Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Almost hit a cop.

Our local deputies leave the blinding lights on all through the encounter, even after they have looked in your car and run your license.

I had to walk back to their pickup and tell them that I wasn't going to leave until they turned off the blinders since I couldn't see in my mirrors. They had followed me about three miles to determine that my license plate light had a bad connection and was flickering off and back on.

Really just cruising looking for an excuse so they could check for outstanding warrants, most of which are for unpaid traffic tickets.

Armednfree, you have misunderstood the rules of posting about police.

Rule 1. A police officer can do no wrong, make no error in judgment and is infallible.

Rule 2. Anyone who questions, doubts or criticizes a police officer's action or judgment is automatically guilty of doing something wildly unsafe and illegal.

You may have meant your post to be in good faith when you implied that in your opinion the officer did something to endanger himself and increase the likelihood that you would hit him with your vehicle. See Rule # 1. The cop was right to blind your eyes and then stand in the middle of the lane you were driving. What the cop did was right and you were in the wrong.

You may have the mistaken idea that a police officer is a human subject to normal human errors. You are wrong. Becoming a police officer makes the officer infallible, like the Pope. Anything he does is correct. See Rule #1.

If you question this, you are guilty under Rule #2, and you are probably a liberal.



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EXACTLY>... reason those lights are on.... dumbazz.... we get it all the time around fire calls too... people CAN"T pay attention and or SLOW the hell down. They could care less you are doing your job and a dangerous one at times at that, and they expect you to look out for them, when it should be the oether way aroudn. I"ve wanted to throw my light through a few windshields over the year.

And I don't even get paid for my work and risk....

Since people wont pay attention, AND wont slow down, it is up to us to make damn well sure we are doing everything we can to stay as safe as possible.

We need to actively lower our risk, while lowering the risk for motorists. Bright lights and gallivanting around like we are bullet proof is not lowering the risk.

Then quit!

Agreed.........I think all the volunteer FFs and EMTs should take a few weeks off! I'd like to see the results around here............ likely less smarmy comments about them.

Sadly many drivers are clueless of the concept that you drive to the conditions. If you can't see, you slow way the F down or come to a complete stop. In poor to non existent visibility 5-10 mph can be too fast. Emergency responders don't always have the time or personnel to put out flares, control traffic etc. Give em a brake, slow down, be thankful you weren't in the wreck, didn't get pulled over etc.

I didn't know him well, but well enough to know Pat was a good guy.

No, you don't know. But got pizzy because you went past at a higher rate of speed than you should've and almost tagged him. I know you're a jailer and bitter towards cops, hence your cute little "hero" comment in the original post. But damn dude, you come on here bitching about something that appears to have been your fault?

Boggles me that there even has to be a law.
I slow and move over for every standing vehicle I see in the roadway.
I call it common sense.

Similarly, I came up on a rainy night time scene with a pulled over car with police headlights and bar lights front and back in the opposing lane. Slowed to about 10 mph and with all my focus to the left, damned near hit a person walking on the shoulder of my lane. Mirror probably missed him by an inch.

Also, looked left and right to see no traffic one day. With nothing about, I casually pulled out and was near hit by a LEO doing in excess of 100mph coming from the left.

Yes, Bingo! Its tough with our busy lives, but we have to remain in control of our vehicles and drive a safe speed for conditions. In blinding light with vehicles on the shoulder, you need to be slowed down enough to be safe for all. That does not excuse the office for no reflective gear, or potentially being in the wrong spot, but the loser in these battles is the pedestrian and often results in death. Great responsibility comes with the operation of a vehicle.

Having being involved in state police driver training/instructing/re-training
I can tell you a good number of LE suffer the same human failing....a culture
of die hard bad habits among too many.

~snicker~ Possibly a contender for post of the year. Early though, so we'll see.

In Iowa it's law that when coming upon any vehicle on the shoulder you change lanes or if lane changing is impossible or dangerous, slow down significantly.

On my regular route to work several years ago, a plant was doing some "turn-around" work that involved a BUNCH of contract employees. When they got off shift, they all emptied onto the highway in an endless line of vehicles, stopping traffic both ways for long periods. Finally, the company "hired" off-duty officers to "direct traffic" What these guys did was use their department issued vehicles, wear their uniforms, and stop traffic to let the contractors in and out. As long as there was one car left in the parking lot, traffic was stopped. One foggy morning a young county deputy was working the detail. He was, if I remember right, not even on the shoulder of the road - in the ditch I think, but not wearing reflective clothing - when a contract guy who was possibly running late to work (at that site) veered around the stopped traffic, left the road at a pretty high rate of speed, and hit and killed the deputy.

Lots more attention at that site for the remainder of the project, but of the same kind. That section of highway is now named in memory of the deceased officer. Unfortunately, the signs don't tell how he happened to be killed. I always thought it was caused by mistakes by the plant, the off duty officers, AND the negligent driver.

Mike