I heard that you didn't have to pull over for an unmarked car. I know I wouldn't!! But actually the one possible problem with that is if a "cop" is behind me with lights flashing that aren't usual lights, it may be hard for people to determine if it was a real cop, especially at night, unless it was a strobe which would be a bit suspicious. I have always decided that if I was clearly being flashed by an unmarked car I wouldn't pull over, and if it turned out to be a real cop, I would use the justification that it was unmarked and I didn't feel it was safe. If it wasn't a cop I'd drive and eventually he/she would probably give up. There'* a lot of problems about that issue... :?

A related TRUE story:

I was driving on the highway (daylight) and passed someone, probably going 60 in a 55, no big deal. I signal and get in the right lane in front of this person with a lot of room of course. All of the sudden he starts flashing his headlights and waving his hand in the air. A split second reaction from me was, "maybe it'* an undercover or off duty cop", but thought to myself, it'* obviously not 'marked'. It was a gray 4 door sedan, the late 80s Buick Century or something similar. So I wondering who the hell this jackass is. He'* speeding up behind me still waving his arm and flashing his lights. I sure as hell wasn't pulling over for him, and thank God I didn't! He then sped up and pulled next to me ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, NEXT TO A DITCH!!! We were going about 60 or so! He was yelling at me, swearing, saying I should "slow down" and basically being a LUNATIC! This guy was insane! I didn't do a thing! I ignored him and he followed me for another mile or 2. If I had pulled over, I didn't know at the time, he probably would have pulled over too and assulted me somehow, I would not doubt it. Road rage for sure.

Anyway, thanks for putting up with these long posts.

That is some major BS.

Just so you are aware, you do not have the legal right to not pull over. It would be brought up in court as another charge, because, essentially, it is a chase; and that is in addition to them possibly using spike strips or the old pit manuever to stop you! Being afraid to is not an excuse. Obviously it is up to your own discretion to decide whether the risk is worth it. I'd just hate to see you get into some major sh*t for "evading police".

Yeah, I forgot to add to my post: I'm with you on pulling over. It would suck if someone got in more trouble if they thought it wasn't a cop, and it actually was. It would be obvious IMO if it wasn't a real cop. But I'd probably do what you said and (if possible) pull over where more people are if I wasn't sure. If someone wanted to pull someone over pretending to be a cop, they'd have most likely evil motives, so they'd forget it if it was in a populated area.

Wow, that actually brings up another good point: Someone evil enough to intend to harm someone and pull them over would (if they were thinking ahead) do it on a highway or somewhere away from people. That'* actually where it happens most. Man, I guess this is a really tough issue...you'd probably be fine if this happened in a populated area, but if it wasn't.....not good!!

But do you have an idea of how often this type of thing happens when someone impersonates a cop and pulls someone over?? I would imagine not too often but I of course can be wrong. I haven't heard of it happening at all in a long time. :?:

Actually you DO have the right to NOT pull over if the car is unmarked and the cop is out of uniform. If you dont pull over hey would have to call another 'marked' car to pull you over and theres nothing they can say to you. The problem is most people will pull over for any flashing lights hence the impersonations by lunatics who rape and kill poeple when they do. Thats why the law went into effect.

Man my friend got arrested for having blue and red strobes in his head lights and he only got a 100 dollar ticket...

You do have to pull over for an unmarked car, but where I live we had a "Blue Light Rapist" for a while and now the cops are telling everyone to drive to a well-lighted area if you feel uncomfortable. I the dark anything can look like a cop car. The "Blue Light Rapist" I am talking about raped about 6 or 7 women in about a 4-month period. When they finally caught him they found out the whole time he was using an old beat up brown station wagon with a blue light that just sat on the dash.

As for the blue cobra lights it is defiantly over kill. I have a friend with a 2000 Eclipse and he had a 16" blue light mounted UNDER the passenger side dash. And a cop pulled him over because it made the interior have a blue tint at night. The cop confiscated it. He had to un-mount the light and cut the wires it was either this or he was going to get a ticket. Even with this the ticket was only going to be $100 dollars but no jail time or community service.

