Fake undercover cars on M4

Fake undercover cars on M4

Author
Discussion

Fidgits

Original Poster:

17,202 posts

235 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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On the drive to work this morning, i saw 2 cars, one VW transporter and an old Saab which both had flashing blue lights on the dash, but no headlight flashers... (passed about 20 minutes between them)

Both making progress down the outside lane, getting cars out of the way and I couldnt help the sneaky feeling these werent actually undercover cars (given the passengers and behaviour) but people who seem to be using the lights to improve their journey times...

LordGrover

33,659 posts

218 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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I'd be very surprised. Very serious offence if caught.

andy-sw

311 posts

185 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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On the M4 last Wednesday I spotted a Saab, VW Transporter, Audi A3 and Ford Mondeo, all a couple of minutes apart making progress up the right hand lane.

All were as you described too.

Six Fiend

6,067 posts

221 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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Customers and Exercise perhaps?

Willie Dee

1,559 posts

214 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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Saw a Ford ST with blue looking police lights in ASDA car park about 3 weeks ago, the owner was showing them off to his mates.

mph1977

12,467 posts

174 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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LordGrover said:
I'd be very surprised. Very serious offence if caught.
fitting a blue light without lawful reason = 30 gbp none endorsable ticket, admittedly claiming exemptions without lawful excuse could lead to various other charges as could careless, reckless or dangerous driving - as having warning devices and legit exemptions doesn't prevent people from being charged for those offences.

mph1977

12,467 posts

174 months

Monday 31st October 2011
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also prior to CQC registration for independent ambulance providers 'ambulance purposes' was a highly misused potential lawful excuse

Deva Link

26,934 posts

251 months

Monday 31st October 2011
quotequote all
Fidgits said:
one VW transporter
A whole stream of cars, spread over about 20 mins, passed me in the opposite direction on the M42/M6 Toll a while ago and one of those was a VW Transporter.
It was most odd, in many years of motorway driving I've seen the odd unmarked car but never anything on this scale - there must have been at least a dozen of them, and they generally looked like older vehicles. They had blue lights in the windscreen and they did have sirens.

A SAAB on its own overtook me on the M5 the other day and that had a twin blue light unit that seemed to be stuck on the front spoiler, offset to one side, and individual blue lights in the rear window with wires hanging down. All looked a bit cobbbled together, except the rear fogs were flashing alternately, so they must have been properly wired in.

coanda

2,649 posts

196 months

Tuesday 1st November 2011
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These could well be surveillance vehicles for various agencies. They could also be a group of mates thinking they are clever. Only thing you can do is to get a plate or two and report them.

miniman

26,025 posts

268 months

Thursday 3rd November 2011
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Sussex unmarked car, circa 1994:



whistle

CatJ

9,586 posts

249 months

Thursday 3rd November 2011
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There is a Black VW Transporter van, complete with very black privacy glass that makes frequent trips down the M4 with it's blues on.

AngryApples

5,449 posts

271 months

Friday 4th November 2011
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Deva Link said:
A whole stream of cars, spread over about 20 mins, passed me in the opposite direction on the M42/M6 Toll a while ago and one of those was a VW Transporter.
It was most odd, in many years of motorway driving I've seen the odd unmarked car but never anything on this scale - there must have been at least a dozen of them, and they generally looked like older vehicles. They had blue lights in the windscreen and they did have sirens.

A SAAB on its own overtook me on the M5 the other day and that had a twin blue light unit that seemed to be stuck on the front spoiler, offset to one side, and individual blue lights in the rear window with wires hanging down. All looked a bit cobbbled together, except the rear fogs were flashing alternately, so they must have been properly wired in.
Have to say, its common for emergency service higher ranks to have personal vehicles converted with lights/sires etc
xample being a mate who is an ADO in the brigade with a Pug people carrier, drop down blues and two's on board

Thought the job done on his was quite pro..............

106 gti

843 posts

211 months

Saturday 5th November 2011
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From a horses mouth as i asked a blokee today , he said it could be SAS training as he said they use the m4 for high speed training .

jkh112

22,790 posts

164 months

Saturday 5th November 2011
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106 gti said:
From a horses mouth as i asked a blokee today , he said it could be SAS training as he said they use the m4 for high speed training .

LordBretSinclair

4,294 posts

183 months

Saturday 5th November 2011
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106 gti said:
From a horses mouth as i asked a blokee today , he said it could be SAS training as he said they use the m4 for high speed training .
Really???? Quote from emergency vehicle definition "by the military special forces (e.g. The SAS) for a national security emergency". No mention of training.


mph1977

12,467 posts

174 months

Saturday 5th November 2011
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LordBretSinclair said:
Really???? Quote from emergency vehicle definition "by the military special forces (e.g. The SAS) for a national security emergency". No mention of training.
it is a well known and legally accepted fact that legitimate operators of emergency vehicles falling into the types defined by the appropriate legislation can use warning devices and claim exemption during training

anonymous-user

60 months

Saturday 5th November 2011
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LordBretSinclair said:
Really???? Quote from emergency vehicle definition "by the military special forces (e.g. The SAS) for a national security emergency". No mention of training.
http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/home/38675/Jaguar.htm

"other agencies" do use these sorts of vehicles.......

T0nup

683 posts

206 months

Friday 18th November 2011
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Military police use all sorts of stuff that looks less than tidy or commercial like... When Racal was Bracknell they used to visit on a regular basis, and they didn't hang about either.

kieranjholland

3,572 posts

176 months

Friday 18th November 2011
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CatJ said:
There is a Black VW Transporter van, complete with very black privacy glass that makes frequent trips down the M4 with it's blues on.
I saw this on my way to Wales recently, was not making progress relative to the cars around it but used the blues when faced with someone in lane 3 on an empty motorway who I'd passed in lane 1 a minute before. I thought "good man!"

jamster1432

111 posts

175 months

Friday 18th November 2011
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Little bit OT but i actually imported the police lights that normally go on the Thames Valley Police astras, behind the grill etc.

Showed them to a mate and was spotted by CCTV, they sent 2 police cars down and then formally arrested me for impersonating a police officer and something to do with fraud they also offered to chuck me in a cell and then put me to court and possibly even imprison me (S**tting myself at this point)

Luckily a police officer knew me as they were local and said to the "new" officer that there was no need. I said that I had got them from the internet and he said that if they were unplugged i would of been fine. He explained that there had also been burglary in the area and the car that was used had the same setup.

Had the lights conviscated and disposed of. Lets just say the people of the motorway using them has balls of a lion!