Breath test after no fault accident
Breath test after no fault accident
Author
Discussion

blueyes

Original Poster:

4,799 posts

269 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
Niece got sideswiped by a lunatic last night whilst stationary in a traffic queue. Nobody got the number but she had a decent description of the car. Police finally arrived and after much "we'll there's not a lot we can do, probably stolen, probably got no insurance, tax etc." then proceeded to give HER a breath test and then to top it all gave HER a producer!!!

WTF is going on?

Discuss.

will crash

202 posts

267 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
Force policy...simple as that.

streaky

19,311 posts

266 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
will crash said:
Force policy...simple as that.
Will - is that:

1) Force government policy upon the innocent motorist?

2) A policy of using force?

3) A policy forced upon you (the BiB)?

Whatever, where "policy" is to persecute the reporter of an incident it is little wonder that the police and its front line are increasingly discredited in the eyes of Joe Public.

It's not your fault I know, you're just obeying orders .

Streaky

julianhj

8,852 posts

279 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
I presume the thinking is that if you can check documents at every available opportunity, you are more likely to pick up on tax/insurance/licence/MOT dodgers?

Not saying it's necessarily right if you're reporting a crime of course.

will crash

202 posts

267 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
It`s a policy forced upon us by Senior Management, however lets say that experience and discretion play a huge part in whether or not a breath test is administered.(or if you can even smell alcohol)
As for a producer we can check to see if you have insurance/driving licence via PNC so if an accident report book is not completed I cannot see any need whatsoever to issue a producer. In fact only issuing producers is frowned upon in my force as we haven`t got the staff to deal with the paperwork.
Hope that answers your question...back soon, off for a 6.7 mile run now..!!

xxplod

2,269 posts

261 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
As has been said, standard procedure. As a Custody Sergeant I've booked in many drink drivers, caught because they were the blamesless party in an RTA!
Ditto - many uninsured drivers caught the same way. Just the wayt it is. If you're not breaking the law, you've nothing to worry about.

WildCat

8,369 posts

260 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
My sister (a vet) was not impressed by this routine procedure. She had stopped in a lay-by. A chap pulled in behind her, the set off scraping her car as he did so. He did a runner. She called the cops.

The officer, detecting a "strange smell" (She had been delivering a calf just prior to this, and hence had a rather memorable "perfume!"), breathalysed her!

She is teetotal and thus nowt to fear, but she found the whole experience rather intimidating! Especially when she was the innocent law-abiding party!

pulsatingstar

1,719 posts

265 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
After I had an accident I was given a producer. I probably wouldnt of minded so much if the police hadnt climbed into the back of the ambulance to take my details whilt I was in the middle of being sorted out.

I thought that was a little insensitive, but oh well. Infact even after that I got wound up because one of the police officers kept having a go at me to admit I was speeding. I got really wound up, because I actually wasnt but he wouldnt leave it alone. I think I was quite rude in the end but I had to say something.

Lee

zumbruk

7,848 posts

277 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
xxplod said:
If you're not breaking the law, you've nothing to worry about.


Yeah, right.

oyster

13,231 posts

265 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2004
quotequote all
xxplod said:
As has been said, standard procedure. As a Custody Sergeant I've booked in many drink drivers, caught because they were the blamesless party in an RTA!
Ditto - many uninsured drivers caught the same way. Just the wayt it is. If you're not breaking the law, you've nothing to worry about.




I guess it's pro-active policing and I can't really disagree with it in principle.


BUT, in practice....
I was hit last year (9am Monday morning) whilst stationary and was breathalysed and asked to produce. It might have been okay if the police asked politely and suggested the reason they did it was because it was standard police practice and policy. But no, they were arrogant, rude and suggested that I was somehow "guilty". They even breathalysed the guy who hit me after he told them he was a practising Muslim. What a waste of a breath test.

Of course I was guilty - guilty of being on a random road at the wrong time.

>> Edited by oyster on Tuesday 3rd February 19:42

planetdave

9,921 posts

270 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
xxplod said:
As has been said, standard procedure. As a Custody Sergeant I've booked in many drink drivers, caught because they were the blamesless party in an RTA!
Ditto - many uninsured drivers caught the same way. Just the wayt it is. If you're not breaking the law, you've nothing to worry about.


Maybe we have nothing to fear - but its a supreme waste of my good time traipsing off the the cop shop to do a producer. Especially if you go so often the desk staff know you by name and there is no prosecution EVER cos it was always a trawl.

