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1. Under the NYS VTL, police officers are not required to use lights and sirens when violating traffic laws. This is because there are many situations in which the use of lights and sirens may be an issue in the type call they are responding to (think "burglary-in-progress", in which the object is to catch the bad guys.) There is no requirement in the VTL about when lights and sirens can and should be used by police. Also, they are the only operators of emergency vehicles not required to use both lights and sirens when violating the law.
2. Under the VTL, police officers are specifically exempted from the provisions of the using a cell phone while driving a police vehicle. Again, their use of the phone may have direct application to their police work. (Any driver is likewise exempted from the cellphone provisions if he is contacting law enforcement while driving.)
Bottom line is that the people who complain the loudest in these forums about police practices are usually the ones with the least knowledge. There is usually a reasonable explanation for all of the things that you observe.
Ask.
I see your point, but driving over 120 MPH on NY 135 during rush hour without warning others is a recipe for disaster regardless of the situation. I often observe (almost on a daily basis) NCPD and SCPD failing to signal at lights , rolling through stop signs, things like that. Why not obey the laws you are supposed to enforce ?
When John Q. Public sees stuff like this every day, one begins to wonder... but you brought up some good points which I was not aware of.... thanks for the explanation.
1. Under the NYS VTL, police officers are not required to use lights and sirens when violating traffic laws. This is because there are many situations in which the use of lights and sirens may be an issue in the type call they are responding to (think "burglary-in-progress", in which the object is to catch the bad guys.) There is no requirement in the VTL about when lights and sirens can and should be used by police. Also, they are the only operators of emergency vehicles not required to use both lights and sirens when violating the law.
2. Under the VTL, police officers are specifically exempted from the provisions of the using a cell phone while driving a police vehicle. Again, their use of the phone may have direct application to their police work. (Any driver is likewise exempted from the cellphone provisions if he is contacting law enforcement while driving.)
Bottom line is that the people who complain the loudest in these forums about police practices are usually the ones with the least knowledge. There is usually a reasonable explanation for all of the things that you observe. Ask.
AMEN
I was taking a sip of my drink when I saw this thread...I laughed and It almost came out of my nose.
I see your point, but driving over 120 MPH on NY 135 during rush hour without warning others is a recipe for disaster regardless of the situation. I often observe (almost on a daily basis) NCPD and SCPD failing to signal at lights , rolling through stop signs, things like that. Why not obey the laws you are supposed to enforce ?
When John Q. Public sees stuff like this every day, one begins to wonder... but you brought up some good points which I was not aware of.... thanks for the explanation.
We have to take with a grain of salt the claim that cops are driving at 120 or 135 mph. You're assuming that the OP actually had some accurate way to estimate how fast the police car was going. Cops rarely, if ever, travel at those speeds on any road. The truth is that those making those kinds of claims have little or no training in estimating speeds and are really making a WAG (wild-a**ed-guess). Dramatic, yes ... but not factual.
We have to take with a grain of salt the claim that cops are driving at 120 or 135 mph. You're assuming that the OP actually had some accurate way to estimate how fast the police car was going. Cops rarely, if ever, travel at those speeds on any road. The truth is that those making those kinds of claims have little or no training in estimating speeds and are really making a WAG (wild-a**ed-guess). Dramatic, yes ... but not factual.
Not too dramatic - I checked my rear view mirror and he was approx 300-400 feet behind me .. 5 seconds later he passed me .. so lets see ..
60 mph translates to 88 feet per second - it's a mile a minute, or 5280 feet in 60 seconds, which averages 88 feet per second. So at 60 mph you will go 440 feet in 5 seconds
If I was traveling approx. 65-70 mph and he GAINS 300-400 feet in five seconds on me , he is going almost 60 mph FASTER than I am (an average of 350 feet would translate to 48 mph faster ... ok , maybe he was only doing about 113-118 MPH
Do the math.
Hope some day PD responds to an emergency for you and they obey all traffic laws getting there. Guy find another cause to champion with all that is going on in the world.
Al
Not too dramatic - I checked my rear view mirror and he was approx 300-400 feet behind me .. 5 seconds later he passed me .. so lets see ..
60 mph translates to 88 feet per second - it's a mile a minute, or 5280 feet in 60 seconds, which averages 88 feet per second. So at 60 mph you will go 440 feet in 5 seconds
If I was traveling approx. 65-70 mph and he GAINS 300-400 feet in five seconds on me , he is going almost 60 mph FASTER than I am (an average of 350 feet would translate to 48 mph faster ... ok , maybe he was only doing about 113-118 MPH
Do the math.
Not too dramatic - I checked my rear view mirror and he was approx 300-400 feet behind me .. 5 seconds later he passed me .. so lets see ..
60 mph translates to 88 feet per second - it's a mile a minute, or 5280 feet in 60 seconds, which averages 88 feet per second. So at 60 mph you will go 440 feet in 5 seconds
If I was traveling approx. 65-70 mph and he GAINS 300-400 feet in five seconds on me , he is going almost 60 mph FASTER than I am (an average of 350 feet would translate to 48 mph faster ... ok , maybe he was only doing about 113-118 MPH
Do the math.
While you may be proficient at math, I'll guarantee that you can't accurately estimate distance (especially from your rear view mirror) or time while operating a moving vehicle (apparently in excess of the posted speed limit.) Cops are trained to estimate speeds and it takes quite a bit of practice to accurately estimate the speed of a moving vehicle from a moving vehicle.
Not too dramatic - I checked my rear view mirror and he was approx 300-400 feet behind me .. 5 seconds later he passed me .. so lets see ..
60 mph translates to 88 feet per second - it's a mile a minute, or 5280 feet in 60 seconds, which averages 88 feet per second. So at 60 mph you will go 440 feet in 5 seconds
If I was traveling approx. 65-70 mph and he GAINS 300-400 feet in five seconds on me , he is going almost 60 mph FASTER than I am (an average of 350 feet would translate to 48 mph faster ... ok , maybe he was only doing about 113-118 MPH
Do the math.
"OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR"
(Anyone recall seeing that on their mirrors in some cars?)
What appeared to have been 300-400 feet could very well have been much less.
Were you using cruise control to maintain a consistent speed or was it a matter of your foot on the gas?
The only ways to have truly assessed the patrol car's speed would have been to have driven behind him at the same rate of speed or to have sat on the roadside with a radar/laser gun.
(Anyone recall seeing that on their mirrors in some cars?)
What appeared to have been 300-400 feet could very well have been much less.
Were you using cruise control to maintain a consistent speed or was it a matter of your foot on the gas?
The only ways to have truly assessed the patrol car's speed would have been to have driven behind him at the same rate of speed or to have sat on the roadside with a radar/laser gun.
My DH has a sports radar gun to measure how fast he pitches.
My DH has a sports radar gun to measure how fast he pitches.
Do you think that would work for this too?
Sure, throw me a curve ball!
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