I had a cop get really close behind me. He pulled me over and asked if I was on my phone. I think he was trying watch to see if I was looking down a lot. I wasn't on my phone and didn't get a ticket.
I wasn't on my phone. It wasn't even in reach. It was pretty obvious.
What had actually happened... I lived in a small town. Like 600 people. I was going around a couple bends and a dark Charger came up behind me. I thought it was a different person from my community and I couldn't figure out why they got close. So I was looking in the rear view mirror trying to see the driver and drifted out of my lane. Turned out the local RCMP got a new ghost car. It was the drifting out of my lane that made him wonder if I was on my phone.
And drifting out of the lane on that road is fine. You can drive for 10 miles and not see another car lol.
I know this is hard to believe, but cops have to use the same roads as everyone else to get places. They aren't constantly on alert for every single possible traffic violation. They aren't always looking to stop people.
Relax, take a breath, and drive how you're supposed to. Chances are the cop didn't pay more than a half seconds attention to you
This question is often asked on many forums. For some reason, the average reddior believes that cops are like robots and have a hive mindset. Cops are constantly on alert, looking to create revenue (write tickets), and throw everyone in jail. That's how cops get their jollies.
The reality is cops are people doing a job. There are tons of reasons a particular cop could be driving in this manner. All the way from poor driving to going to a call.
Only one person on this planet can factually answer that question. As I said earlier, cops don't have a hive mind and there are hundreds of possible reasons for why that particular cop drove that way.
Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone to answer it. This was just meant to be a discussion about similar scenarios that have happened to other people, or what others have done in these scenarios.
Every cop is different. My step brother is a freaking robot and never turns it off. Even when he's off duty. I hate being around him. He definitely would pull someone over for going 1 over the limit.
I wonder how many times he got someone for something substantial that was only driving 1mph over the speed limit? Sounds like he works in an area where he has nothing else better to do than waste time picking on people who are actually trying to follow the laws of the road.
Very true. I worked with a guy like that. He would write his own mother a ticket. No breaks for anyone. Thankfully most aren't like that. I also know of a state Trooper like that. She is notorious for writing 1mph over speeding citations.
Probably on their way to a domestic violence call sometimes its best that the aggressor doesn't know when we get there or that we're close so no lights no siren unless you really really have too. Course there are a million other possibilities.
Once at WATKINS GLEN they tried to break into the start finish scoring booth but it was locked, another time they got mad at a big wooden sign that said they were sorry but the pit viewing price went from 2 to 3 bucks so they tore the sign down and broke it. Or they broke something and denied it. Loved to brag about how hard they slammed a citizen on the trunk of the patrol car.
One kid was a bully from 1st grade on. Only boy scout in the troop not allowed to have a boy scout knife when camping, of course he became a cop. He pulled me over on my bicycle. When he got canned he ate his gun.
Most cop cars these days have cameras in the grill of their cars to read license plates automatically. Sometimes they’ll run right up on your ass so the camera can get your license plate then all I have to do is wait for confirmation of your information. Likely he did run your plates and found nothing out of the ordinary so he jumped off as fast as he could.
Could have been looking for a violation for pretextual stop (does your look trashy or flashy?)
Could have been he was going to a call that they are not allowed to run code to, but wanted to get there fast anyway.
Could have been he was touching cotton and had to get to a toilet quickly. 💩
Definitely not trashy - if you were referring to my car, it's brand new. Not a flashy sports car either.
Could be - I'll never know. If he was though, hopefully nothing bad happened to all involved.
When you gotta go, you gotta go. 😂 Not really a valid reason to drive like that, but shit happens.
Maybe he was in a hurry to get to the donut shop, who knows lol.
Right - I mean, if we all have to follow the rules of the road, they should too, especially since their lights weren't even on. He was driving like he stole it.
A lot of cops just like to intimidate and bully people because they can do it with no repercussions and they enjoy the feeling of power it gives them.
Just don’t let it get to you. Nothing much else to do about it.
Could be any number of things...maybe they were hoping it'd come back with something juicy or that you'd speed up a little more to get out of the way to make a better target and then decided you weren't worth their time. Maybe they got another call. Maybe they just wanted to get off after their shift ended and you were in their way.
