Police Flashed Lights -Will I Get a Fine?

I was doing 60 in a 60 zone. Other cars were doing 55. I had to change lane to go into left lane. I pressed accelerator and must have gone to 80. As soon as I changed lane, I see lights go off behind me. I was turning left so I turned left while cops car was in right lane so it kept going straight.

Should I expect a Christmas gift in the mail?

closed Comments

  • +32

    nope

    • I hope so 🤔

      • +9

        My best guess is they would've pulled you over if convenient but it turned out not to be, so they let you go.

        I think you dodged a bullet this time, but you should still learn from your mistake as though you didn't. Imagine how you would feel if you did receive demerits and a fine for hundreds of dollars. Use that feeling to motivate you to be more cautious in future.

        • Agree

    • At worst you got a warning, at best that was the Police equivalent of "a WTF are you doing" horn.

      Key question is was it general duties (most likely) or highway patrol (you definitely would have been pulled over - except end of shift)?

  • +20

    i think the moral of the story is slow down and wait until someone will let you merge,
    or think ahead and make sure you're in the correct lane earlier than just before the turn.

      • +58

        Common sense is better.

        • -2

          Both are great.

          • @ShortyX: Hindsight is usually too late to be useful.

            • +6

              @HighAndDry: Common sense isn't that common… hence the "nanny state".

      • +2

        Hindsight is always good

        That's what your mirrors are for.

      • +7

        I got 9 negatives for hindsight. In hindsight, it was not a good comment

        • +5

          Yeah I was once driving towards the airport and my speed creeped up a little (10km/h over). The cops flashed their lights at me, got beside me and just signalled for me to slow down.

          They knew I wasn't doing it deliberately or trying to endanger lives. I learnt my lesson.

          These are either the good police officers that we hear about. Or like a previous commentator mentioned, it was just inconvenient.

      • Hindsight can only be a "Learning Experience"!!

  • +14

    rather than speeding up to change lanes, whynot slow down to change lanes?

    • -1

      There were cars behind me and on my left and a big gap ahead of me and car on left

      • +1

        What if it was a semi trailer? Would you still have done the same?

        • +10

          Like fast and furious scene? Go under it?

      • +12

        "indicator" … It is a device that lets you show other drivers what your "intentions" are.
        You will find that most drivers are mature and experienced and if you have your indicator on wanting to change lanes they will let you in.
        The indicator is not something you flick when you are half way across the lane…

        • +2

          I see you're new to driving?

          • +1

            @RocketSwitch: Haha i get 50% response to indicators. And yes I indicate even when i get out of roundabouts

        • +4

          OP is in Sydney…

          Never let other drivers know your intentions. Otherwise they win.

      • +5

        Not sure if you know the road rules, but you are not meant to go over the speed limit no matter what the reason is. So regardless what you did was still wrong. You should've turned your indicator in, slowed down and tried to merge. 95% of drivers will let you in front of them

        • +3

          100% of drivers will let you in behind them.

        • +1

          Yes not in my experience. But i should have waited to slow down a few people behind me.

        • +2

          what if I need to jump over an incomplete section of a freeway and there is a bomb in my vehicle that will activate if I slow down?

      • Were you not aware in advance that you needed to turn left? If you'd indicated to go into the left lane earlier I'm sure someone would have let you in. In the unlikely event that they didn't, you'd still have had plenty of time to speed up and get in front of the other car as you did.

    • +3

      You know slowing down to change lanes is bad driving, right? You should merge at traffic speeds to avoid creating any congestion.

  • +3

    No idea, but pretty sure they usually pull you over and give you a fine then and there if they wanted to fine you.

    • Me hopes too

    • They can fine by mail.

  • +4

    Highly doubt you'll get fined- surely they got a job for a call and those lights and sirens were not for you otherwise they would've pulled you over.

    • I feel it was for me but because it happened so quick that cop couldn't change lanes to come after me and he couldn't stop on main Victoria road due to traffic behind him 😓 hope i don't get charged for doing a runner. I do have a reason to turn at that side road as i live there 🤔

      • -7

        i think you are a hero
        don't listen to these drones preaching at you - they want a medal for doing 10 under the speed limit.
        they don't have jobs or have places to be.

