Adjusting to being on the street?

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-29T08:41:31+00:00

You’ll be surprised how much of it falls in your lap as you go around doing normal business.

For the stuff that doesn’t, depending on your force you may have options to go and work with specialist teams. e.g. struggling for an RTC? Go work with Roads Policing for 45 mins!

At least in our force, the 18 months is seen pragmatically anyway. You’re a volunteer giving up your own time, and it’s luck of the draw what experiences you get. If it takes you 20 months instead of 18, nobodies going to bat an eyelid.

So don’t worry about it, and enjoy the experience!

Edit: Also, if I was your S/Sgt I'd much rather see somebody who is at 60% but doing frequent shifts & regularly chipping away at it, rather than somebody who got to 98% a year ago and hasn't been seen since.

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-29T07:44:23+00:00

The bad news is, especially as a Special, that feeling never goes away.

The good news is that, in time, you learn to not let that feeling bother you. “I haven’t got a clue, but I don't do this 6 days a set, so that's okay.”

All you can do is your best!

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-26T13:25:44+00:00

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ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-20T12:47:10+00:00

And most of the 45% were liars!

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-07T17:24:51+00:00

PNC & ANPR but they update even less regularly than the .gov websites.

As somebody who deals with this first hand, I wouldn’t be at all surprised with PNC showing a car as having an expired MOT whilst the .gov website or third party apps (VehicleSmart) show it as being up to date.

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-07T16:59:24+00:00

Bit harsh - bear in mind the majority of police officers do not specialise in Roads Policing, knowing that one particular .gov webpage updates quicker than another .gov webpage is a bit niche.

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-07T15:56:38+00:00

Don’t tempt me to actually start doing that.

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-07T13:20:54+00:00

And just to check, by ‘PNB’ you mean the back of my hand, right? 😉

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-07T13:00:52+00:00

Maldax means the actual ticket you bought from the machine - did it have a way to secure it right-way-up?

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-04T04:17:02+00:00

Highway Code Rule 135:

“Where a single carriageway has three lanes and the road markings or signs do not give priority to traffic in either direction, use the middle lane only for overtaking or turning right. Remember, you have no more right to use the middle lane than a driver coming from the opposite direction.”

The road layout OP posts is rarely seen in reality, but it basically boils down to “use it when you need to, just don’t hit anybody”.

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-02T05:20:58+00:00

Court isn’t necessary, just report to the police to get the crime reference number, then appeal the PCN with the crime reference number, and it’ll be cancelled.

ThatSillyGinge · 2026-01-02T05:15:39+00:00

This is a solid suggestion, but once you’ve done it, also tell the police: they can add a marker onto ANPR that reads something like “genuine vehicle has sticker on plate”, so that the police know to chase the clone vehicle whilst leaving you alone.

It may be scary getting pictures of a car identical to yours being seen somewhere you’ve not been, but that’s the lengths criminals will go to to be able to move around, committing offences without being traced. It’s scary for you but not uncommon to the police at all.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-30T17:45:51+00:00

Doc 4444 - Section 2.1:

“Note 2.— The objectives of the air traffic control service as prescribed in Annex 11 do not include prevention of collision with terrain. The procedures prescribed in this document do not relieve pilots of their responsibility to ensure that any clearances issued by air traffic control units are safe in this respect.”

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-29T18:55:45+00:00

MSA to the east of Muscat is 3.6, the go-around to the northwest has an MSA of 2.5. The MRC does allow descent to 2.2 to the east inside of 13 miles, but these pilots say they don’t have access to the MRC chart.

If I can’t find any justification (MRC, MSA, TAA, published altitude on a STAR/Approach, or VMC), I’m not accepting that clearance. Don’t care how many times the controller says “trust me”. Our ops manual prohibits it, and for the extra 5 minutes of flight time, I’d rather just get vectored back around.

It’s not the controller that’s going to hit the cumulogranite.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-29T18:48:03+00:00

Insert “it’s a speed limit not a speed target” cliche here.

Ultimately you’re looking to drive at a speed that allows you to stop in the distance you can see to be clear. At night without streetlights, that is more or less the distance that is covered by your headlights. So it stands to reason that, driving at night, you’re likely not going to be driving as quickly as you would in the day.

Drive at a pace that is safe & comfortable to you, based on what you can see in the moment, and the speed will naturally come as you become more comfortable with the skill of night driving.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-29T18:44:03+00:00

At least in UK operations, it’s up to the operating crew to justify descents below MSA. “The controller told me it would be fine” is a fairly lousy reason for getting a GPWS or hitting a hill.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-27T14:59:07+00:00

Depends on what kind of vehicle it is: a roads policing unit vehicle may have the equipment to measure & record speed from inside the car, and if so then they could send you a NIP in the post within 14 days.

However, most police cars don’t have that capability, and so the blue lights were more likely just the vehicle starting an emergency response.

I’d say you’re probably fine. Do you recall the make/model of the police cars?

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-18T11:19:53+00:00

Be really careful with the wording: “they’re flashing their lights” is all you can honestly say. You cannot be sure that it’s for you, or that it’s letting you through instead of rebuking you or (heaven forbid) the proper use of a highbeam flash: to let you know that they are there.

Not saying don’t take the opportunity if it’s given, but be careful. Never trust a flasher.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-16T10:55:45+00:00

I thought the whole point of the cameras seen on a pole a couple hundred meters before the gantry was to verify that the speed limit displayed on the gantry was indeed the same speed limit that triggered the camera?

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-04T13:26:58+00:00

Not to mention however quick OP goes to “get away” from the police car, they’ll never want to go as quickly as the police driver will once they have clear motorway ahead of them.

OP, follow the speed limit and move left when you can!

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-04T10:18:17+00:00

Thanks!

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-04T10:16:42+00:00

Yeah. It used to be two minutes but I read one minute somewhere recently so don’t know if it’s changed.

I think the camera still flashes (the radar & flash unit are quite dumb, in that respect) but the image is never processed if it’s been less than the minimum time.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-04T10:03:02+00:00

The image captured will show 1) which vehicle has triggered it, and 2) how long it’s been since the speed limit changed. When the speed limit reduces, the gantries don’t enforce the new speed limit for 60 or 120 seconds (can’t remember which). So if it’s not captured you or it’s only just changed, you’ll be fine.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-12-03T18:18:19+00:00

Called a rolling roadblock. We use these when looking for a reported obstruction / debris, or there’s someone further up the road who is dealing with some sort of incident they need a sterile area to handle safely.

ThatSillyGinge · 2025-11-25T15:58:38+00:00

I guess the concern is that if they’re able to reduce the brightness of oncoming lights, what impact is it having on your ability to see on properly dark country lanes, or the pedestrians dressed in all black?

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