Q&A: Being stopped by the police

• Wednesday, 11 June 2008
• Jon Phillips, Managing Director of the Organisation of Horsebox and Trailer Owners
• 0 Comments

Q: A few months ago I got pulled over by the police while towing my trailer with my horse on board. I was on an A road and there was no hard shoulder to stop, so I carried on to the next exit and then came off, which was about 10 mins. The police car followed me flashing his lights and left his sirens on. I indicated to show I had seen him and he flashed his main beam, but kept the lights and siren going behind the trailer. The horse in the trailer was extremely upset by the noise and flashing lights. The police were doing a spot check on the trailer, as one like mine had been stolen that night, which is all very good, but are there any guidelines in place for the police when they have to pull over horse trailers? Live animals and sirens don?t go together, and a nasty accident could have been the result.

A: The normal method used by
a police officer in a patrol vehicle to get you to stop is to flash the
headlights to gain your attention, indicate left and point to the left. It is
the police decision as to where you should pull over. Having stayed behind you
they were “covering” the rear of your vehicle. Normal practice could also have
seen them cut in front of you and force you to slow on a more open road. It is
difficult to comment on your situation, but carrying on driving for a further 10
minutes (for whatever reason) would certainly have aroused their suspicions as
to your intentions. This incident appears to be have been cause by a lack of
communication.