The danger of 'pride before a fall' so I'm now driving extra careful.

West Sussex police are into a well publicised purge on speeding motorists, and despite staring at my speedo as I approached a Gatso just before stopping for fuel I noticed a dark green BMW 3 Series parked in a lay-by on the opposite side of the road. No idea why I glanced in that direction but noted the car looked new ie very clean & that the male driver was wearing a crisp white shirt, and the give away great big black shoulder patches. UNDERCOVER PLODMOBILE it screamed & clever clogs me I had eyeballed it.
BUT would have I done had I been going the other way and speeding?

Sneaky plod had parked in a 40mph limit just where a single carraigeway became dual, and of course knowing that the de-restriction signs are sited about 500 yards down the dual carraigeway. Locals habitually nip past slow traffic as they enter the dual section and can easily be doing 60mph when they pass the de-restrictions signs - I know 'cos that't what I have done in the past- gulp!

Somebody hadn't spotted the unmarked BMW, for 10 minutes later having fuelled the S2000 'Black Beast' & retraced my journey, Plodmobile had gone, only to be found a mile down the road having stopped a white van. Maybe the van had been stolen and they were waiting for it or it had been speeding.

West Sussex Plods also use unmarked silver Mercedes estates, and like many other forces dull coloured Skoda Octavia's - both vehicles easily overlooked amidst all the other boring stuff.

Am about to embark on 7 days of motoring in unfamiliar parts of the country in a diesel beater, so will be working hard to keep to the limits and spending more time looking inside the car at the speedometer than outside - oh great joy.

 

Good for revenue though someone's got to help pay to get us out of the awful mess we are in with the recession and governments **** ups.

C unts.

 

Kent police have at least one black 3 series, a dark blue Saab 9-3 and a number of Skoda's. They are very active in the west kent area / East Sussex area.

I've got to the point now where everything is suspicious parked on the side as well as anyone driving on or under the speed limit lol

 

Of course they'd be far to easy to spot in one of these:

 

I'm sure that - like everyone else - I'd be a far (even!) safer driver if I didn't spend 99% of my time sh!tting myself speedo-watching and/or looking for unmarked plod and mobile scamera vans.....

 

Agreed. Tom Tom is more important than my day job now

 

My experience of West Sussex traffic Police is that they are very sensible. If you are 'quick but safe' they tell you so and send you on your way.

If you are driving like a tosser in heavy traffic on the A23 then they'll do you.

They're not big on the dirty tricks that other forces or those
b astard 'camera partnerships' use.

 

I wonder if I make people nervous when I'm going to work in my white shirt, black tie and epaulets

In jockland you require two plods to be done for speeding which is at least some assistance, although if they are in an unmarked car they are normally in civvies. However if you have ever seen plod in civvies you can spot them 18 miles away due to the military haircut and the neatly pressed but nonetheless cheap suit

 

Undercover Car Talk

 

Me too.

I now find the Prelude's cruise control invaluable; it's usually set at the speed limit +10%.