Petty police

There's a warning light on the dash to tell you they're on.

I wish more police would pull more people for this.

They'll have heard every excuse in the book for driving around with the wanker lights on - yours doesn't sound any more plausible than anything all the other retards can come up with.

Petty Police

Got pulled over and fined at the weekend for having my front fog lights on.

Explanation was quite simple I'd just put a kitchen sink in the front passenger seat of my car and must have caught the switch. It's a fiesta so the front fog light switch is on the far left of the dash next to the passenger.

I was amazed to get a £30 fine for it. It wasn't even dark and people were only just switching their lights on. So how was I supposed to spot this? He could even see the sink as I explained that is what must have happened.

Result all faith in the police lost. Not that there was much of that in the first place.

I have to say that I knew I was getting a fine as soon as the police opened his mouth. Real arse.

10 or so years ago you would have just been sent on your way. This country really is going to the dogs.

What really annoys me though is that in the 15 minutes it took to write out the ticket we blocked a lane of traffic and a cycle lane holding up traffic at a busy period. Have they no brains or what.

Anybody else had such nonsense?

did you belt the sink up ? if not your lucky he didnt do you for not having a seat belt on the sink !

They do that all the time where I live - the county police HQ is just down the road, and the morons stop people on corners, traffic islands, just about anywhere where you could cause a major accident. The best bit is when you catch one going back at the end of a shift, when you will see them driving along at 45 on a 30 limited road (with houses down each side).

Petty Police

Got pulled over and fined at the weekend for having my front fog lights on.

Explanation was quite simple I'd just put a kitchen sink in the front passenger seat of my car and must have caught the switch. It's a fiesta so the front fog light switch is on the far left of the dash next to the passenger.

I was amazed to get a £30 fine for it. It wasn't even dark and people were only just switching their lights on. So how was I supposed to spot this? He could even see the sink as I explained that is what must have happened.

Result all faith in the police lost. Not that there was much of that in the first place.

I have to say that I knew I was getting a fine as soon as the police opened his mouth. Real arse.

10 or so years ago you would have just been sent on your way. This country really is going to the dogs.

What really annoys me though is that in the 15 minutes it took to write out the ticket we blocked a lane of traffic and a cycle lane holding up traffic at a busy period. Have they no brains or what.

Anybody else had such nonsense?

Yesssssssss!

Ian

Bloody hooray - you have a warning light to tell you they are on - and I bet you park on the footpath as well?

Why didn't you put the sink in the back?

cos he had the cooker in the back ;o)

Pretty much as has been said here before - well done that copper! If you`re driving along with un-necessary lights that can dazzle other traffic then you deserve the ticket. The fact that your complaining about being done when either you have a light on your dashboard telling you that the fog lights are on (in which case you`re not paying enough attention to your surroundings) or the fog light indicator has failed (in which case you`re not checking your vehicle adequately). So which was it - poor observation skills or an unroadworthy car?

I hate people who drive with fog lights on unnecessarily as much as the next bloke, but I think you're being a bit harsh. A car is unroadworthy if the fog light indicator is not working? Hmmm. Also, how much can front fog lights dazzle you in daylight? Not much if at all- true front fog lights (not those 'driving lights') wouldn't even dazzle at night, due to their wide and low beam pattern.

Morse

They're measured on "results" now. This would count as a "result".

Suddenly a group of self-righteous zealots, who never speed, never use a mobile phone, never park in a no-waiting zone, never rush a changing light, never drive with a failed brake light, never forgotten to dip their lights.

It's true that the police are gradually alienating a generally law-abiding public, solely in the pursuit of league tables. Andy

In this case, they should have let you off IMO, but:

They're measured on "results" now. This would count as a "result".

Anything that stops those tossers with their "look at me I've got foglights, aren't I kewl" is a result for me.

Steve

Petty Police

Got pulled over and fined at the weekend for having my front fog lights on.

Explanation was quite simple I'd just put a kitchen sink in the front passenger seat of my car and must have caught the switch. It's a fiesta so the front fog light switch is on the far left of the dash next to the passenger.

I was amazed to get a £30 fine for it. It wasn't even dark and people were only just switching their lights on. So how was I supposed to spot this? He could even see the sink as I explained that is what must have happened.

Result all faith in the police lost. Not that there was much of that in the first place.

I have to say that I knew I was getting a fine as soon as the police opened his mouth. Real arse.

10 or so years ago you would have just been sent on your way. This country really is going to the dogs.

What really annoys me though is that in the 15 minutes it took to write out the ticket we blocked a lane of traffic and a cycle lane holding up traffic at a busy period. Have they no brains or what.

Anybody else had such nonsense?

I have always found that saying 'I'm sorry about that' is a good start to getting let off. You don't have to stop at a dangerous place. Getting out of the car is often a good idea, especially if it is raining. 30 quid sounds cheap, do you get points as well? Hopefully you won't do it again.

Mrcheerful

Yep, couldn't agree more. You don't have to stop in a dangerous place, acknowledge they are there and find somewhere safe to stop. Getting out of the car always gives brownie points and being polite always helps. There is no mention of your attitude here.

I have been stopped a lot on my motorbike - mainly for "routine checks") I'll add! :-) - and not been ticketed once. Stop, switch off bike, get off, lid off and wait. Your attitude is a huge factor in what will happen to you.

So they're supposed to psychically know that you're generally law abiding & should be let off the current law you're breaking?

No they should exercise commonsense and realise that it's almost daylight and the explanation is probably true. It's not the crime of the century as headlights blind people all the time in normal driving conditions and it's something you have to learn to deal with.

A word to be more careful would have sufficed, perhaps even a note against the reg number to catch persistent offenders but as I say, modern day policing is just about getting another tick in the book and whether you get caught or not has simply been reduced to taking part in a lottery, because we ALL do it, most of the time. That's not effective policing, it revenue gathering. Andy

Except most of the cars driving with the front fogs on are persistent offenders. & logging notes against reg numbers seems rather ineffective, it's only a £30 fine.

Ooh, has somebody been stopped for being a law abiding citizen whilst breaking a law?

Andy Cap (Andy Cap ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Except it probably isn't.

Oh, and you forgot that the OP was daft enough to stop - by his own admission - blocking a bus lane when tugged.