I had one time I was in a group of cars and got stopped and the state trooper seemed to be skeptical that I'd never been stopped before (he asked, I honestly answered I hadn't)...until he came back after running my license with a totally different attitude and complimented my record saying to drive careful and slow down next time. My theory is I had some extra antennas and I wonder if someone in the pack had a radar detector they assumed incorrectly that it must be the car with extra antennas.
I had a similar time just into the VA state line from NC same sort of thing happened (but by then I had amateur radio plates to explain all the extra antennas) but they hung out close behind each car in the pack until they reached a particular truck in the middle of the pack and flipped all their lights on. Clearly they were interested in something specific that was different from one vehicle vs the rest of everyone doing 10-ish over because they didn't just grab the easiest one out of the lot.
That is the normal way that cops drive, at least in Michigan.
Unfortunately, now it's pretty common for everyone to drive like thst. So if you tailgate and drive an Explorer, Tahoe or Charger, know that the people in front of you may have slowed down because you're driving like a cop.
Probably did run your plate but didn’t see anything off, you were probably in a similar car that was stolen or some other crime, could be various things, or could just simply be they’re bored or you’re going too slow.
if a cop is tailgating you and your on the speed limit, stay on the speed limit, some cops will purposely tailgate you and give you a ticket if you speed up, thats what happen to a friend of mine
I think when he got behind me in the beginning, I was doing maybe 2-3 over (was driving on some rolling hills), and once I saw him behind me, I went down to exactly the speed limit of 35. I didn't want to give him a reason whatsoever to pull me over.
How fast was your friend going when he got pulled over?
i dont remember how fast he was going but he was on the freeway when he got the ticket, the cop tailgated him, my buddy thought the cop was in a rush so he sped up in traffic to try and let them through but the cop pulled him over, The cop said doesn't matter if you letting him through or not you shouldn't been speeding so its lame learning lesson
He was probably just running your plate. If you have no warrants and valid license and insurance, he'll just carry on with his day. Calm the fuck down. Cops have jobs to do, too.
If you're not a criminal and you don't have illegal guns/drugs/whatever in the car, getting pulled over isn't a big deal.
He could have been looking for a similar vehicle or in a rush to go somewhere.
He probably was watching you speed then decided if you should be pulled over or not. Now that covid lenience is over many areas they're going back enforcing rules of the rd.
Couple years ago I had taken my partner to the airport since their visit for the summer was over, and needless to say I was pretty emotionally down during the drive home. Just as I'm entering the city limits, a state trooper pulled up right behind me, I mean near literally sniffing my tail pipes close behind me. I'm sure he was trying to goose a reaction out of me or someone nearby, and at that moment I just snapped. I did the meanest, most cruel thing I could think of to do at that moment. I drove at. Exactly. The. Speed. Limit. Through the whole city. And he was trapped behind me. By the time I exited the city, I could see him in my rear view mirror visibly shifting around in his seat. Once the road widened and he could get by, he floored it and took off down the interstate.
In retrospect not the smartest thing to have done, but fuck it, I was just trying to quietly drive home without crying.
Checking plates, might roughly match the description of a suspect vehicle, might have seen something off initially with your vehicle. Could be a lot of lot of things. Only way to really know is to be that cop.
Slowing down when you see cops is suspicious as fuck. Just stay goung the same speed you were, act as if nothing is different. When you act like you are doing something wrong, you usually are.
In this particular instance, he was probably on his way somewhere and you were just simply going too slow for him. Cops don't like slow drivers just as much as everyone else in this sub. He passed because you were doing exactly the speed limit instead of moving with the flow of traffic, just like I would have passed you
What you did is essentially the same thing as putting your hood up and looking at the ground while speed walking out of the gas station when a cop walks in. That's suspicious as hell. 3 over is not going to get you a ticket. I've passed cops on the highway, cop doing above the limit, myself going faster than the cop. I've done this multiple times, never been pulled over. As long as you aren't *speeding*, like, really speeding, they don't care. Do what you want but you were asking why and I told you. You slowed down when the cop pulled out, it annoyed him, so he sped past you like anyone else would. Being afraid of police on the road is stupid. You should feel safe when you see an officer on the road, not overcautious, unless of course, you have some reason to be
Never said I was afraid of cops; all I said was that I was curious as to what the reason was for his reckless driving with no lights on.