Does anybody know if there had been a big problem with some one trying to impersonate a cop where this girl is from it seems like there has to be some alternative motive for this much of a punishment.

I don't know, but a $100 ticket vs. an $800 ticket is a BIG difference. There would have to be a problem where she is. But she'* a 17 or 18 year old GIRL who graduated from high school with honors. Do they think she'* going to rape/kill someone?!?! It just doesn't make sense that these two little blue lights on a hood are considered to be someone impersonating a cop. They don't even flash. These lights are so popular I'd be surprised if one person would look at a car with them and think it'* a cop. Most of the time it'* teenage Rice that has 'em and another dead giveaway it'* not a cop is the loud fart can!!

If I was being flashed by a car with lights on the top of a car as every cop has, I'd pull over. But if it was a blue light on the dash, I'd punch the 3800 and leave 'em in the dust.

If it was a real cop and I didn't pull over, they'd do what Nytro said and call another cop (or two). I know this for a fact since I was pulled over by 3 cops in the Bonne because the dumba$$ thought I stole it!!! What an idiot! He said he was about to pull me over by gunpoint. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Wow. I didn't know that a Bonny could outrun radio. Not to mention that a PI CV has more torque and a 0-60 time almost as good as a super-charged SSEI...

Even if it didn't, you'd be an idiot to run. If it'* an officer, he has your registration. You can run, but you won't be able to hide.

BOLO=Be On Look Out...for a person, car, or what have you. You fit the description; certainly not the officer'* fault.

As for laughing about the idea of a felony stop...I doubt very much you've ever seen a firearm, let alone seriously thought about what it would mean to have one pointed at you. In any case, it'* nothing to laugh about.
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As far as the girl...Whether on agrees with the law or not, it'* currently a law. It may be badly worded; I doubt very much that the legistlators who wrote imagined two small prin-****** of light would be a "cool" thing. Much of this style of legistlation comes out of the 1980s with the gang shootings; several times gang members would pull over rivals and murder them on the road. The law about blue lights gave the LEO another tool to combat drugs. If there'* a problem with the law, it needs to be changed to a wording away from "any forward facing blue light" to "any blue light capable of imitating a law enforcement vehicle" or some such. Contact your representative; Heck, even the Live Free or Die state prohibits any blue colored light on any vehicle, except for law enforcement:

NHRSA: 266:74, II Blue colored lights shall only be used on law enforcement vehicles operated by law enforcement officers. When blue colored lights are installed on a private vehicle belonging to a law enforcement officer, such lights shall be covered when the vehicle is being driven by someone other than a law enforcement officer. The display or use of blue colored motor vehicle lights by any person who is not an employed full-time or part-time police officer shall be prohibited.

Now a LEO is capable of a great deal of discretion, as is a court. The fact that both decided to not exercise it here probably indicates that the girl in question did something wrong. I certainly am not going to take the word of the press.

As for whether or not you need to stop if an officer decides to pull you over:

NHRSA: 265:4 No person, while driving or in charge of a vehicle, shall:
(c) Purposely neglect to stop when signaled to stop by any law enforcement officer who is in uniform or who displays his badge conspicuously on the outside of his outer coat or garment, or who signals such person to stop by means of any authorized audible or visual emergency warning signals; or otherwise willfully attempt to elude pursuit by a law enforcement officer by increasing speed, extinguishing headlamps while still in motion or abandoning a vehicle while being pursued.

There is no exception made for being scared, believing it isn't a real cop, etc. It comes down to the discretion of the officer again...whether he or she will understand your reluctance. Some agencies will...some will not.

But if you read the law, it say any authorized emergency signal...and blue lights are one...hence the earlier law about no blue lights on civilian vehicles.

Bottom line: You see blue lights, you MUST stop...or face the consequences. And blue lights are illegal on the road for precisly that reason...In NH at least. I'd be surprised if any state out there is more lenient, though!

To be honest, I don't really care about wether those lights are actually illegal, because the ticket and the sentence is bovine fecal material.

To put it in perspective it'* also illegal to eat food while driving.

If I had it my way, there would be no laws, no cops, no judges, no rules, just peolple running around in their underpants.