Homer lawtey

10 posts

262 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
You know the thing on the end of your necks????

IT'S CALLED YOUR HEAD.

You know the thing at the base of your spine????

IT'S CALLED YOUR ARSE.

Please try and seperate them from each other.

Have a look at your insurance documents, what do they say? Do they say "never admit liability"? Of course they do. Welcome to the United States of England.

So when a copper turns up to an incident on the road, why should he believe the driver who has been brainwashed with the "no-win, no-fee" culture, and the insistance of the insureres not to admit blame???

So what happens when someone has an accident, but the police officer attending decides the guy is genuine and sound (you know, an all round nice fella). What if he'd had a couple of pints earlier in the day????

What if he were over the limit????

I AGREE WITH THE PISTONHEAD OPINION ON SENSIBLE SPEEDLIMITS. I DON'T AGREE WITH DRINK DRIVING, AND YOU ARE PORTRAYING AN IMAGE OF "DD" SUPPORTERS AT THE MOMENT.

For what it takes in time for a copper to issue a producer, I feel a damn sight better because of it.

Maybe the police should ignore this tactic????? Please show me a bloody good reason for them to do so.

Steve

Mojocvh

16,837 posts

279 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
[quote=Homer lawtey]You know the thing on the end of your necks????

IT'S CALLED YOUR HEAD.

You know the thing at the base of your spine????

IT'S CALLED YOUR ARSE.

Please try and seperate them from each other.

Have a look at your insurance documents, what do they say? Do they say "never admit liability"? Of course they do. Welcome to the United States of England.

So when a copper turns up to an incident on the road, why should he believe the driver who has been brainwashed with the "no-win, no-fee" culture, and the insistance of the insureres not to admit blame???

So what happens when someone has an accident, but the police officer attending decides the guy is genuine and sound (you know, an all round nice fella). What if he'd had a couple of pints earlier in the day????

What if he were over the limit????

I AGREE WITH THE PISTONHEAD OPINION ON SENSIBLE SPEEDLIMITS. I DON'T AGREE WITH DRINK DRIVING, AND YOU ARE PORTRAYING AN IMAGE OF "DD" SUPPORTERS AT THE MOMENT.

For what it takes in time for a copper to issue a producer, I feel a damn sight better because of it.

Maybe the police should ignore this tactic????? Please show me a bloody good reason for them to do so.

Steve[/quote

I DON'T AGREE WITH DRINK DRIVING, AND YOU ARE PORTRAYING AN IMAGE OF "DD" SUPPORTERS AT THE MOMENT.



WildCat

8,369 posts

260 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
No one in their right mind agrees with drink-driving is OK!!. Never touch a drop myself anyway! Do not like the taste!

However, the point I was trying to make when my sister was breathalysed as a "routine" was that courtesy would have gone a long way to take the tension out of the situation! She was more than conscious that she reeked of cow pat and the rest at the time! She did explain that "this should not happen to a vet!" at the time too!

This is the point that the other two guys were making as well. Routine tests - fine! Provided you treat the person with respect and courtesy!

Homer lawtey

10 posts

262 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
Sorry but "Pulsatingstar" and "oyster" are the only ones to post about the attitude of the officers. All the other post complaining about producers and breath tests give the opinion -

"I shouldn't have to show anyone my documents, or give a breath test. It's my right to do as I please and the police shouldn't be able to question me on it."

I would feel happier with an "insurance disc" type scheme, drivers having to carry their license (credit card part), and possibly an MOT disk type scheme aswell.

Throw into that more random breath tests and we should start getting the DD, uninsured and un-MOTed drivers off the roads.

Steve

raymondwalker_uk

11 posts

264 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
I own a fleet of vehicles and get sick to death of the nuisence factor provided by the police these days but every time we need some help to trace a criminal, they never want to know. It's the same concept as with scammeras - maximising the return on matters that suit them. And to think I once applied to be a policeman!

_Al_

5,618 posts

275 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
xxplod said:
If you're not breaking the law, you've nothing to worry about.


I've had entirely different experiences, but we've discussed them before...

_Al_

5,618 posts

275 months

Wednesday 4th February 2004
quotequote all
raymondwalker_uk said:
I own a fleet of vehicles and get sick to death of the nuisence factor provided by the police these days but every time we need some help to trace a criminal, they never want to know. It's the same concept as with scammeras - maximising the return on matters that suit them. And to think I once applied to be a policeman!


Admittedly a sense of balance would be a fine thing; but if you think those random tests annoy you, just imagine how the scrotes feel...