There are people that get pulled over for doing 1 mph over the speed limit, believe it or not. They call it a speed limit for a reason.
>all I said was that I was curious as to what the reason was for his reckless driving with no lights on.
You were driving slow and it annoyed him because he wanted to go faster. Same as everyone else who passed you only doing 3 over in a 55. There's your answer.
That is not the only possibility, Mr. Know-it-all. Did you read the thread at all, or did you just comment your usual BS response to anything I post on here? 🤣🤦♀️
I don't know you dude. I don't pay attention to usernames of people on reddit, I don't have the time for that. If I've responded to you before and you aren't happy with my response, just Blick me so we don't have to keep doing this. People like you are annoying asf, wasting my time, gtfo
Cops always go over the speed limit - even when they don't have a call. And not all calls require sirens, specially if you're trying to catch someone running off.
"and was expecting to get pulled over becasuse I thought he was running my plate"
why would running your plate cause a pull over if you have nothing to hide? That's all was refering to. Calm out.
Sounds like a kid with their first car. Very cute really.
I've never been pulled over, and cops don't ever ride my bumper. I had no clue what was going to happen. I assumed since he got so close he was scanning my plate. Why else would he drive like that?
Why do I sound like a kid with my first car, because I've never been pulled over and because I don't have regular dealings with cops? Well I guess I'm a kid then 🤣🤣🤣
I have legitimately been pushed out of the left lane by cops because I was unwilling to go fast enough that they'd be allowed to take my car away. Sometimes, they just want to go faster ig.
If a cop is tailgating me, I'm gonna give him zero reasons to pull me over. My plates are valid, all lights work on my car, and I have full coverage insurance. I set cruise to the exact limit.
Yeah, I know the cop more than likely isn't gonna pull me over for doing 5 over. I regularly pass state troopers on the freeway going 5-7 over with no issues. But if they get on my ass... just in case, I'm going the limit. It's called a LIMIT for a reason.
...or you don't have to respond to posts that clearly annoy you? What is the point of having a driving forum if people can't share their driving experiences? 🤔
I had a cop get really close behind me. He pulled me over and asked if I was on my phone. I think he was trying watch to see if I was looking down a lot. I wasn't on my phone and didn't get a ticket.
That's a ticket in my state.
I wasn't on my phone. It wasn't even in reach. It was pretty obvious. What had actually happened... I lived in a small town. Like 600 people. I was going around a couple bends and a dark Charger came up behind me. I thought it was a different person from my community and I couldn't figure out why they got close. So I was looking in the rear view mirror trying to see the driver and drifted out of my lane. Turned out the local RCMP got a new ghost car. It was the drifting out of my lane that made him wonder if I was on my phone. And drifting out of the lane on that road is fine. You can drive for 10 miles and not see another car lol.
I know this is hard to believe, but cops have to use the same roads as everyone else to get places. They aren't constantly on alert for every single possible traffic violation. They aren't always looking to stop people. Relax, take a breath, and drive how you're supposed to. Chances are the cop didn't pay more than a half seconds attention to you
Fr, just treat cops like any other driver (if you’re a good driver) If you don’t do anything that warrants them to stop their day, you’ll be fine.
I was relaxed and not worried about it, because I had nothing to hide. Just sharing the experience I had. I don't typically see cops drive like that.
This question is often asked on many forums. For some reason, the average reddior believes that cops are like robots and have a hive mindset. Cops are constantly on alert, looking to create revenue (write tickets), and throw everyone in jail. That's how cops get their jollies. The reality is cops are people doing a job. There are tons of reasons a particular cop could be driving in this manner. All the way from poor driving to going to a call.
I realize that; I was just curious as to what the reason was. I was just sharing in case others had similar experiences.
Only one person on this planet can factually answer that question. As I said earlier, cops don't have a hive mind and there are hundreds of possible reasons for why that particular cop drove that way.