        • +3

          I always stick to speed limit but I agree it annoys me when people are texting or distracted or too slow doing 40 in a 80 zone. Surely slow drivers also are dangerous by disrupting the flow of traffic

        • Omegalol

        • -1

          Erm… Hero?!! Do you really think doing 80 in a 60 zone with a cop behind you is hero behaviour? You are tone deaf to the general theme here.

          Your comment's tone is the equivalent of that person we all experience - the speeding, lane changing, ricer-racer with American rap blaring, leaving near-accidents in your wake! The one everyone cheers when pulled over by the Highway Patrol.

          Hence the down votes.

  • +3

    They're gonna send bikies after you.

    • 😓

      • +6

        What does marcelus wallace look like?

        • +1

          OP is the (right) foot master.

        • OP needs to call the Wolf, but instead sounds like the gimp

        • +1

          What?

          • +2

            @ak47wong: Say what again mother*****r, I DARE YOU. I DOUBLE DARE YOU!!

  • +1

    lol at the fact that you kept going despite seeing their lights go off

    • I was turning left. It was less than a second before i turned and saw lights. I stopped but because i was in left most lane and the cop was in right most lane, he couldn't stop because of traffic behind him and on his left

  • +5

    Probably just giving you a friendly warning as they were on their way to another job or something. I have had cops warns me several times in similar ways but never got anything in the mail or pulled over for it.

    • I hope so

  • +6

    To busy to pull you over. Take that as a freeby. Timely reminder to drive safely over this coming holiday period.

    • +3

      why not always?

      • +1

        Just on holidays lol

  • -8

    Nope, cops would have pulled you over on the spot if they were going to tax you. Don't listen to all the ozbargian driving experts, anyone with a lot of driving experience will know that occasionally, speeding up is the safest way to go. You did the right thing, don't sweat it.

    Must have been a sale on at the donut shop. :)

    • Lol i hope so too

    • +2

      Ahh.. the wisdom of youth. Read my comment above about how to use an "indicator".

  • +1

    they were going to Macca's obv

    • I think he came out of maccas 😬

  • +3

    As soon as i changed lane, i see lights go off behind me. I was turning left so i turned left while cops car was in right lane so it kept going straight.

    Nope, they were on another pursuit/job or flashed just to get past traffic.

    As many state that if they want you, they would have pulled you over.

    Don't stress.

    Cheers

    • Gracias

  • -3

    The cop problem decided, Getting maccas down the road was easier, you are in the clear. In all reality they may be flashing for something else, or just decided they couldn't be assed.

    • Hope so. Fingers and toes crossed

      • I wouldn't worry at all, not one bit…

        • Thanks uncle 🐍

  • If you say you were going 60 and others were going 55, you should be able to overtake them easily. Going 20km/h over the limit is dangerous. Every k over is a killer.

    • -2

      It was getting close to the turn i had to make. And i was driving a loan car which had ecoboost so momentarily unintentionally it went up too quick which i realized and applied brakes. By then lights had turned on. I know it won't stand in court of law but that is the problem with cop cars. They make people anxious and disrupts a normal flow of traffic. People get conscious and go 10-20km under speed limits 😬

      • So what you're saying is that EcoBoost just kicked in, yo?

  • +3

    Pretty sure op is going to gaol.

    • Ah well such is life

  • +2

    So i called police line who told me to contact the local police which i did. They were not interested in checking on their system if it was flagged. They said it was not likely to be an issue. I hope that is correct. Lesson learnt 🙏😑

  • -3

    Urgh… pays to drive slow, literally. If you just got your license recently, you can avoid a lot of issues by just driving 5-10km/h slower.

    • Lol i had it for 14 years 😅

      • +1

        ok, I had my license for about the same time. My recent close call was on the motorway that I usually drive on and was using my gps as a speedo (more accurate). The cops were literally hiding behind a unmarked car on a rise in the motorway. Two or three more k's and would have gotten something. So maybe they just saved you from the fine by changing your behavior slightly… :)

        • -2

          +1 on that - if you stay about 5K under they won't ping you. People are in such a hurry to get to places when they can improve their gas mileage, and their temperament, by just backing off a tad.

