Do you think you know how road checks should be carried out? Not all of its principles are obvious. For example, not everyone knows that when giving orders, a policeman can use ... a whistle.
After stopping the vehicle for inspection, the policeman must approach the controlled car, and the driver should wait with his hands on the steering wheel and not turn off the engine until then. Almost everyone knows it. However, not all rules are equally known.
Police officer powers
The very call to stop can be different. The driver may be called to stop, e.g. by a megaphone from a police helicopter! And while performing his duties on the road, the policeman has the right to strengthen his orders with a whistle. Remember, however, that a whistle cannot be the only form of giving any command - an officer may whistle while showing with his hand or with a signal dial ("lollipop") what the driver should do.
It is worth knowing that a policeman can stop a driver even with his hand , also when instead of using a police car he moves by bicycle, on horseback or on foot. However, there is a condition, it must be a uniformed policeman, and the visibility must be good enough for the driver to notice such a signal early enough.
On the highway or in any other place where it may be difficult or dangerous to stop, a policeman driving a police car may instruct the driver of another vehicle to follow him . Typically, in such a situation, a blue signal light is turned on on the police car. Follow the vehicle marked in this way until it stops. Especially on the highway, it may require driving after a police car for several kilometers - to the nearest parking lot or to the nearest exit.
If it does not pose a threat to traffic safety, a policeman may order the driver to stop in a prohibited place . Of course, in such a situation it will not result in a ticket.
During a roadside check, a policeman may, for example, drive a controlled vehicle . Such a ride will be recommended if the officer wants to check the technical condition of the vehicle. In particular, this is a question of safety, such as testing the performance of the brakes.
If the car poses a threat to road safety or is a serious threat to the environment (for example, it “emits very hot” or makes sounds indicating a damaged muffler), the police officer may confiscate the car . The police have the right to do so also when the car has not paid the third party liability insurance premium or the driver does not have the required documents. The car is also temporarily stopped when the driver is under the influence of alcohol.
The registration certificate may be taken when the technical inspection of the vehicle has not been carried out within the prescribed period, or when the car poses a threat to safety.
What a policeman cannot
This does not mean, however, that a policeman can do everything. During the roadside inspection, the officer should follow the rules that apply to him very carefully.
For example, a police officer may not unreasonably search the car , let alone search the driver or passengers. He gains the right to such behavior only if he has a reasonable suspicion that a prohibited act has been committed. If a search takes place, at the request of the searched person, the police officer is obliged to write a report.
A rule often broken by policemen is not to order the driver to leave the car when it is not absolutely necessary . Such a necessity may arise if a sobriety test device is installed in a police car, or if the police officers want to show the driver an offense recorded by videoram. In other cases, summoning a police car is usually illegal.
We should also remember that a policeman, if not in uniform, has no right to stop the car for inspection outside the built-up area . Both during the day and at night, it can only be done in a built-up area and necessarily with a shield ("lollipop") or a special flashlight.
Sometimes it is better to get lost than to ask for directions too much. Aldous Huxley