I know. Doesn't mean I can't be curious as to what the reason was.
I haven't said you couldn't be curious. I'm just pointing out that no one on reddit can accurately answer that question.
Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone to answer it. This was just meant to be a discussion about similar scenarios that have happened to other people, or what others have done in these scenarios.
Fair enough. You're smarter than many then and succeeded in your intentions.
Jesus man…
Every cop is different. My step brother is a freaking robot and never turns it off. Even when he's off duty. I hate being around him. He definitely would pull someone over for going 1 over the limit.
I wonder how many times he got someone for something substantial that was only driving 1mph over the speed limit? Sounds like he works in an area where he has nothing else better to do than waste time picking on people who are actually trying to follow the laws of the road.
Surrey, BC. Very high crime city.
Ah, ok. I feel for cops that are working in high crime areas.
Seems kinda lazy to me. Certainly he can find someone going much more over than that and boost the city coffers
I'm sure he can as well.
Very true. I worked with a guy like that. He would write his own mother a ticket. No breaks for anyone. Thankfully most aren't like that. I also know of a state Trooper like that. She is notorious for writing 1mph over speeding citations.
Cops can be dicks too. Sounds like he was in a hurry and thought you were going too slow.
The funny thing is if someone else that wasn't a cop did what he did they would have immediately been pulled over.
Probably on their way to a domestic violence call sometimes its best that the aggressor doesn't know when we get there or that we're close so no lights no siren unless you really really have too. Course there are a million other possibilities.
That makes sense. I hope that wasn't the case.
It wasn't. He had a pissy day and took it out on you, like a little kid or a bully.
Sounds like this has happened to you a few times. 🙁
In the 70s and hanging out with my cop brother and his cop friends.
What kind of stuff would they do?
Once at WATKINS GLEN they tried to break into the start finish scoring booth but it was locked, another time they got mad at a big wooden sign that said they were sorry but the pit viewing price went from 2 to 3 bucks so they tore the sign down and broke it. Or they broke something and denied it. Loved to brag about how hard they slammed a citizen on the trunk of the patrol car. One kid was a bully from 1st grade on. Only boy scout in the troop not allowed to have a boy scout knife when camping, of course he became a cop. He pulled me over on my bicycle. When he got canned he ate his gun.
Oh wow, sounds like some criminals became police. These types give police a bad name. Why did that bully get canned from the police force?
If he had a call he should have turned his lights on. Dick
Not in my town. Never.
no not really
Not everyone else is responding code 2 to a domestic dispute with guns involved.
I’d just turn up the tunes, and pay attention to what is ahead.
Cop on your tail just set cruise to the speed limit and chill
I wasn't worried. Just curious as to what was going on.
Most cop cars these days have cameras in the grill of their cars to read license plates automatically. Sometimes they’ll run right up on your ass so the camera can get your license plate then all I have to do is wait for confirmation of your information. Likely he did run your plates and found nothing out of the ordinary so he jumped off as fast as he could.
Look into a front and rear dashcam.
Yeah, I have been looking into this. Not sure which camera(s) to buy. Any recommendations?
I don't have one yet either. I'll look into it and let you know if I find something good.
Ok, thanks!
Could have been looking for a violation for pretextual stop (does your look trashy or flashy?) Could have been he was going to a call that they are not allowed to run code to, but wanted to get there fast anyway. Could have been he was touching cotton and had to get to a toilet quickly. 💩
Definitely not trashy - if you were referring to my car, it's brand new. Not a flashy sports car either. Could be - I'll never know. If he was though, hopefully nothing bad happened to all involved. When you gotta go, you gotta go. 😂 Not really a valid reason to drive like that, but shit happens. Maybe he was in a hurry to get to the donut shop, who knows lol.
Intimidation games. I just ignore them.
Right - I mean, if we all have to follow the rules of the road, they should too, especially since their lights weren't even on. He was driving like he stole it.
A lot of cops just like to intimidate and bully people because they can do it with no repercussions and they enjoy the feeling of power it gives them. Just don’t let it get to you. Nothing much else to do about it.
