Of course, I would also like to thank the police who were able to catch hold of one of the thieves on the very same day!

BHPian RohanMahantesh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Everyone

TL;DR

I was on my bicycle on the way to work, when two thieves on a bike snatched my phone from my backpack. This incident was recorded on a GoPro, using which the vehicle number and the images of the thieves were obtained. With the help of my colleague, a fellow Team BHPian, and a thread on the forum, we were able to obtain the information of the vehicle owner. The owner was contacted, who had lent his bike to a supposed friend when the incident occurred. The vehicle owner cooperated with the police and helped them track down the thieves. The phone was retrieved back in less than 24 Hours! The complete incident is shown in the video above.

To start, I am a final-year engineering student from Bangalore. Apart from my love for automobiles, I have a keen interest in photography. This led to me purchasing various camera gear and having read several posts on the forum about the importance of a dashcam in one's car and having been involved in several incidents before, I made it a point to record even the short rides on two-wheeler and bicycle on my GoPro (This was the first thing I bought off of my first stipend at my internship! Best purchase ever!).

I also realised that I could upload the footage on YouTube under the POV (Point of View) Driving category, which gave me another reason to drive all the vehicles at home with a GoPro mounted onto me. Oh, and if you are wondering, no I do not intend on making any money off of it on YouTube, it's just for the sheer pleasure of recording the drives, and looking back at it a few years down the lane to relive the moments, the traffic, the roads and the surroundings.

The firm that I am interning at, is about 6km from my residence, as a result of which I utilise a scooter or my bicycle to commute.

It was about 10:30 am on the 15th of March 2024, when I was on the way to the office on my bicycle. The railway crossing on the way was shut, as a result of which, I took out the phone from my bag and started scrolling. The next thing I knew, the railway crossing was open, and I had to hurry, as a result of which I ended up keeping my phone in the bottle holder of my backpack (A Stupid and Silly Mistake ).

As I was crossing the railway track (I was pushing the cycle, rather than riding it to not lose balance), a guy in a blue bike overtook me from the extreme left, which was very suspicious to me at first, but I didn't bother about it, thinking it was normal.

After crossing the railway track, I hopped onto my bicycle and started riding it. Amidst this, the guy in the blue bike picked up another person. This seemed completely normal. I didn't think much about the stares that they gave me, as it is very common to have a lot of people look at you driving with a GoPro attached to your head or chest.

I was on the extreme left lane of the road, and about 100m later, out of nowhere, the two people on the blue bike overtook me from the left side (A lot of things could have gone wrong during all of this!) the pillion (The guy he had just picked up) took the phone out of the bottle holder of my backpack and before I could realise it, it was too late!

I was terrified and almost froze! This was the first time that I had encountered a situation as such. I sped up (on the bicycle!) and tried looking for their bike, but realised that it was already too late and there was no way I could catch up with the thieves. The first thing I had to do, no matter what, was to track/erase data/log out of the phone and I rushed home.

Using the other device at home, I couldn't track it, as they had switched off the phone. I ended up signing out of all my accounts and erasing all the data from the phone (All of the data was backed up). I was concerned about my sim, as without it it would be impossible to call people, receive SMS or make payments. I extracted all the footage from the GoPro and saved it for reference to note down the vehicle number and the images of the thieves.

I immediately called up my colleague and told him about the incident, and that I would be late to the office as I had to visit the nearest police station. He asked me to calm down and offered to accompany me to the police station. We reached the Gangamma Gudi Police Station (Abbigere) and filed an e-lost complaint on the Karnataka State Police app with all the required details of the phone, This generated a lost e-report for the phone, using which I could obtain the duplicate SIM. Parallely, I blocked the IMEI number using the CEIR website.

I met the officers at the police station and made it a point to show them the footage captured, which they gladly circulated among the various WhatsApp groups of which they were part. The police asked us to be rest assured and that they would get in touch with us in case of any updates.

My colleague tried to gather information about the owner of the vehicle using mParivahan, but we couldn't get much information. We then got back to the office and went about our day. 20 minutes into the office, my colleague, remembered coming across the Karnataka PUC Website and the loopholes it had in this thread. We obtained the information of the owner and obtained his phone number using the same. My colleague immediately called the owner and cooked up an excuse to have him meet us at the police station.

The owner of the vehicle was a person who was working in the Armed Forces and was worried about the consequences of having a police case against him. We met up at the police station, where we explained what happened. He had lent his bike to a friend that morning, and he immediately recognised the people from the footage. He cooperated with the police and provided them with the contact information and address of the thieves.

The police were able to catch hold of one of the thieves (In Blue Shirt) on the very same day, and he accepted the theft but did not have any information about the phone. It was about 8 pm and we were assured of getting the phone back.

The next morning, at about 11 am, the police contacted me asking us to visit the police station. Me and my colleague visited the police station, and we were handed over the phone by the officer. He narrated the incident as to how the second thief was caught in the wee hours of midnight. The thieves had thrown the SIM card away. The police gave the thieves a taste of their medicine (you know what I am referring to). I immediately unblocked the IMEI.

Thank You Team BHP and Bengaluru Police for helping me retrieve my phone!

I regretted the absolutely silly mistake of mine which led to all of this, but I am happy that GoPro and Team BHP helped me retrieve the phone back. I urge all of you to please keep your belongings safe when in public. I learnt my lesson the hard way. Hope this was helpful to everyone out there!

