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[Big_Al]

My sister rang today saying that after 30 years of driving she was finally pulled over by traffic police last night. she had arranged to go & collect 3 girl friends from a night out in Chelmsford. She lives there.

After picking them up & pulling away she was she was straight away "Blue lighted " & stopped. They breath tested her , zero alcohol, so then proceeded to give the car a good look over. They found a main beam light blown  and gave a fixed penalty notice

They said you should not use the car with a light out    fair enough if you know it's out  . . but if a bulb blows are you supposed to stop the car & leave it there until daylight & then get it repaired ?  surely not  . .  especially lone females

Anyone comment on this or had similar .

Last line . . .   my sister would not drive her car if she knowingly had a dashboard light out let alone a headlight  !!! 

[mantahatch]

Going on what you have written I am disgusted, but not surprised in the slightest. The modern police are doing there utmost to alienate the general public. I wonder if they where trying for drink driving and where annoyed they did not get it, so "had" to find something wrong.

I wonder how some of these guys sleep at night. Probably very well on there inflated salaries.

Couple of points, was it in town, and did her journey take her on roads that required main beam ? if not I would be complaining. She could argue it would be dangerous to test main beam headlights in town/city before driving off. That said does the car have bulb failure system ? was there a warning on the dash.

Even the corrupt French police give you a chance to change the bulb at the side of the road. Top tip when dealing with French police, never ever pay in cash, allways offer a credit card. 9 times out of 10 they will send you on your way. Now if that is not corrupt officers I don't know what is.

[PAULCDX]

Being an ex copper myself even I find this a bit steep 

I would of thought some advice or even just a vehicle defect notice would suffice, that gives the owner 7 days to get any defects repaired but at the end of the day it was only a bulb wasn't it?

Gosh how times seemed to have changed   

[Big_Al]

Going on what you have written I am disgusted, but not surprised in the slightest. The modern police are doing there utmost to alienate the general public. I wonder if they where trying for drink driving and where annoyed they did not get it, so "had" to find something wrong.

I wonder how some of these guys sleep at night. Probably very well on there inflated salaries.

Couple of points, was it in town, and did her journey take her on roads that required main beam ? if not I would be complaining. She could argue it would be dangerous to test main beam headlights in town/city before driving off. That said does the car have bulb failure system ? was there a warning on the dash.

Even the corrupt French police give you a chance to change the bulb at the side of the road. Top tip when dealing with French police, never ever pay in cash, allways offer a credit card. 9 times out of 10 they will send you on your way. Now if that is not corrupt officers I don't know what is.

It  was in town & destination was 3 addresses in that town  . .   so main beam probably not required.

W  reg. fiesta  , don't think it will have a bulb blown warning 

Common sense should have prevailed surely . . 

 but forgot to mention it was an officer of the female gender who issued the ticket

[Michael2.6]

The reason your sister was probably stopped was because it was late at night and there was four people in the car

gives the police an excuse to stop and search for alcohol and drugs.

The bulb was spotted because none of the above was found.

[Big_Al]

Being an ex copper myself even I find this a bit steep 

I would of thought some advice or even just a vehicle defect notice would suffice, that gives the owner 7 days to get any defects repaired but at the end of the day it was only a bulb wasn't it?

Gosh how times seemed to have changed   

Probably thought they were going to get Drink Driving   "Nick"

[RobG]

Yet another example of why the police are losing the respect of the general public

[Big_Al]

Yet another example of why the police are losing the respect of the general public

Exactly Rob             

[PAULCDX]

I'm glad I left when I did lol 

It's even worse now, with even more red tape and targets to keep on top of 


As said, I think words of advice would of been the best way to deal with this wouldn't it but then that's just me   

[Crazycarzowner]

What kind of road was she pulled on? if it was a 30mph limit and street lit I'm sure if memory serves me correctly side lights are required only 

[Dishevelled Den]

Modern policing has changed a lot since I was in uniform (and, without doubt, it has been required to change), but the requirement to assess any situation and deal with it in the most efficient manner has not. 

So, unless there is absolutely no alternative to reporting any matter/issuing a notice or the person concerned is giving some measure of grief then, in the vast majority of cases, advice, a warning or the opportunity to rectify faults (in the case of vehicle detections) will all go a very long way to keep the essential compact between the police and the public alive and well.

Yes, it does appear to be a bit harsh, sadly, but given the performance targets issued by the gutless cadre of middle management which seems to be infesting the police at the moment or the over-zealous individual who delights in sticking it to someone (have known a few of that sort), I’m not at all surprised that such incidents occur.

I've said this many times - keep oppsing about with the people you depend on to make the system work i.e. the public, and you'll eventually get bitten by them and when you are, can you really complain?

[Crazycarzowner]

Just consulted HC this is what it states

113

You MUST

* ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
* use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
* use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226)

[dbug]

Did she check their car?  Last time I was stopped for no reason I found one of the rear light bulbs out on their car and as they were hassling me for no reason said I would report them and even took a pic on my phone.  They b*ggered off when presented with this    Did report the incident and made the point to a senior officer that I did not expect to be harassed as a result.  Least I've now sold the car - sorry Al keep out of Northants 

[pscocoa]

pathetic police response  - jobs worth obviously at work and trying to meet his stats target. Practically all that is wrong with our public services is effectively captured here

[hotel21]

As someone else said, I am also glad I done my last shift almost 6 years ago. Even back then targets was very much to the fore. Probies had a check sheet that they had to complete at various stages to show a depth and breadth of learning/understanding of the larger 'job' and perhaps this case is an instance of this.

There are always two sides to a story, however, and whilst offence at the following may be taken it is certainly not my intent. 

If there were a couple of girls who had taken drink and got a bit gobby when stopped then the officer may -and I stress may - have reacted in the issue of a ticket. Not saying for an instant that it's acceptable but it may be a possibility.

That said, in town or not, it's the drivers responsibility to ensure that all lamps etc are working when used on a road. That the officer booked the driver as opposed to a VDRS (vehicle defect 21 day fix it ticket) is not how I would have dealt but. I was not there....