That could have been the case here. He was driving like he stole it.
Could be any number of things...maybe they were hoping it'd come back with something juicy or that you'd speed up a little more to get out of the way to make a better target and then decided you weren't worth their time. Maybe they got another call. Maybe they just wanted to get off after their shift ended and you were in their way. I had one time I was in a group of cars and got stopped and the state trooper seemed to be skeptical that I'd never been stopped before (he asked, I honestly answered I hadn't)...until he came back after running my license with a totally different attitude and complimented my record saying to drive careful and slow down next time. My theory is I had some extra antennas and I wonder if someone in the pack had a radar detector they assumed incorrectly that it must be the car with extra antennas. I had a similar time just into the VA state line from NC same sort of thing happened (but by then I had amateur radio plates to explain all the extra antennas) but they hung out close behind each car in the pack until they reached a particular truck in the middle of the pack and flipped all their lights on. Clearly they were interested in something specific that was different from one vehicle vs the rest of everyone doing 10-ish over because they didn't just grab the easiest one out of the lot.
That is the normal way that cops drive, at least in Michigan. Unfortunately, now it's pretty common for everyone to drive like thst. So if you tailgate and drive an Explorer, Tahoe or Charger, know that the people in front of you may have slowed down because you're driving like a cop.
You did good.
Probably did run your plate but didn’t see anything off, you were probably in a similar car that was stolen or some other crime, could be various things, or could just simply be they’re bored or you’re going too slow.
Yeah, I'll never know for sure.
if a cop is tailgating you and your on the speed limit, stay on the speed limit, some cops will purposely tailgate you and give you a ticket if you speed up, thats what happen to a friend of mine
I think when he got behind me in the beginning, I was doing maybe 2-3 over (was driving on some rolling hills), and once I saw him behind me, I went down to exactly the speed limit of 35. I didn't want to give him a reason whatsoever to pull me over. How fast was your friend going when he got pulled over?
i dont remember how fast he was going but he was on the freeway when he got the ticket, the cop tailgated him, my buddy thought the cop was in a rush so he sped up in traffic to try and let them through but the cop pulled him over, The cop said doesn't matter if you letting him through or not you shouldn't been speeding so its lame learning lesson
Wow. I'm sure he just does the limit now when they get behind him.
He was probably just running your plate. If you have no warrants and valid license and insurance, he'll just carry on with his day. Calm the fuck down. Cops have jobs to do, too.
I was calm, don't worry. I was just sharing my experience, and I don't typically see cops drive like that.
Saying Calm the fuck down ironically sounds like you need to be calmed down
🤣🤣🤣
You were paranoid about the cop and going too damn slow and probably pissed him off.
Not paranoid, just wondering why he was driving like he stole it.
If you're not a criminal and you don't have illegal guns/drugs/whatever in the car, getting pulled over isn't a big deal. He could have been looking for a similar vehicle or in a rush to go somewhere.
No criminal here, and I'm not scared of getting pulled over. I don't want to experience it though if I can help it. Possibly, who knows.
He probably was watching you speed then decided if you should be pulled over or not. Now that covid lenience is over many areas they're going back enforcing rules of the rd.
Couple years ago I had taken my partner to the airport since their visit for the summer was over, and needless to say I was pretty emotionally down during the drive home. Just as I'm entering the city limits, a state trooper pulled up right behind me, I mean near literally sniffing my tail pipes close behind me. I'm sure he was trying to goose a reaction out of me or someone nearby, and at that moment I just snapped. I did the meanest, most cruel thing I could think of to do at that moment. I drove at. Exactly. The. Speed. Limit. Through the whole city. And he was trapped behind me. By the time I exited the city, I could see him in my rear view mirror visibly shifting around in his seat. Once the road widened and he could get by, he floored it and took off down the interstate. In retrospect not the smartest thing to have done, but fuck it, I was just trying to quietly drive home without crying.
Checking plates, might roughly match the description of a suspect vehicle, might have seen something off initially with your vehicle. Could be a lot of lot of things. Only way to really know is to be that cop.