Cheers!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It was late at night and many other staff members at the banquet, who were mostly drunk, started surrounding me and my family.

BHPian mohitm29 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Wanted to share an extremely disturbing incident that happened with my cousin brother who had narrated it to me a few weeks back.

We were invited to attend an evening function- Mata Ki Chowki (payers for Goddess Durga) at a Banquet in Delhi (name not disclosed deliberately). The valet drivers were taking keys from the guests and were parking somewhere (assumingly) near the banquet premises. Myself included, many guests started leaving after dinner, however, my cousin was amongst the very few guests who were leaving late with our relative's family of organizers of the event.

When he went to ask for his car key from the valet stall, the people took time to find it. After a long wait, my cousin brother asked to call the manager of the banquet. The manager came out after some time. The valet people took this manager slightly away from the valet stall and were discussing something. The manager met my cousin brother and told him to take a cab back home as the staff was unable to find the key at that moment and that they would search in the morning and would arrange to get the car dropped at his residence in the morning.

This triggered suspicion and my cousin brother started demanding CCTV footage. The manager informed him that the CCTV was not working. My brother kept demanding they search for the car key but the manager kept saying the same statement - that he would get the car delivered in the morning. In the meanwhile, many other staff (mostly drunk) people at the banquet started to surround my cousin brother and his family.

Fearing any mishap my cousin called up police but did not get much help on the first call. He received a second call from the police but that also did not help. My cousin and his family had to go through this traumatic incident for almost 2 hours standing in between a crowd of drunk men untill a third call was received from the police.

On the third call, the officer discussed with the manager of the banquet hall and asked to return the car key to my cousin. The manager instructed one of the valet staff who hesitantly returned the car key. The valet people did not bother to bring the car back to the banquet premises and only guided my cousin as to where the car would be parked.

When my cousin found his car and opened it, he was shocked to see empty liquor bottles lying inside the car and some snacks like nuts lying on the seats which was proof enough that the valet staff was drinking inside his car. The family remained traumatised for many days after this incident.

This incident shockingly exposed the other side of valet facilities at banquets. It was also a lesson that unless it is a 5-star reputed property, we should try to park our vehicles instead of giving keys and relying on valets.

Here's what BHPian for_cars1 had to say about the matter:

Handing cars to a valet is shown as an everyday event in English movies where the star-cast lady or gentleman casually hands over the keys of their convertible to an eagerly waiting valet as they enter a premise.

Have never been comfortable with the idea of handing the keys to a valet and have always self-parked.

I find it intriguing when folks hand over their brand-new car carefree to a valet and forget about the vehicle. For a nominal meal at a hotel, for example, folks hand over their priced possessions to an unknown valet with unknown driving skills. I believe this is indeed a huge risk especially while on tours and away from your home location.

After taking all the pain of driving to a destination, wonder what it takes to just park the car as a final step. But I do respect the viewpoints of folks who may feel the need to avail a valet service to each of their own.

Haven't yet encountered a place where they insist on only valet parking. If you politely mention that you will self-park, you will be shown where without any fuss.

Here's what BHPian Aarhot had to say about the matter:

Valet helps in such places where there is not much parking left within the premises and if you insist on parking by yourself, they give a sheepish stare and a word of caution that there is no parking left in the basement and need to search around the by-lanes (which they will do anyways).

Had to pay a fine for roadside parking that they did when we visited a restaurant a few years back. After this incident, I have been asking them to make sure it's parked inside the parking lot or within the premises. They, anyway don't care for your car as they clearly say "they are not responsible for anything".

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Since the guy was bleeding profusely, we decided to not waste any time and take the rider immediately to the nearest available hospital in the same car.

BHPian furyrider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Let me narrate a story that happened 5 years ago.

My friend purchased a new car, and we went on an early morning joy ride. We decided to drive to a local reservoir and en route, road expansion works were going on. We were doing may be 30-40 Kmph. A construction worker who was on the phone while carrying a plastic can containing diesel on the tank of his bike rear ended the car. His face was covered in blood, and we immediately called the emergency number - 108 for an ambulance. We were informed that the nearest ambulance would take at least 30-45 min to arrive and were asked if the car was still drivable. The car had considerable damage at the rear but was still drivable. By this time, remaining workers including his supervisor had gathered around the vehicle and started creating a ruckus. My friend promptly called the police.

Since the guy was bleeding profusely, we decided to not waste any time and take the rider immediately to the nearest available hospital in the same car. My friend in the meantime took some pictures of the vehicle and the accident in general. My friend stayed back since the crowd started accusing us of running away from the place. Luckily, the police arrived in 5 min since a patrol vehicle was already parked at the next corner. They got the situation under control, cleared traffic while my friend completed the formalities. I was asked to share the details as soon as I arrive at the hospital. The hospital was apprehensive of taking him in since it was a medico-legal case. I already informed them that police were informed. They called police on their own and then took him in. The guy who hit us had lost 3 teeth, had multiple cuts across his face and had a total of 12 stitches.

By this time, his fellow workers and supervisor (bike apparently belonged to him) accompanied my friend to the hospital. Police arrived as well. Police took both our IDs and were asked to collect it at the police station. But first, we were suggested to work something out amongst ourselves and then report back to them. The constable who spoke to us gave their number to us and asked to update him. He then gave a stern warning to the other party to not act smart and start the "local" dramas.

