Genuine police-vehicle lights will be of high-quality and powerful. Please share with friends who often drive alone. Remember, these incidents are rare, but as the tragic case of Sarah Everard sadly highlighted, being prepared could put you or your loved ones in a far better position to deal with the situation.
Please share how to spot a fake police car with friends These include the likes of petrol stations, town centres and taxi ranks. Look out for locations that are manned or have 24-hour CCTV. If the ‘flasher’ persists, drive cautiously on, ensuring your doors are locked and that you have easy access to your mobile phone if safe to do so.ĭo not stop until you reach a ‘safe’ location that is well-lit and in view of other pedestrians or other motorists.
You are not obliged to stop just because a car simply flashes its headlamps – and could be anything from a fake cop to someone angry at a perceived driving incident. If a car is flashing you with headlamps, then be wary as genuine police cars will always turn on their blue strobe lights when stopping a vehicle. What to look out for if worried a fake police car is pulling you over Īlong with your concerns about being pulled over in a secluded location, the above legislation could help if the ‘cop’ who was not wearing uniform turned out to be genuine. The Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 163, says:Ī person driving a on a road must stop the vehicle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform. Just put your hazard lights on and drive calmly until you can stop. Officers can pull you over even if they are not in uniform, but if they’re not and you have suspicions about their validity as bona-fide officers, then wait until you’re in a well-lit area with others around. Think nearly new Ford Mondeo headlights flashing in your rearview, rather than tatty old Ford Focus.ĭo police have to be in uniform to stop my car? Instead, the modern-day criminals are more likely to pose as undercover officers in a smart vehicle.
Obtaining a fully marked car will be expensive – and be more likely to leave crooks at risk of being spotted by real officers. It’s almost certain that anyone attempting to pull you over in a fully liveried police car will be genuine. What type of fake police cars will crooks use? The following tips will help you decide if the car is a genuine vehicle or fake police car - and how to stay on the right side of the law if you can't decide. It's important to stop if a cop signals you to pull over, but with many undercover vehicles on the road it's easy for crooks to impersonate legitimate officers. How to tell if a fake police car is pulling me over? If you regularly drive alone late at night, make sure you read this guide to spotting what could be a counterfeit cop car looming in your mirrors.
Motorists and police forces have reported cases of fake cop cars attempting to stop vehicles – with a worrying trend of lone women being targeted on quiet country roads, as reported on the .uk. Is the car behind you a real unmarked UK police car or a fake undercover vehicle being driven by criminals taking advantage of quiet roads during the Covid-19 pandemic as the tragic case of Sarah Everard highlighted? Here's a guide to help spot if the unmarked police car officer trying to stop you is real or fake in 2022 and beyond - and what unmarked police car laws in the UK say. How to spot unmarked UK police cars and if they are real or fake 2021