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What do you think about using your lights in your pov when assisting a stranded motorist?
Where i live we are allowed to run lights in our pov but no siren.I was driving down a busy interstate by my house the other night and saw a vechicle on the side of the road with it's flashers on.So i pulled over to see if i could be of assistance and an edlery lady had a flat so naturally i offered to change it for her.I went back to my pov and fliped on my lights(rear strobes) to make ourselves more visible because it was a very narrow shoulder.A cop pulls up(my ex girlfriends dad)he dose'nt like me since we broke up.And tells me using my strobes the way i was using them is illegal.And if i don't turn them off he's going to take me to jail.I tried to explain to him what i was doing but he didn't want to hear it.So i guess my question is what do you guys think about using your lights in this manner?And have you guys done the same thing before?And also was the cop out of line?I think he said that because i broke up with his daughter.One more thing i also explained this to my chief he was fine with it.He said better to be visible than dead.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by PFC Harmon on
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I wouldn't have done it, just for the fact of confusing other motorist. Another thing is that if your vehicle was hit by another car your insurance company might not cover it if they found out you was using emergency lights without an emergency. Also it's not a good idea to use strobes on an interstate due to the "Christmas tree effect. Sorry, I know that's not the answer you were looking for but it's my opinion and the same thing I would tell my guys.
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Permalink Reply by Mick Shelley on
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WOW, I would have done the same as you did, but what I would also have done would be get in my vehicle, turned off your lights (strobes) and drove off, leaving him there to fix the flat for the edlery lady. He sounds like a winner, good thing you broke it off, I wouldn't want him for a father-in-law.
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Permalink Reply by dj lee on
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I've done the same thing before. I was on my way home from work one night ( I get out at 2 am) and there was a truck pulled over to the side of the road with they're flashers on. They were on a corner so I pulled up behind them turned my rear strobes on and got out to help. They had a flat tire it was an older couple they were on there way home and had been stranded for about 3 hours before any would stop. I started to change there tire and a state trooper pulled up behind me. He also turned on his rear strobes on. He then asked me if there was anything wrong I told him that they had been here for a while and I stopped to help. He asked me if I needed any help I said no he left. He never said anything about my lights. I changed the tire and went home.
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Like Ex-CAPT. Mickey Shelley said I wouldn't want him for a father -in-law either. I think he Sounds like a jerk.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Travis on
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we were having a bake sale at the walmart in town to raise money for junior firefighters and this little old woman had a flat... We were in our brush truck and our advisor pulled over and turned on his lights to help her... Didn't really have any police problems with it though,
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Permalink Reply by Jay Nicholson on
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Sounds like an ex problem to me. But if it is illegal, then I wouldn't do it again. Try to get the law changed if that is the case though.
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Jessica, we aren't talking about a emergency vehicle, we are talking about private owned vehicle "POV"
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Permalink Reply by Erick Wendler on
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I would of done the same in fact I have done it didn't have any problems . I think I would have left to let the cop change the tire
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Permalink Reply by Tony P on
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If this sort of thing were to happen here (it can't, as we aren't allowed lights or sirens on personal vehicles) then there would be a simple follow up. A letter to the local Officer in Charge or even to the Police internal affairs office complaining about the actions of that single police officer. With your Chief agreeing with you that your actions were simply to make the scene safer for all and that the Police officer had a personal grievance with you, this would have an investigation started. Admittedly we only have State Police here, so you wouldn't be dealing with small town politics - might make things easier.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Farrar on
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In Vermont we can run red lights on our POV's (if we are issued a permit by the state) and I have done this same thing many times before. One big difference is though in Vermont it is not illegal to have a flashing red light on the rear of ANY POV permit or not. On the rear of my truck under the bumper I have a pair of LED's one red and one amber. I run a mini LED bar on the roof also with a red and amber LED on the rear. If I am on a back country road then just the lower lights would be fine however on a highway or high traffic area I would also use my roof light. I don't know of any police officer in this area that would say anything about it and if you do ask them who is going to cut them out of there car when they wreck in a chase (make sure you know the cop will laugh).
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Permalink Reply by Deanna on
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Sounds to me like someone had a personal vendetta against you. We do the same thing when we are helping someone out. I would rather have the extra warning lights on than get hit. We have an MX7000 w/ Arrowstick and strobes. The arrowstick is what we use if traffic is light, but if the freeway is busy we use all of our lights except for the white.
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Permalink Reply by keith on
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i have done the same things. It was the dead of winter and this little elderly man had a flat. i pulled up behind him, before i began to change the tire i went back to my POV and turn on my outside rotors on my lightbar, in the middle of all this a local cop pulled in behind me and turned his strobes on, he walked up to me ask if there was anything he could do to help, told him no and then he was on his way. not a problem with me having them on. I guess that guy has it out for ya.... better save then dead ... thats how i look at it
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