We tried being reasonable, but the other party tried to pin the blame on us and were very unreasonable with their demands. Without even asking, we agreed to pay his hospital bills even though the fault was not ours. They demanded a couple of lakhs in compensation + hospital bills + his wages for the days he was off from work - which we denied right away. His supervisor tried to act aggressive thinking that we might get scared. We called the constable and told him what had happened. He asked us to come to the station and not to talk to them anymore. By the time we reached the station, the hospital had called the police stating that they were creating a ruckus there and that we had "runaway". Luckily, this happened just as we entered the police station. Police then invited the other party over. We were asked to narrate our version and them theirs.

At this point, the other party was pinning the blame on us - first it was over speeding. When asked how the guy on the bike rear ended us if we were over speeding, they changed their story to sudden braking. Apparently, the hospital was under the jurisdiction of the police station we were in, but the accident site was at their border and technically falls under another jurisdiction. The police who visited the site were not from this station.

Things took a turn when my friend told them that he had called the police in the morning and that the personnel who visited the site had more details. The SI dealing with the matter called up the other station, put his phone on speaker and asked if an accident was reported that morning. They replied that there was indeed one and the details they provided matched our version of events. The guy on the other end even told that the guy who hit us was carrying diesel for the machinery and had it been petrol, it would've led to fire almost instantly. Since they got the story from a reliable source, their stance on us softened a bit, and police started asking them some questions.

We then narrated how his supervisor acted all aggressive and threatened to hit us a couple of times. He acted all innocent stating that we were lying, but when asked if he is okay if the police check the CC camera recordings in the hospital, he stammered. Even infuriating to the police, the supervisor gave out wrong registration number of the bike thrice. After the SI lost his cool, he gave the right number, but apparently, the bike had no insurance, PUC or for that matter, even an RC copy and was registered on someone else's name. The rider had no driving license.

The police mediated a settlement and finalized an amount which we paid to the police who handed over to the other party in front of us. Upon our request, the police agreed to take a letter from the other party in their presence and to agree that they would not contact us in the future. We asked a lawyer who was at the station on a totally different matter to draft a letter for us which he did for a small fee. The essence was that they agree that we were not at fault but were still paying his medical expenses on humanitarian grounds and that they would not file a case on any of us in the future. Luckily, all out medication were through the police, so, our phone numbers were not with the other party. A copy of the letter was given to either party and the original was retained by the police.

Since the injuries were to the head, the police did warn us that they will keep an eye out for the other guy for the next month or two and monitor his health. We received a few calls from different police personnel over the next two months asking a few questions - like why we were there, etc. They mostly seemed to corroborate if my friend's versions and mine matched. Finally, after 2 months, the SI called and informed us that the other person had fully recovered, and that we can consider the matter closed. No FIR was filed - just an entry in their journal/diary.

This was our first time dealing with police and if they find that you are not lying and being honest, they will definitely help you out. We did end up paying a small amount under the table as a gesture of thanking them, but the peace of mind it brought us is priceless. My suggestion would be to call the police in case of an accident. Trust me, it is easy to deal with the police rather than the other party involved. They are seasoned in dealing with these day and night and would guide you in the right direction.

As for the car, the car got repaired under insurance. The bike bent in half and is a total loss.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information

Yerlikaya stated that all the units would be "at the nation's service."

According to a report, the police department in Istanbul, Turkey, have added several supercars to their fleet.

The Turkey police fleet is said to have 23 cars ranging from supercars, high-end luxury vehicles and EVs as well as a few daily-driven models. Some of the notable models in the fleet include a Ferrari 488 GTB, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, a Bentley Continental GT, two Land Rover Range Rovers, various Mercedes-Benz models like the G-Class, GLS, E-Class and A-Class, a few Volvo XC90s, various generations of the Audi A6, a BMW 1 Series, a Peugeot SUV, a VW Golf and a Nissan Juke.

As per reports, the vehicles belonged to an Australian, Hakan Ayik, who was running illegal operations in the country. The cars were part of a bust and were confiscated at the time of his arrest. Turkey's Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, a month after the arrest of the Australian, took all the confiscated cars and transformed them into police vehicles.

Speaking at a ceremony where all the vehicles were unveiled in their police attire, Yerlikaya stated that all the units would be "at the nation's service."

Source: AutoEvolution

The two wheeler guy was coming from the other side and was riding in the middle of the road so as to avail the tarred part.

BHPian arnav17 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey guys,

An aunt of mine got into a mini accident on the 9th of October. with a Activa. The car in question driven by her is a first generation Ertiga. This took place near Talaghattapura near the forest area, close to the Sobha Apartments.

What happened was that, the roads there have tar only on the left side while coming towards Kanakapura road. My aunt was driving on the extreme left with lot of caution as it was raining Cats and Dogs. There was a bend in the road which is pretty sharp. The two wheeler guy was coming from the other side and was riding in the middle of the road so as to avail the tarred part. This resulted in a collision of the scooter with the right fender of the Ertiga.

My aunt immediately got down, helped him up and took him near their house which was near the accident spot. The man was pretty soft spoken at that time and he wasn't a kannada speaker, which made things slightly difficult.

My uncle immediately drove him to the hospital in a friends car, got an X-Ray done, assured that there was no damage, bought the two wheeler guy all the medicines required for treatment and also paid for the repair of his vehicle. All this amounted to est. 20000.

