How would you feel?
Author
Discussion

tonyrec

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

276 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
Heres a good question which applies to everyone on here.

If, tomorrow you decided to join a Traffic unit and you were trained in the use of the speed detection devices, how would you feel when you stopped someone for speeding.

How would you deal with them?

Plotloss

67,280 posts

291 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
I'd like to think in an empathetic manner.

However, targets imposed on me by people who dont know the job may get in the way of that...

dmsims

7,309 posts

288 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
Short question - long answer !

If you look at it from a strict standpoint you are going to punish every single offence. Someone doing doing 73 mph on a motorway - done, someone doing 64 on an A road - done; they are breaking the law.

However there are arguments about cautions, education, does it actually matter compared to some other driving habits etc etc

For me (and I am not a BiB) I guess it would depend. I would take a much dimmer view of speeding in urban areas than on a motorway and it would depend what else they were doing. What happened when stopped might depend on the attitude.

pwig

11,998 posts

291 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
I wouldn't pull over anyone

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

276 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
Personaly I think it would very much depend on
1) If they were driving like a dick as well as speeding
2) The attitude of the driver
3) How many gruesome accidents I'd been called to recently
4) Whether I got some last night



>> Edited by Mr2Mike on Friday 5th December 09:29

>> Edited by Mr2Mike on Friday 5th December 09:29

toad_oftoadhall

936 posts

272 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
tonyrec said:

How would you deal with them?



70-95 Do nothing.

95+ Give them a good bolocking. (Firm but polite) Provided they took this in good heart wave them on.

+70 but at such a speed or in such a way driving dangerously/carelessly/not in proper control do them for the relevant offence.

>> Edited by toad_oftoadhall on Friday 5th December 09:51

wimdows

108 posts

273 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
If circumstances (weather conditions, traffic intensity) allowed - up to 90 mph, I'd let them get away with a warning. Provided they weren't swerving over the road.

And for reckless and dangerous driving in general - do them for it. That includes numpties joining the motorway at 37mph...(oh, hang on, I wouldn't detect this with my speed detection device now, would I?)

tonyrec

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

276 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
You would, the best speed detection device are your eyes.
Sad thing is that not everyone is trained in the use of them

JMGS4

8,873 posts

291 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
I'd stop anyone driving like a cnut, especially Mumpties on the way to school with their panzers... speeders if it was inapropriate... that does NOT mean if someone was doing 110mph at 3am on a clear motorway that I'd persecute them. p'raps juat give a stiff talking to...but as mentioned it would depend on their attitude (as happened to me in Canada where my and his (RCMP's) attitude was right!)

mondeoman

11,430 posts

287 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
if it was dangerous for the conditions, book em Danno

If not, maybe a caution for excessive,
M-way under a ton OK
most rural fast A-roads - up to 80-90 OK
other rural A-roads - up to 70-80 OK
B roads - up to 70 OK

Urban - depends on limits and traffic/pedestrian density, but I'd give more than limit +10% generally

tonyrec

Original Poster:

3,984 posts

276 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
mondeoman said:

Urban - depends on limits and traffic/pedestrian density, but I'd give more than limit +10% generally


33mph

mattl

231 posts

276 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
I'd like to think that I would be firm but fair!

IMO if a speeding motorist is too blind to see a marked or unmarked police car and then go hooning past them then they deserve everything they get, however if the said police car was hidden then that would be a bit sneaky!

I know I am probably tempting fate but I have only ever been pulled once and that was by a single policeman with the old hairdryer gun wearing only his black uniform (14 years ago!), he gave me a bollocking and sent me on my way! Which was nice!

I do about 1200 miles per week with my job so I have to drive responsibliy and more often or not find myself slipping slightly over the speed limit!!!

Therefore if I joined the force I think I would be tempted to punish the blatant offenders but would probably go more leniently on others!

deltaf

6,806 posts

274 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
I wouldnt join the traffic unit.....

T4R

461 posts

270 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
It depends what the offence was and how they reacted.
Examples:
Wreckless and dangerous driving - Deathray
Undue care and attention - Verbal NIP*
Kids in back seat with no belt - Deathray or verbal NIP
Failure to move to left hand lane, fog lights, failure to indicate, driving too close, listening to Radio 1 - Verbal NIP*/Deathray (attitude dependant)
100+ on a quiet NSL dual/motorway in good conditions, well driven - Doughnut, coffee and a chat

*If any of these involve an NSL (Nice Single Lady), then a night out with Mungo in lieu of NIP

count duckula

1,324 posts

295 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
I would be firm but fair, anyone giving me the "eye"
quick trip down the stairs, and anyone in a BMW ( without PH sticker ).

ohhh the power.


Malc

stackmonkey

5,083 posts

270 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
Depends on the speed, the circumstances and the weather...

bad company

21,216 posts

287 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
Surely it would have to depend on the circumstances. Generally I would caution at up to 35 in a built up area.

I keep thinking how lucky I was to get away with 90 in a 60 limit 2 years ago. Just got a producer.

safespeed

2,983 posts

295 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
tonyrec said:
Heres a good question which applies to everyone on here.

If, tomorrow you decided to join a Traffic unit and you were trained in the use of the speed detection devices, how would you feel when you stopped someone for speeding.

How would you deal with them?


Firstly I would absolutely not join a traffic unit UNLESS I was allowed to use my power of discretion.

Then I would enforce the speeding laws vigorously against anyone who was using speed dangerously above the limit.

This is what the power of discretion and proper policing is all about. The law is far too blunt and must be used intelligently by trained and skilled officers.

Best Regards,
Paul Smith
Safe Speed
www.safespeed.org.uk

Peter Ward

2,097 posts

277 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
The general opinion, which I share, is that it depends on circumstances, conditions and what else the driver is doing at the time.

However, the law's the law -- should the police have the flexibility to enforce one law, eg. murder, but not another, eg. speeding, mobile phone use, "minor" burglary, "small" beatings, "unimportant" theft, "small-scale" yobbishness? That way lies contempt for the law....oh silly me, we've reached that already....

The other way we achieve contempt for the law is by enforcing bad laws. Speed limits were introduced to improve road safety. Now that's not the case any more, they're there as absolutes, a proxy for road safety which we would argue is not 100% valid (or even a little bit valid if you drive within your own/car's limits, etc). Hence the need for draconian levels of enforcement to keep the public believing any speed 30+ = instant death to children.

I really don't see a way out. It's a general cultural thing that infuses the whole law-making process not just around speeding. It's not the police's fault -- they're doing their jobs as instructed. What does it take to change a nation's culture away from a focus on the effects and onto the causes (skills, attitude, thoughtfulness for others, etc)? More than just burning Gatsos.

As I said in another thread, what do we want to happen from here? Higher limits rigorously enforced? Current limits patchily enforced? No limits but punishment for causing accidents? The latter makes most sense but in a country where guns are banned "just in case", speeding is seen in the same way -- it's not just what it does do (very little), but some perceive that it could ("TOTC").

I could continue, but instead I'll do some work.

cptsideways

13,783 posts

273 months

Friday 5th December 2003
quotequote all
With discretion,

The chap in the oustide lane at 90 with clear road ahead?

Or

The numpty in the inside lane at 60 up a lorries ass?

Speed iteself is not dangerous its how its applied & used.