Driving tip: Don't honk at the cops

cnn ^ | 2-24-06

[TNButterfly]

I'm glad someone posted the TN State code that deals with emergency vehicles and the fact that they have to have lights and sirens activated in order to drive through red lights and exceed the speed limit in a true emergency situation. The problem which was brought to light by this incident is the on-going problem with the Chattanooga Police......which is where this occurred. The police do need to be corrected when they are breaking the law. And this is certainly not an isolated case. I know that this has happened many times before. Unfortunately, my daughter was involved in a fatal accident when a Chattanooga police officer going at a high rate of speed ran a red light at a blind intersection with only his blue lights on. He broadsided the car in which my daughter was a passenger, sending her care 275 feet down the street. Her roomate was killed instantly, and the other passengers were seriously injured. This is a prime example of a needless tragedy that can happen when laws are not followed. And just because blue lights and sirens are activated, it is the officer's responsibility to proceed with due regard for the safety of others. This means slowing down or stopping at intersections if necessary. Lights and sirens does not give one the right to drive in a wreckless manner.
You can go to www.newschannel9.com to see 2 follow-up articles entitled "Red Lights, Blue Lights, No Sirens" and "Safety Before Sirens". When a Chattanooga police rep. was questioned about following the state law, he said "it is not always realistic" to follow the law regarding lights and sirens and that "the laws need to be revised". Seems like some attitudes need to be revised!!!

[King Prout]

Years ago, two buddies of mine hassled some dude in a car they were behind on a winding, two-lane road. They gave him the high-beams... rode the horn... then gave him the bird and cussed him out when they were finally able to pass him... My friends were lucky that they knew some state cops who put in a good word for them...

I have run such idiots off the road.
several times.
your buddies were lucky they pulled that nonsense on a cop, and not to a civvie like me.

[KoRn]

Apparently the donuts were getting cold, or selling out too fast. I really love it when the cops get upset about flashing your lights at oncoming vehicles warning that they are near doing their speed trap/revenue generation.

If I were this guy I would have done the same thing. Good for him!

[MikefromOhio]

"The horn blowing is not the real problem here, it's that you were trying to correct the police and they didn't need correcting," Judge Russell Bean said.

WTF?

[johnny7]

It wasn't in Georgia dude... it was in CT and it was years ago.

[MichiganMan]

Cops routinely abuse traffic laws unneccessarily and it is a danger to all, many times a cop turns his lights on for a donut run and ends up hitting someone.

MANY times, huh? Boy, you really sound knowledgeable and authoritative there. Able to back that up with a few citations, or are you just "routinely abusing" the truth?

[King Prout]

Idiots abound everywhere.
I run such active and malicious road hazards off my roads.
word gets around.
Idiots start behaving themselves.

[wtc911]

, many times a cop turns his lights on for a donut run and ends up hitting someone.

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Give even one real world example of a cop hitting the lights to get to his donuts faster and then hitting someone on the way.

[wtc911]

Level 3 or 4?