No news was heard of him until just a week back, when he called up and demanded that he wanted a new jacket as his was damaged in the accident. My uncle flatly refused to entertain this and the guy went to the extent of a police complaint threat which my uncle asked him to lodge if he wanted.

A few days later they got a call from the Police station who asked them to bring the vehicle in question(Ertiga) to the police station for inspection. The Ertiga being their only car obviously had been fully repaired by then as it had been over a month since the incident. The Police asked both to leave the vehicles at the station and they have been sitting there since.

The Ertiga is registered in Jayanagar, and they are having to make trips of 13km to get an RTO certificate, who are giving excuses and delaying it due to the biggest problem which is that no photos were taken by anyone on our side of the damaged vehicles.

Now, the two wheeler guy went to the Police 2 days back and wanted to withdraw the complaint all of a sudden. The police informed him that it was already registered as an FIR and nothing could be done then.

Please do advise on what can be done further to get the Vehicle back as soon as possible.

Thanks in Advance!

Here's what BHPian puntra800 had to say on the matter:

Almost similar thing happened to my dad way back in 1989, the guy got all treatment done and stuff post which he filed a complaint. My dad had to leave the vehicle in the police station, eventually it was fought out by the lawyers but he told me the bike got released from the police station before the case was closed(Not sure if it was some kind of influence which was at play or some adjustment).

From what I read in the above post looks like not much has changed since then, best thing is hire a lawyer through known sources(Why Known ?, sometimes lawyers also fleece and my father in law is a victim of the same).

Here's what BHPian true_sedan had to say on the matter:

• Hire a good lawyer.
• Visit the police station with all the medical bills and evidence along with the lawyer. Lawyers know how to handle the police and police respond properly when lawyers are present.
• Tell the other person(fraudster) to come to the police station as well.
• Do not tell him you are coming with a lawyer. Call him under the pretext of settlement.
• Confront him in front of the police with your lawyer doing all the talking. Show all the evidence of treatment given to him and things ending amicably.
• Police never like being lied to. And they can sense who the liar is when both parties are present. And once they find who the liar is 99% of the times they'll let the innocent party take the car and go after a few formalities. But if the station incharge is corrupt, then they'll extract 1 pound of flesh from you and 2 pounds from Activa guy for lying.

All the best! Don't give up. Your uncle and aunt are sweet people based on the lengths they went to get the guy treated. That Activa guy sounds like a fraudster looking to extract more money. And please install a DASHCAM. Can't stress this enough.

Here's what BHPian kochup had to say on the matter:

There is a way to release the vehicle pending trial, check this out

Also hire a lawyer and follow their advice which is mostly to admit to negligent driving and pay the fine since there are no major injuries.

Based on lawyer's advice, inform insurance about the FIR.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Companies like McDonald's & White Castle are using the data gathered by the automatic licence plate recognition to tailor drive-thru orders for its incoming customers

A recent incident in New York is showing how AI technology can be used to help the police department catch fugitives. According to reports, the AI tech provides information that not only helps catch fugitives but also analyses who is driving like they might be a criminal.

As per reports, the police department pulled over a fugitive, despite him not speeding or breaking any traffic laws. However, upon searching his car found illegal substances, along with cash and a gun. The police department later revealed that based on surveillance from dozens of states, they were able to examine his driving patterns and use AI to analyse & determine that the fugitive made several trips along routes typically used by drug traffickers, before turning around and heading home quickly.

Rekor is the company which provides AI tech to the police department and is said to be just one of many working with police across the country. The company states that its tech can be used with any existing cameras and can gather information like licence plates and the make & model of the vehicle used.

The company's "Rekor Public Safety Network" is said to be collecting vehicle location data from its customers for the last three years and has information from at least 30 states. The tech is capable of reading more than 150 million plates per month, which has alarmed civil rights advocates.

Ben Gold, the lawyer of the fugitive caught, commented, “With no judicial oversight this type of system operates at the caprice of every officer with access to it." He further added, “This is the systematic development and deployment of a vast surveillance network that invades society’s reasonable expectation of privacy.”

Having said that Rekor, apart from the police department is also partnering with other corporations like fast food restaurants. Companies like McDonald's & White Castle are using the data gathered by the automatic licence plate recognition to tailor drive-thru orders for its incoming customers, while also personalising promotional offers.

Source: CarScoops

Since January, the police have registered 4,200 cases under this section.

Violating traffic laws in Bangalore could get you in some serious trouble, as the police have now decided to take a tougher stance on traffic violations.

The Bangalore traffic police plan to book violators under a more stringent IPC section. They will be targeting three major offences - driving or riding against the flow of traffic, riding on the footpath and wrongful parking.

According to a media report, violators will be booked under Section 283 of the IPC, which deals with danger or obstruction in a public way or line of navigation. It has a provision for the cops to seize the vehicle, which can only be released through a court.

Since January, the police have registered 4,200 cases under this section. It is said that impounding the vehicle and having to appear in court to secure its release serves as a better deterrent than a fine.

Source: HT

As the police men also realised that the vehicle had a major break down, they asked my friend and family to take up all valuable items and board the police vehicle.

