I don't really like having a go at the police but after the incident in the Buller Gorge last year you would think that the cops maybe would be taking more care with the way they handled their cars in traffic.
On the way down to Wellington on Sunday I was following a police car (one car ahead of me) when the cop all of a sudden decided that they were going the wrong way and needed to do a U-turn. This was in reasonably heavy traffic with two lanes going both ways.
To start the manoeuvre the cop simply pulled across into the opposite lanes - no indicator, no flashing lights or anything. Unfortunately two lanes were not enough to complete the turn and so by the time I went past the car was in reverse and I was wondering if I was about to be rammed in the side by a cop car. Additionally, all of the traffic in the opposing two lanes had to stop otherwise they'd pile into the cop car - wonder if there were any nose to tails?
Anyway, the cop didn't hit me but I wonder what he would have done if it had been another member of the public pulling the same kind of stunt? Probably be sentenced to life imprisonment or something. The thing that most annoys me is the no indication/Christmas tree lights etc to warn other motorists and that the cop thought that it was perfectly ok to do that sort of thing. Be nice if they could set better examples out on the road...
Oh, and to top it all off, while we were parked outside Wellington Motorcycles a mufti cop tried to back into the space between Brian's & my bike and a parked car. There was not enough room for a mini let alone a commodore! He eventually worked this out and drove off without knocking our bikes over - phew! Must have got his licence out of a weet-bix packet...
C'mon guys!