhile, all the other drivers we'd passed had arrived at the lights and were watching with interest.
In reply to the enquiry about what the hell I thought I was doing, I could only say the truth - I thought I was fleeing from someone planning to drag me out of the car and beat me up.
"Didn't you know we were the Police?"
"No - it's dark, your car is unmarked, has no hidden blue lights, no siren, just ordinary headlights and an ordinary horn, and because you were right on my tail with main beam on I couldn't see who was in the car. After I blew my horn and flashed my lights at you back at the roundabout you took off after me. I didn't know who you were, and I was afraid for my safety."
They let me go.
) and they were in a silver police car. 