BHPian sachinpk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

An incident narrated by my family friend and neighbour. The day before X'Mas he and family (wife + 2 kids) drove via the new Mysore Express Highway towards Kasaragod Dt., KL. They started a bit late, by around 6PM. Some where near Bidadi their vehicle broke down, and it was more like a 'multiple organ failure'. They tried reaching the vehicle dealership to see if they can arrange a tow truck. No luck there, and precious time was lost there as well. They looked for local workshops, but by around 7:30-08:00PM they had shut shop as well. It was now pitch dark and things were getting more risky.

At around 8:00PM my friend dialed 100 and sought police help. I think the call got routed to Ramanagara Dt Control room and they gave him the number of a police patrol unit. He called them, but the response was that the area where was not in their beat. More time was lost and finally they called 112 (which is the new emergency help number). 112 control room alerted the Highway Police unit, who called my friend. My friend shared his location via WhatsApp.

Soon the police vehicle reached the spot. As the police men also realised that the vehicle had a major break down, they asked my friend and family to take up all valuable items and board the police vehicle. The police men then took them to a good hotel between Ramanagara and Bidadi, so that they can stay there. They also managed to get the number of a local mechanic who promised to check the vehicle and tow it to his workshop.

The best part of this episode was that the two children had a very positive experience about the police, and the role they play (or should be actually playing) in the society.

Next day the car was towed to the workshop, and the family had to travel by bus to Madikeri. Ka.SRTC did have reserved seats, but the bus was too crowded.

Check out BHPian commentsstr for more insights and information.

Everyone has stories of being pulled over. Wanted to chip in my bit, from the other side.

BHPian no_fear recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Lots of good anecdotes here to read. Everyone has stories of being pulled over. Wanted to chip in my bit, from the other side (I was the one pulling people over)

Won't go into too many details of what I did, but I worked for a while in a certain NE US state as a deputy and part of my duties was to monitor the state roads for drunk driving.

1. Pulled over a fellow desi for expired tags and broken rear light. He was very apologetic and turns out he was a senior exec at a multinational. I issued him a warning and told him to fix his rear lights because someone else would fine him the next time. He took down my details - later I got a text message from him. We met for drinks a few times and became good friends.
2. Pulled over a family. The husband was speeding in excess of 20 miles over the speed limit. It was a desi family out on a trip to Niagara falls and somehow lost their way. The guy was driving a rental on an Indian license. This is when google maps were just becoming popular. He was so afraid of being pulled over by cops that, didn't realize I am a fellow Indian. He started telling his wife that he will be ticketed and how to bargain with me or if I can be paid off (in Hindi). I kept listening, issued him a speeding fine and told him in Hindi, that it's an offence to bribe police officers in the US. The poor fellow turned white and tried to use the desi-desi bhai bhai play card. I scolded him a lot saying he should not be speeding on country roads, especially when he has a family + kids. I felt bad for the fellow, but I was wearing a body cam, and I had evidence of him speeding.
3. Before I left the US, was out with a junior officer on field duty. I was instructing the rookie how to read body language, take cues, listen to the stories, and see what makes sense and does not. Just my luck, saw a guy driving very slowly, way below the speed limit, in his sedan. I initially thought he was drunk. Turned on my light, and pulled him over. He told me he was lost and could not find his way. My spidey senses tingled, as his story did not add up, but I had no grounds to search his car. He passed the field sobriety tests so I had to let him go. Just as he was about to drive off, I asked him where he was coming from. He told me xxx place. I knew that the highway was closed from that location. That gave me grounds to search his car as he lied to me. Found a sizable amount of narcotics in his trunk. Arrested him for DUI and called for backup.

I have several more - but that's for another day.

Here's what BHPian hondatoyotafan had to say on the matter:

Are you a US citizen because when I tried to get into LEO I enquired about some Police Departments around the DC area and they wanted only US Citizens. I tried my luck in Vancouver Canada where they were ready to accept Permanent Residents. But had to move to India before completing the process.

I have many experiences being pulled over in the US because I went to the US as a young student and I was still an immature hot-head. Been pulled over many times mainly for speeding and once for a red light which I rushed through from yellow. Always been pulled over by white men and only once by a beautiful Hispanic lady.

Many times the encounters were peaceful with me just getting a citation for speeding. Only once did I try to be smart and argued with a cop about the section he charged me (by this time I became astute in all speeding statutes of my state). Later when O narrated this incident to my trusted lawyer (a smart Jewish guy who got me out of points and offences many times), he said I was lucky to be put in that statute and if the cop really got angry, he could have charged me with higher offences.

Canada is more lenient than the US for speeding offences and usually, you don't get pulled over much. During my time in Canada, I was pulled over only once with just a warning by a Quebec cop.

Here's what BHPian ninjatalli had to say on the matter:

That is amazing to hear about - nice to get an idea from the other side of the table.

If my limited memory serves me right, you might be the first (ex) cop on the forum, and that too in a different country. A thread on your general experiences in that role over the period you served your duties would be really interesting to hear and also get you a huge vote of thanks (without getting into the specifics of where, etc.). Just a shoutout if you have the time/bandwidth to put that up.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Two cops came down immediately, asked us to be seated in the car with my hands on the steering wheel and my friend's hands on the dashboard, which we obliged.

BHPian TwistOFate! recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi everyone,

I have been a rather silent member of this wonderful community since a decade and half (also almost half my age!). My salutations to all the wonderful humans that make this community a Go-To for anything related to automobile content.

Prelude:

In February 2022, I got an opportunity to move to Luxembourg, Europe along with my family (spouse and 1.5 year old son) for long term. Since my movement was due to work reasons, I have opted for the company assisted move, which gave me access to a rental car for a period of 30 days while I'm settling in the new city/country. Three weeks since I landed in Luxembourg, I was handed over a BMW X1 Automatic for my personal use (self driven), leased with the car rental company SIXT, which is quite famous now in EU. Back in India, my daily drive was a 2021 Hyundai Venue 1.5 D Manual and all cars in our family have always been manuals.

It was a mix of a lot of "first times" when I drove the BMW X1:

• First big brand aka luxury car.
• First left-hand-drive vehicle.
• First time automatic (I did drive automatics earlier, but not for a continued 30 day duration).
• First time driving on roads outside India etc.

I have been driving cars since the legal permissible age and never did I receive any tickets for breaking the law, let alone being involved in accidents. I think I'm one of those drivers who believe vehicles should take us from point A to point B and they precisely do it if we respect both the vehicle and the laws. That said, these "first times" did land me some amount of panic, but I coped up well. One really good thing about living in Luxembourg is that you get to travel across the neighboring countries (France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland etc.) without breaking a sweat - awesome highways for cruising, wonderful machines to drive, skillful drivers on the roads and picturesque locations few hours away!

Two days into taking the car, we left for Amsterdam for the weekend. Amsterdam is approximately 400 kms away from Luxembourg - we started at 8 AM and reached by 12 noon (yes, just four hours for ~400 kms, including a 20 mins diaper change for toddler and a stretch/coffee break). Once in Amsterdam, we visited a very close friend and stayed with them for the long weekend.

Encounter 1:

This is where my first encounter with the cops happened! We were cruising down a highway (visited a cherry blossom park and returning home) and I was leading, while my friend and his family (spouse and 1.5 year old again) were following us in their Mitsubishi Outlander 4WD. We had to exit the highway towards the right right hand side, which forked into the road we should take followed by another "Bus-Only" road. I missed the "Bus-Only" signboard and entered that lane, which took us over the bridge and as we exited the bridge, we were stopped by two cop cars with strobe lights on! To my surprise, while we were on that flyover bridge, my 1.5 YO son threw up and my wife just pulled him out of the baby seat to clean him up. The cops who stopped us enquired why we entered Bus-Only lane, why our baby was not in the car seat, took my Indian driver's license for identity, ran through the car's registration papers and was super kind enough to let us go as with a soft-warning - as I explained him how Google maps tricked us into taking the bus lane and why the baby was not in his car seat. The first encounter with the European cops, although not hostile, did leave a strong impression of how quick they react and how critically they adhere to the traffic rules.

Encounter 2 (this is going to be a long one):

This was in May 2022, when I had to shift from my service apartment (SA) in Gare Central to my rental apartment (RA) in Strassen. By then, I already returned the BMW X1 and we finished a couple of trips to Belgium and France (more on these travelogues later) - courtesy self drive cars booked again via SIXT. I love this company for the wide variety of cars they host and all the cars I booked were always almost brand new (less than 1000 kms driven when I picked them up). These trips meant I was extremely familiarized and comfortable with driving in Europe by now and really loved the ease with which you can munch miles here. Coming back to the topic, anyone who lives in Luxembourg may understand, the road which connects Stareplaz to Hamilius drives through Avenue Monterey, where there is a mandatory left turn near Monterey park, which eventually merges you into Hamilius towards Gare Central. To facilitate my movement from SA to RA, I booked a car again with SIXT and was lucky to be upgraded to Audi A6 Avant (probably because of my booking history with them in the short period). Now with this bigger car at hand and our movement to the RA, we planned to visit IKEA in Belgium (but just 25 mins away from our home in Luxembourg - now you realize how easy it is to commute between countries here) to buy some household stuff. Since we did not have our Luxembourg residence cards yet and since we were crossing country borders, I carried my passport in a bag. While returning from IKEA, I realized that we inadvertently left the bag at the store (), which meant I (almost) lost my passport! We were the absolute last people to checkout from the store and the shutters were closed right in front of our eyes while we were still at the car park. By the time we realized about the bag and went back to IKEA, it was already closed and the security personnel asked us to come back next day to check our luck.

With a heavy heart (and a very heavy car with ~EUR 1000 worth of IKEA stuff), we returned to the SA and decided to move stuff to our RA in a few trips during the night. One of my closest friends who lived in France for the last two years came over to help us with the shifting & settling, and accompanied me in my trips between SA & RA for moving the luggage. Two trips went well and in the third and the last trip between SA & RA past mid-night, I was driving through this Avenue Montarey between Stareplaz and Hamilius and saw a cop car on the right in standby. I casually asked my friend if he had any experience with cops in EU and since he never drove cars in EU, it was negative. But he did say, in case cops ever turn on the strobes, pull over. Right when we were at the traffic signal (remember where we have to take mandatory left to eventually merge into the Hamilius road), the cop car was right behind us. When the signal turned Green, I inadvertently drove straight (which is again a Bus-Only lane) instead of taking the mandatory left and boom - the cop car right behind us turned on the strobes instantly. I had to pullover, but the traffic signal where I stopped earlier and the Hamilius road are probably less than 100 meters apart - I took the right turn on Hamilius road towards Gare and pulled over.

