Police And Vosa Emission Roadside Checks

[bothwell_buyer]

I got 'pulled' over by the police yesterday.... well.. the nice man stopped all traffic and those dodgy looking cars got pointed into a layby near Hamilton Sheriff Court where a clutch of VOSA occifers gathered rubbing hands in glee at an old RAV4 trundling in noisily.

An emission check they said (emission, emmision, or emmission - wotever) and they would slide a sensor up my back end. :eek: (Please this is meant to be a family site, and I was on a public road before the watershed 9pm)

I was driving number 1 RAV as the other is in getting a water pump changed.... so some of you will know...-

number 1 is running the stage 3 turbo etc etc and currently is idling at 1100 rpm for several reasons. However it has just been tuned/checked and the guys were amazed that the car passed the test.

Dis-heartened, they pointed out the exhaust pipe was blowing. I agreed... all the exhaust was coming out at the back. "Check if you like but you'll find that the exhaust system is intact". Its a straight thru stainless custom designed system with no cat. They didn't check under the car - maybe as the car seats and the massive front brakes gave the game away.. or was it the racing number chalked on the side from the last racing day out??

Anybody else being hauled aside to have their emissions checked?

[Worlds End Stu]

Dunno about an emmissions check but there was a "Police Census" by us the other week (I know this as they had a big sign up) where they were just pulling random cars over.

I was not one of the cars to be pulled so I dunno what they were up to. They were there all day though as I saw it again on the way home that evening.

Which got me thinking, if Plod pulls you over for a "census" are you legally obliged to tell them anything?

Nothing to hide, but as far as i'm concerned the government has far too much information about us all anyway and I would rather divulge as little information as possible.

Example - I got points for going through a red light late at night a few weeks ago - No traffic, great visibilty and I swear It was amber. Honest! :-)

Anyway, went to the station to hand in my documents and they ask you loads of other questions like what is your occupation. What the hell business is it of theirs what I do for a living?

I asked plod why he needed to know and he said "coz it's on the form".

I'd better stop now before I start ranting....

[Jamesbelfast]

Yep - I got pulled a few weeks back but it wasn't by your namby pamby VOSA eejits.

Where I live the MOT inspectors randomly stop cars. They even have their mobile hydraulic lifts along with truck load of test equipment including sound meters for noisy or loud exhausts. If your car fails even if it passed the MOT the day previously they have the power to impound the vehicle and truck away to a place of your choice and then charge you for the pleasure. The vehicle MOT certificate and road tax is withdrawn until effective repairs are carried out and it passes a fresh MOT.

At weekends they target boy-racer gatherings at seaside towns. There's usually a scattering match when they arrive but the police watch the exit roads out of the town and pull over anyone they think may be dodgy.

Having said that the inspectors also give out advice on how to mod cars safely and professionally.

There was local TV programme about such an event and I laughed when a cop give a young driver the option of either getting 3 points and a fine or rip the tints off his front windows. Guess which option he took - his mates could be seen pi&&ing themselves laughing.:)

[anchorman]

I've seen them out dipping for red diesel but not emmisions.

[bothwell_buyer]

Both my RAVs are tuned for Shell vpower. And number 1 cannot use anything else safely... but it proved its worth when the test result was a pass. Up here they warn a £60 spot penalty; 3 points; and the car forced into an MOT - and if done within 14 days you get away with it.

Word on the street is that VOSA is a quango awaiting privatisation/destruction and that they are creating the case to keep them...ask any lorry driver! I admit they do have an argument to stop suspect lorries, but again most have to go through a 6 weekly inspection - not like cars.

And I suppose if the traffic polis were diverted from flagging down aged drivers in aged cars, then they might have to flag down thugs shunting drugs round the country? (Who normally use Range Rovers with shaded glass)

On noise, funnily enough it seems ok to fly an RAF jet low over the M6 without gaining penalty points; run a noisy oil burning locomotive/s on the railway pulling a few tons of explosives past our house (ancs will know more about this). Drive a nuclear weapon past our house on the M74 at the dead of night.

Run a noisy RAV4 during the day - risk getting fined :censor: