A matter of safety and health :>)

[lonestarnot]

I had what I thought to be a very strange incident occur this week, and I am wondering how many DUers are familiar with the "6 lane swerve and brake" by DPS Officers? If you are familiar, how many times have you seen it in your neck of the woods? And if you are not familiar with this technique for traffic slowing/stopping do you know what to do?

[uppityperson]

1. I have no idea what you are talking about. Enlighten me please.

[lonestarnot]

2. Ok here's the story.

I'm driving down the freeway in the HOV lane. A big suburban size SUV pulls up on my right side and turns on his lights. There are 6 lanes of freeway traffic abreast heading in one direction at this particular portion of the freeway, which includes the HOV lane. I look to try to get some indication from the driver of the SUV with flashing lights whether he wants me to pull over. I can't see any indication from him, so I slow. He goes ahead in that same lane. After a short distance, I decide he's after someone else and I say whew to myself. Lanes next to me are not slowing, in fact traffic now has me obstructed from pulling right even if I wanted to. Ok so this flashing SUV starts weaving back and forth ahead and I'm am starting to freak out, not knowing what the hell? I slow down more. Other people slow on the other side of me. Then the SUV start to hit his brakes really hard (slamming his brakes). This happens 3 times. I am really backing off and hoping people behind me are paying attention. I really thought for a second some maniac had stolen a flashing SUV, and laughed at what I thought to be maniacle driving. Ok so I look to see if I can get over to the right and just get the fuck off of the freeway. I have to wait because I still have people on the right side of me so it takes me a distance to get all the way over into the far right lane. Then I see a squad patrol ahead pushing a disabled vehicle to the right. Ever see this before and now do you know what I'm talking about?

[uppityperson]

3. That would be very disconserting, I agree.

I see what you mean and no, have never seen this. I do not know what I would do, try to slow down a bunch and get the heck away from the SUV. Weird. Thanks for the clarification.

[lonestarnot]

4. Well do you want to hear the rest of the story?

[uppityperson]

5. yes, I would. Sounds wild so far.

[lonestarnot]

7. I got a fooking ticket!

The Mr. DPS must have been scared after having taken this bold driving action, because I got a fooking ticket for FTY! Don't know what the Court will say about it. I've put in a call to the Sgt to request Public Safety Awareness, and have called 3 days in a row, but get no return call. Checked with a local favorite news station (somewhat blue for a red state) to see if they might be interested in doing some public awareness or educational spots re this tactic. Don't know if they will or not. They didn't take any information from me re anything personal like name or phone number. I guess it will take someone becoming road kill before they educate the pubic with anything other than first-hand eye witness personal experience/knowledge. Scared the piss out of me!

[uppityperson]

9. bummer. What a thing to go through

glad you didn't get hurt or in an accident.

[lonestarnot]

10. Me too!

[Lars39]

11. Are you saying that you got a ticket for not being able to get

out of the way of a disabled car on the interstate?

[lonestarnot]

12. LOL!

Yeah, I guess that is what this amounts to, a pain in a disabled ass!

[Lars39]

13. An expensive one at that.

[lonestarnot]

14. Don't know that part of the story yet.

[Atman]

15. What was the formal charge?

They can't just make something up...there has to be a traffic law with which to charge you. What was it? This story is mighty strange, imho!

I've heard of/seen "moving roadblocks" here in New England...the cops will ride side-by-side (3 lanes = 3 cop cars, etc) so no one can pass or get around them, then they drive the speed limit or slower, for miles and miles on end. Just waiting, I suppose, for someone to crack and try to pass them or go nuts or something. I think it is a similar type of operation to what you're describing, but yours sounds WAY weirder.

[lonestarnot]

16. FTY

[Atman]

17. I guess I still don't know what you're talking about

I thought you said you were in the HOV lane. Do you have a two-lane HOV lane where you are? We don't here in CT, which is why I ask. I'm trying to envision how an SUV could pull up along side you. And you mention a couple of times that the cop's SUV was ahead of you. So how/why could you have been charged with anything? How/why did they get you to pull over to the right line if the SUV was ahead of you? I'm not trying to be prick, I want to get your story, but it simply isn't making any sense to me. How did you get from the HOV lane (which I assume is on the extreme left?) all the way across six lanes of traffic only to find a squad car pushing a disabled vehicle? How did this affect your travel in the HOV lane to the point that you'd draw attention from the hiway patrol? And why wouldn't they just pull you over in the HOV breakdown lane, or perimeter (as they do here in CT -- they don't make you cross six lanes of traffic just to be "safe.")

[lonestarnot]

18. Failure to yield.

There is only one lane in the SOV lane. I don't think there is actually a lane next to the cement thing dividing the two directions of traffic. It didn't make any sense to me either. I moved over slowly when there were breaks in traffic. I am really as dumbfounded about this whole thing as you are. The policeman was too busy roving back and forth across 6 lanes of highway to pull me over. By the time I got to the sixth rightest lane to exit, the disabled car ahead had been moved to the emergency off right lane so the SUV flashing car dropped back behind me and pulled me over. I didn't see the reason for all of this commotion until I had already decided to exit the freeway.

[GardeningGal]

6. I'd like to hear the rest of the story.

I understand that Phoenix traffic is pretty bad.

[lonestarnot]

8. See above.

Phoenix is rated rudest drivers in the nation.