I immediately realized my offenses - driving in Bus-Only lane and not adhering to traffic signal while turning right into the road from Hamilius to Gare. Two cops came down immediately, asked us to be seated in the car with my hands on the steering wheel and my friend's hands on the dashboard, which we obliged. The cops initially inquired where we were coming from, where we were heading, if we had any weapons in the car etc. and asked us for the car registration and insurance papers. To my utter surprise, the registration of my rental car expired a few months ago (or at least they did not have the latest registration papers in the glove box). The series of events really made me extremely anxious:

• Lost my passport the same day (retrieved it the next day luckily).
• Two back to back traffic violations.
• Expired car registration papers.
• No residence card yet (basically nothing to prove I'm legally entitled to live in Luxembourg, let alone the traffic violations).

I tried calling SIXT customer support as the cops asked for valid registration documents, but again, to my utter surprise, SIXT systems across the globe were hacked a week ago and there was no customer support (live or non-live) available whatsoever. With nothing else to do, I showed my car booking details to the cops and informed there's absolutely nothing I can do to bring the current registration documents at midnight. They discussed internally and excused me for the documents, but asked me to bear the fine of approx EUR 250 for the two traffic violations.

You can take a person out of the village, but not the village out of a person.

With this quote in mind, I started negotiating with the cops, asking them to excuse me for the unmindful violations and promised not to commit them again. But they were dead-adamant about me paying the fine and asked if I would like to pay via cash or card on the spot. I looked at my friend, and this time we both pleaded for some mercy! Finally, one of the cops obliged and asked us to pay the fine of EUR 150 (approx) for one of the violations and agreed to let go off the other, as this was my first violation in EU (according to them - little did they know about the Amsterdam saga). EUR 150 to an Indian brain meant approx INR 12000. That is freaking huge sum of money, and I continued to ask them to excuse me as this was my first violation ever and promised not to break the traffic laws ever again. At this same time, the cops received an URGENT call on their sets (walkie-talkie eh?) about some scuffle happening few kilometers away, and woooosshhh! The cops excused me, handed over my Indian Driver's License and the car's documents and left the place in a jiffy (literally in a blink of an eye, they were not to be seen anymore).

I thanked all my stars for the turn of events and promised myself to never ever violate the traffic laws with these first hand experiences, which I continue to share with my family and friends.

I'm sure this community may have had similar (interesting) experiences with cops pulling over when you're driving/riding abroad. Looking forward to reading through some such KGF-ish stories here.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Very unique thread, thanks for creating . My memory is a little hazy, but here are details of the only time I was pulled over in the USA = Am driving back from my part-time on-campus job in Boston. Its like 2 or 3 AM and I am in my green '93 Honda Accord that was bought used with 90,000 miles / 160,000 km on it. I see a green / blue coloured sedan driving a bit funny, and the driver was obviously intoxicated. A few minutes later, the dreaded blue + red + white lights flash in my rear view mirror. I pull over, start my cabin lights (makes the officers comfortable) and lower down my window. Lady cop comes to my window and asks for my driving license and car papers. Gently move my hand to the glovebox and hand it to her. She asks where I'm coming from. It was obvious to her that she pulled over the wrong car & I was 100% sober. Said thanks & drove off.

Never went over the speed limit in the USA, other than the +5 or +10 mph that everyone on the freeway follows. Primary reason being, no way I could afford the speeding tickets & more expensive insurance on a student budget . $200 - 500 would hit the monthly budgeting very hard.

Here's what BHPian dust-n-bones had to say on the matter:

Nice thread. Have one experience from the US, Virginia. Had a customer workshop in DC. Rented a Nissan pathfinder. Was running late, and so on a stretch of I-85N where the speed limit had been reduced from 75 mph to 70, I was at 80 .

Drivers in every state of the US seem to have an understanding with the cops about traffic rules. In these parts, +5 on the speed limit is fine. Some people do a lot more - I imagine they do this with radar tracking apps.

Traffic cops there like to 'hide' on the medians with their radar guns on. These are just pathways for emergency vehicles to do quick U-turns on long stretches of the interstate. I also assume cops in US have city council 'targets' to meet, just like in India.

Anyway, as soon as I saw the police car pull up behind me in the rear-view mirror, there was not much left to do other than ease on to the shoulder. After the mandatory DL scan, and the 'do you realize the speed you were doing', was handed over a 'challan' with RD (reckless driving) marked on it, and asked to appear in the district court to argue or pay up.
Nothing digital about it. 'Carbon copy' (remember those?) is what I got.

The conversation is always very polite, and you always stay in your car unless the officer thinks he has to search the car or you specifically. We parted ways with 'have a safe trip sir'.

If I remember right, ended up sending a cheque for $250 to the court before the hearing.

Here's what BHPian ninjatalli had to say on the matter:

Got pulled up in the US only once (thankfully). This was back in 2014 when I had landed in Chicago only a month ago and had rented a sedan for a long weekend holiday. Picked up the car on a chilly evening in the city and was driving back home to the suburbs when I saw a cab driver next to me franticly waving his hands to get my attention. Turns out there was a cop car with lights all blazing right behind me and he had been so for a while.

I immediately pulled over to the shoulder, ready with my documents, and with a bit of fear in my mind; I surely didn't expect to be pulled over on my first drive in the country. He walked over, glanced at my documents from afar; and asked me if this was a rental car. I nodded in the affirmative and then he relaxed his pose and informed me that I was driving without the headlights on; and given it was already getting dark, it was a safety hazard. I muttered some excuse saying I wasn't aware of the exact switch so I'd take care to do so from there. He nodded his head and asked me to continue on.