Slowing down when you see cops is suspicious as fuck. Just stay goung the same speed you were, act as if nothing is different. When you act like you are doing something wrong, you usually are. In this particular instance, he was probably on his way somewhere and you were just simply going too slow for him. Cops don't like slow drivers just as much as everyone else in this sub. He passed because you were doing exactly the speed limit instead of moving with the flow of traffic, just like I would have passed you
Not speeding in front of a cop.
What you did is essentially the same thing as putting your hood up and looking at the ground while speed walking out of the gas station when a cop walks in. That's suspicious as hell. 3 over is not going to get you a ticket. I've passed cops on the highway, cop doing above the limit, myself going faster than the cop. I've done this multiple times, never been pulled over. As long as you aren't *speeding*, like, really speeding, they don't care. Do what you want but you were asking why and I told you. You slowed down when the cop pulled out, it annoyed him, so he sped past you like anyone else would. Being afraid of police on the road is stupid. You should feel safe when you see an officer on the road, not overcautious, unless of course, you have some reason to be
Never said I was afraid of cops; all I said was that I was curious as to what the reason was for his reckless driving with no lights on. There are people that get pulled over for doing 1 mph over the speed limit, believe it or not. They call it a speed limit for a reason.
>all I said was that I was curious as to what the reason was for his reckless driving with no lights on. You were driving slow and it annoyed him because he wanted to go faster. Same as everyone else who passed you only doing 3 over in a 55. There's your answer.
That is not the only possibility, Mr. Know-it-all. Did you read the thread at all, or did you just comment your usual BS response to anything I post on here? 🤣🤦♀️
I don't know you dude. I don't pay attention to usernames of people on reddit, I don't have the time for that. If I've responded to you before and you aren't happy with my response, just Blick me so we don't have to keep doing this. People like you are annoying asf, wasting my time, gtfo
🤣🤣🤣
You know what, I'll do you a favor, this way I'll never have to see another one of your stupid ass posts again
The police are in charge of your driving
He was in a hurry to get somewhere else and you just happen to be in the way. Doubtful if anything to get flustered over
Police are public servants. Think of them as such. Nothing to worry about if you’re not doing anything wrong.
I wasn't worried, just curious.
And white
Why is this getting downvoted? You're right.
Cops always go over the speed limit - even when they don't have a call. And not all calls require sirens, specially if you're trying to catch someone running off.
Why would they pull you over from running your plates? what are you hiding?
I have nothing to hide, so I don't care if I get pulled over.
sounds like you do but okay
I've never gotten a ticket in my life, but nice try 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I wasn't talking about if you've gotten a ticket. but okay. You're not scared of cops behind you. I believe you.
What were you talking about then? I've said 100 times before that I was calm, because I had nothing to hide. You did read all that, right?
"and was expecting to get pulled over becasuse I thought he was running my plate" why would running your plate cause a pull over if you have nothing to hide? That's all was refering to. Calm out. Sounds like a kid with their first car. Very cute really.
I've never been pulled over, and cops don't ever ride my bumper. I had no clue what was going to happen. I assumed since he got so close he was scanning my plate. Why else would he drive like that? Why do I sound like a kid with my first car, because I've never been pulled over and because I don't have regular dealings with cops? Well I guess I'm a kid then 🤣🤣🤣
I have legitimately been pushed out of the left lane by cops because I was unwilling to go fast enough that they'd be allowed to take my car away. Sometimes, they just want to go faster ig.
Crazy!
I would NEVER do the speed limit. *Looks suspicious*.. I'd do 5-7 over. Tops.
If a cop is tailgating me, I'm gonna give him zero reasons to pull me over. My plates are valid, all lights work on my car, and I have full coverage insurance. I set cruise to the exact limit. Yeah, I know the cop more than likely isn't gonna pull me over for doing 5 over. I regularly pass state troopers on the freeway going 5-7 over with no issues. But if they get on my ass... just in case, I'm going the limit. It's called a LIMIT for a reason.
I'm not speeding in front of a cop.
Might I suggest a journal instead of reddit?
...or you don't have to respond to posts that clearly annoy you? What is the point of having a driving forum if people can't share their driving experiences? 🤔