stevharr

On the way to work this morning something happened which makes me concerned that the S2000 is starting to get attention from traffic cops now that the younger drivers are getting them and sticking on big chrome wheels (sorry Vuey) and silly exhausts and hooning down George St on saturday nights (sad but true).

I was heading towards the city to work when I noticed a traffic cop car ahead. I didn't think anything of it, so I continued on my way. It was, after all, 9:30 in the morning. At the next set of lights I went into the filter lane to turn right, the cop was at the lights waiting to go straight on. As I passed on his right hand side, he pulls out of the lane he is in and gets behind me. At that instant I knew that it did not matter what I did, he was going to pull me over for something. For the next few km I obeyed every road sign, stop light, speed limit and did absolutely nothing to draw attention to myself. After several minutes we are queuing at another set of lights and after 30 seconds or so, on come the lights. At first I figured that he had got a call on the radio and needed to get through, but to my horror as I pulled to one side he follows me.

Up he comes with "Morning Sir, random breath test, can I see your licence", to which I replied "ok" and hand him my UK licence. There is no breathalyser in his hand and he is more interested in my immigration status.
"How long have you lived here?" - Four years
"Why do you not have a AU licence?" - On temporary visa
"What visa?" - 457
"Who do you work for?" - My sponsor
"Wait here" And off he goes to check me out

Then he's back with more inane questions
"Ok so you have a temporary visa, show it to me" - "Excuse me?"
"How do I know you have a visa to live in this country?" - "You don't"
"Well if you can't prove your immigration status, I have to assume that you are unregistered and are therefore driving illegally" - At this point the red mist comes down and I start to fight back because it was just a farse and now I am late for a meeting. - "Look if you have something to charge me with get on with it, because what you are saying is riduculous, there is no law that says I have to carry my passport around to prove my immigration status, and having an Australian licence would not make any difference becasue I could hand this one in and get one whether I had a vissa or not" to which he snorts "I will be making some inquiries and there will be charges if you are lying" - "Fine go ahead, are we done?"

"Wait one moment while I get the analyser......" (it's an RBT remember)
"Say your name address into here, thankyou good morning" and off he struts leaving me with steam coming out of my ears.

Now, I've been pulled over here once before, but I driving like an ass so I deserved it, so I was not bothered. However, this time was different, there was no reason for that cop to divert from his route to follow me, unless he thought that there was a good chance he could get me on something. And there was definately no reason for him to antagonise me, which he was, even if I have not conveyed it here very well.

Is this the way things are going to be now? Is the S2000 going to fall into the same catagory as the WRX and the Skyline and we are going to start to get pulled over more often?
Opinions? Was I just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

TAAXED

maybe it had something to do with the area you were in at the time, I know in certain parts of Melbourne you will get hassled a lot more than in other arears!

I usually try to be as nice as I can to the police, remember that they cop crap from almost every person they pull over. Chances are if your nice to them then they will be nice in return.

That is what I have experienced personally anyways.

ninelarge

You may have just come across a dud cop. Having said that, a few months ago I drove out early to head out to golf. There were a few cars about and a police car going in the other direction did a u-turn about 50-odd metres up the hill behind me, then pulled me over another few hundred metres down the road for - you guessed it - an RBT. I was baffled why they chose to weave through all of those cars and traffic lights to do a "random" breath test on me. You've got to wonder some times...

stevharr

I agree and I was nice, to start with, even though had chosen to go out of his way to follow me, then when I didn't do anything wrong pull me on an RBT. If RBT was the real reason he should have pulled me straight away.
When he said RBT, I was like "ok here's my licence". It was only after he started to accuse me of being an illegal immigrant because I did not have an Australian licence that I started to give him some back becasue he was talking crap.

Vuey

in my area , there are now more S2000's with chrome wheels than stockies or race look wheels


i still think it is wrong place/wrong time . Depends on the cop . Did you have your "super cool" sunnies on with your hat backwards and listening to your ipod while driving ? ehehehhe most S2k's i spot on the roads these days are driven by P-plate drivers . Nothing wrong with that , but generally younger owners are getting them, which is pushing my mrs to sell hers

your lucky your not asian otherwise you would of been hauled off to Villawood detention center ! ahahahaha
jokes aside , that was harsh accusing you of being a illegal immigrant .

stevharr

Uhmm... no I was going to the office.

He was only accusing me of being an illegal to be a smart ass, he obviously did not really think it.

MAD828

I had a similar, experience.

I was coming from the city, on the ED. In the airport tunnel. A cop pulls from the far left to far right onto my rear bumper basically.

I follow all the speed limits, and he is sitting right on my ass, which pisses me right off. We approach a set of lights, lights turn orange. I would have normally gone through. But I had just enough time, and I thought if I go through he will get me for that, and if I stop, and he hits me he will be at fault for following too close.

I stopped.

He pulled up hard, and pulled me over at the next lights, for....... RBT.

TAAXED

I used to get pulled over heaps for RBT when I was on my Ps, maybe once every month on average, significantly more around summer time. Since getting off my Ps at the start of the year I haven't had been pulled over once, not even looked at twice by a cop around the city etc!!!

One time I got pulled over just before my street on Toorak rd, it looked like the cop was trying to impress his 'new' partner or something. It reminded me of a Super Troopers style scene!!

I remember him asking me where I was going and me pointing at the next street and saying home! LOL then he tried to be a smart ass and tell me to watch my acceleration and then said if I wanted to drag I should go to the Monash Council area! haha I gave him a confused look as I was just driving home at night from work in traffic...

vyets

It pays too be nice too a cop.

I organized a "bad" thing one night and there was a bunch of us there, anyway cops came. I can't go into detail but lets say the cop let me and all my mates off because he recognized me from last time and I was nice not an idiot. I was surprised he let us of..

Pretty I told you about this jono ROFL! Best story ever.

cashout

It will happen more and more. In the US where the S only costs about half new it was pretty common getting pulled over for no reason. I got pulled over many times when travelling to/from the track (which was usually a 400 km drive one way). I remember getting a lecture from a state trooper for doing 2 miles over the limit at 11pm on a deserted freeway on a monday night.... he had nothing better to do.