On that note, with no warnings or ticket, we moved on and I was visibly relived at my lucky 'escape'. To be honest, I was quite surprised by his demeanor and the concern to stop me for something that wouldn't be given a second's consideration in India.

Here'swhat BHPian condor had to say on the matter:

Three incidents in 2001 - 2002, both in the USA.

I had moved to the bay area on an assignment, and being in the first few months of driving, was very cautious. Was trying to merge onto the freeway when I got a call. I pulled over to the side on the on-ramp (level road, actually) and was talking when a cop car pulled over and asked why I had stopped there. Told her the reason, and she asked me to cut the call and keep moving.

Second time was in Nevada, driving on a 2-lane country road. Missed the speed limit and was doing 70. Dont know from where, but saw a police car following me with lights flashing. Basic rule - flashing lights means slow down and let him pass. If he slows down behind you, then pull over. I pulled over, and he came up to the co-driver door. Usual conversation happened, and he took my licence for the usual check. As he was going back to his car for the check, I asked him if I can step out . The response was a stern No. Waited there, quite shaken. He came back soon with a ticket. Had to mail in the fine.

There used to be a talk that if we get a ticket out of state, then we pay a little extra - even a dollar, so that there are no points on your licence. The story was that the system cross-checks the fine amount vs what is paid, and if there is excess, then (Dont know how) the case is not closed. Since not closed, the points are not marked. Sounds silly now, though. I mailed in the fine amount later. Luckily no points on me for that speeding incident. I wonder if there was aerial monitoring which resulted in me being pulled over.

A third incident:

Me, a friend and his room mate went out driving in upstate NY during winter. Between us, we had 3 DSLRs and one P&S. The Unplanned drive took us to a dam which had frozen waters. The scene looked interesting, and we started taking snaps. Soon enough a police car with flashing lights was spotted. We quickly put the cameras in the bag, and waited. The cops came, and asked us what were we doing. We answered, after which he asked us for our identities. Went back to his car and looks like he did a quick verification. Me working in Stamford, CT and the other two in Boston, MA. After some time, came back and gave us a warning and let us off.

Looking back, it could have been folks in another car which passed us, saw us taking pics and called the cops. Reservoirs means security and here we were 3 desi's taking pics. This was sometime after 9/11, and it was easy for people to hit the panic button. I still have the pics somewhere.

Here's what BHPian Vid6639 had to say on the matter:

Got pulled over once in the USA on the freeway. Limit was 65mph but I was closer to 80mph since all cars were doing the same.

Cop asked do you know why I pulled you over. I told him nopes, I do not know the reason. Maybe rental car?

He said no, this is a 65mph road. I was like yeah but I was just following the other cars at the same speed.

He goes yeah I can see that. Then he asks me, "Have you ever gone fishing?" Told him nopes I haven't.

His reply: "You can never catch all the fish when you're fishing"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Luckily I got let off with a warning. I think he pulled me over so all other cars see a car being pulled over and slow down as well.

Here's what BHPian the_real_stager had to say on the matter:

I had a rather interesting encounter with Dutch cops recently. We live in Ravels, a small town right inside the Belgian border with Holland and my in laws live in Goirle, another small town inside the Dutch Border. We cross the border like twice a day for various reasons through the country rode connecting both the countries.

One early morning I was dropping off my 6-month-old son to my in laws and while crossing the border, saw a Dutch patrol van at the border. The moment I crossed them, I saw they started the van. They followed me for like 500 meters or so, then overtook me and put the ‘Volgen’ sign on their back window. This means, I need to follow them to a stop at the next possible section of the road.

I slowed down, followed them and stopped behind them at the shoulder of the road a few 100 meters ahead. Two young cops get out and come to the passenger side window. I roll it down. My baby is the front seat in his child seat with the front air bag turned off.

Cop 1 asked me where I am going. To which I replied I am going to my in laws in Goirle to drop my child. To which he asks me if I have ID of my baby. Unfortunately, we never carried his ID till then for small trips like this which we make at least twice a day. I explained this to the cop and he asks for my ID. I give him my Belgian ID. Remember this is the Dutch police. There is one curious thing about my Belgian ID. In my Indian passport, I did not have a Surname. So, when I got the Belgian ID, my surname was marked XXX, so in the name part it is Kiron Rajendran, and Surname is just XXX.

So, the cop asks me why I do not have surname and then I had to explain the whole story. (I have to do it most of the time at Immigration when I fly). Meanwhile, I had my son’s Dutch passport in my phone as an image and I showed them that. But unfortunately, my son does not have a surname as I do not have one and so looking at the passport, you cannot understand if we are father and son, as we do not have a shared surname.

So, the cops are again confused. They go to their car and check my ID in their system and it shows I have a son and wife who are Dutch citizens, phew. And that my son’s name in their registry matches the one from his passport.

The cop told me he was a bit worried as there are many cases where in case of spousal problems, one partner might abscond with the child and he had to verify everything was good in my case.

Through almost 30 minutes of this encounter my baby slept through, I was in my car and the cops were very friendly and polite. They apologized for the delay and requested me to have the child’s ID with me all the time. I acknowledged, wished them a nice day and was off with an interesting story to tell my in laws who were expecting us 30 minutes earlier.

Kiron.

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