        • *from your next fine

        • Hopefully you are right my friend

    • +1

      I think in-car speedos are about 4 km/h below actual speed by default so I don't agree with your advice to go 5-10 under.

      Noticed you mentioned GPS speedo. How does your car speedo compare?

      Similarly, there's an 'advisory speed check' on the M1 near Geelong, VIC. I was detected at exactly 100 km/h, but my in-car speedo actually said 104 (I have a 2016 model car if thats relevant).

      • I think cars are designed that way. Or perhaps the speed cameras have a bit of levy

  • The odds are they weren't flashing for you anyway. They probably just got a call to go somewhere else.

    • Thats what the other cop told me but the timing of me accelerating and lights going off was making me worried

  • I think you are safe so dont stress.

    • Yes my stress won't change the outcome so it will be fine 😊

  • -8

    You broke the speed limit by 20km/hr

    Send me your licence number, I'd be happy to send my police friends the info to find if you have a ticket coming and send one if there isn't.

    • +2

      I think i may have gone above it but i was not sure. Don't tell me you have never gone a km above speed limit. I love it how people feel they are God's perfect creations having right to be judge, jury and executioner for others at the same time. I am sure police don't work that way. And i accepted my mistake to learn for future so please spare me of this non sense. If people can't be useful, they should just keep quiet!

      • Sure we all do it. But you're admitting to it (you said
        you did 80 in a 60 zone) and now trying to weasle out of the consequences.

        I definitely agree with your last sentence.. 🙄

        • Everything happened within max 3 seconds. Last thing on my mind was to check speedo when i was trying to change lanes but yes i have to face consequences. Just not for running away from police which i didn't do

          • @[Deactivated]: Fair enough. Like others have said, nothing to worry about anyway. Cops will give you a bit of a scare to set you straight. In most cases it works just as well as an actual fine and takes a lot less time.

            This is why police presence is important to community safety. They more there are on visible patrol, the less likely people are to feel comfortable to do the wrong thing.

      • don't worry, if he sends your info to his police 'friends', we'll send bikies.

        we got coupon codes for bikies by now.

  • Did Roxanne put out the red light?

    • I will ask her

  • +1

    I got roasted when I posted this as a forum post few years ago.

    • -1

      Not surprising. Seems a lot of ozbargainers are cops or government workers.

      • Lol i am by no means a criminal. I made a mistake and learnt from it. I was just asking if i would attract a criminal record just because of not knowing what to do. The cop may send me a fine for speeding and i will pay it. Or he may have just given me a warning. Guess I wouldn't know until I see something sent in mail. Fine will hurt but criminal record is something i can't afford so i asked fellow people what to do. Hence i called police myself. The constable said the same that cop would have come back if he wanted to do something so it was fine and i should hopefully not get an evasion charge

      • Or just ethical people?

        • I understand the ethical point but empathy is something too. The right of opinion is limited by others right of not being offended. People feel freedom of speech is to say everything. I acknowledged my mistake and am okay with fine. Just don't want to get charged for police evasion when i didn't do that. Then I get a few people pretending to be saints and telling me i should burn in hell for overtaking someone going under speed limit

          • @[Deactivated]: "The right of opinion is limited by others right of not being offended." I think not. Taiwan is not part of China. There you go. My personally held opinion just offended many people. Will I change my opinion because of that? No. Do I think that I should be sensitive of others' feelings and be kind in my interactions? Yes.

        • +1

          Okay, let's be real about something here. Road rules in Australia are extremely strict and inflexible, meaning that it doesn't allow for doing things which are (in all honesty) pretty safe, such as what OP did here.

          Breaking the law in and of itself is not unethical or immoral. The law and morals/ethics are different things. They are related, sure, but they are not one and the same. What OP did here was stupid (which he admitted), but let's not act like he just murdered someone or burgled a house. He made a pretty innocent mistake momentarily, he assessed the risks, nobody was hurt or injured.

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