Mis-Inforrmation and bits left out
Discussion
I belong to the CSMA and each month get the magazine Boundless. Sometimes i think it should be renamed gormless judging by some of the readers letters and the fact that most months the star letter is about the ins Co or recovery firm and a good letter re road safety etc is often ignored
However this months article by dear old Vicki BH has me puzzled
She has headlined it 'The Code Breakers and goes on about long standing driving myths...esp . Middle lane use, inside lane for lorries, illegal to to move out of middle lane except when entering/exiting Mway
So she has quoted the following myths with her replies
Is it Illegal to drive in flip flops or high heels?
VBH NO ( hurrah) However if your footwear interferes with your driving or causes an accident then you could be done for dangerous driving ( i thought DWDCA would be more appropriate)
Can you be arrested (note arrested!!!) if you drive with snow on your roof
VBH No but you must clear snow and ice from lights windows and mirros so your view is not obscurred
( again i thought you can be done for DWDCA)
Do speed cameras have a built in 10% tolerance
VBH No. A speed limit is fixed. A 'gentlemans agrrement' does not apply here.
(Again has anyone SEEN a ticket for a speed less than the 10% + 2mph? no photoshops, a genuine in the flesh one)
Is it illegal to round a roundabout more than three times
VBH No However if you start causing problems for other drivers you could be had for careless driving
( i thought CD had been wiped off the statute,)
Is it illegal to eat a whole packet of Jaffa cakes while driving
VBH NO-providing it doesn't distract you from driving.So chomp on
( wasn't someone done for eating a banans/apple or other foodstuff recently?
Now i am a bit cnfused about some of these replies. what does the collective think esp serving Trafpol?
However this months article by dear old Vicki BH has me puzzled
She has headlined it 'The Code Breakers and goes on about long standing driving myths...esp . Middle lane use, inside lane for lorries, illegal to to move out of middle lane except when entering/exiting Mway
So she has quoted the following myths with her replies
Is it Illegal to drive in flip flops or high heels?
VBH NO ( hurrah) However if your footwear interferes with your driving or causes an accident then you could be done for dangerous driving ( i thought DWDCA would be more appropriate)
Can you be arrested (note arrested!!!) if you drive with snow on your roof
VBH No but you must clear snow and ice from lights windows and mirros so your view is not obscurred
( again i thought you can be done for DWDCA)
Do speed cameras have a built in 10% tolerance
VBH No. A speed limit is fixed. A 'gentlemans agrrement' does not apply here.
(Again has anyone SEEN a ticket for a speed less than the 10% + 2mph? no photoshops, a genuine in the flesh one)
Is it illegal to round a roundabout more than three times
VBH No However if you start causing problems for other drivers you could be had for careless driving
( i thought CD had been wiped off the statute,)
Is it illegal to eat a whole packet of Jaffa cakes while driving
VBH NO-providing it doesn't distract you from driving.So chomp on
( wasn't someone done for eating a banans/apple or other foodstuff recently?
Now i am a bit cnfused about some of these replies. what does the collective think esp serving Trafpol?
lord trumpton said:
What?
Is this something people are supposed to know what all these acronyms are and what you are on about?
Bloody hell I've no idea what any of your post means (apart from the Jaffa cake ref) haha
Seriously? I can see four acronyms in that post and only one might fox a normal adult with a slight interest in cars and driving.Is this something people are supposed to know what all these acronyms are and what you are on about?
Bloody hell I've no idea what any of your post means (apart from the Jaffa cake ref) haha
CSMA = Civil Service Motoring Assoc.
VBH = I'll let you do that one.
DWDCA = too long so I'll abbreviate it ( hohohoho )
CD = mentioned a few words before, careless driving.
TrafPol? Ah, gowan, have a guess.
I'm a bit perturbed by some of her answers too but won't be losing any hair over it.
silverfoxcc said:
Is it Illegal to drive in flip flops or high heels?
VBH NO ( hurrah) However if your footwear interferes with your driving or causes an accident then you could be done for dangerous driving
Can you be arrested (note arrested!!!) if you drive with snow on your roof
VBH No but you must clear snow and ice from lights windows and mirros so your view is not obscurred
Do speed cameras have a built in 10% tolerance
VBH No. A speed limit is fixed. A 'gentlemans agreement' does not apply here.
(Again has anyone SEEN a ticket for a speed less than the 10% + 2mph? no photoshops, a genuine in the flesh one)
Is it illegal to round a roundabout more than three times
VBH No However if you start causing problems for other drivers you could be had for careless driving
Is it illegal to eat a whole packet of Jaffa cakes while driving
VBH NO - providing it doesn't distract you from driving.So chomp on
2. You cannot be arrested for most minor traffic offences, there is no power of arrest, you would be reported. All windows must be clear. if snow or ice fell off your car and caused damage or an accident, you could be prosecuted for driving without reasonable consideration for other road users or driving the vehicle in a dangerous condition. It could also give rise to a dangerous driving charge (that is arrestable) as the RTA 1988 says "A person is also to be regarded as driving dangerously if it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving the vehicle in its current state would be dangerous.
Dangerous is defined as a risk of serious damage or of injury (whether or not either occur)
3. There is no tolerance but most safety Camera Units "cull" the minor transgressors because it's really not worth the argument and costs too much to argue about whether the vehicle speedo was accurate (they can only under-read by law) or it had the correct tyres etc. By disregarding these, it allows them to focus on the more naughty people. That is not to say they can't, especially in 20mph zones. Their wisdom is that the speed limit is a limit, not a target.
4. It is not illegal but driving without reasonable consideration might apply although that would be hard to prove and generally prosecutions only arise when an accident occurs. "Careless Driving" is a generic descriptor for due care and driving without reasonable consideration so is very much alive and well.
5. Chomping a packet of Jaffa cakes could also fall foul of not being in proper control of the vehicle (also used for mobile phones) although it is harder to prove because phones connect and require your attention to be distracted from the road and the job in hand. Eating is more likely to be an automatic non-thinking process but if there is evidence of you swerving or veering about, that could show a lack of proper control. The apple case probably relied on some veering or inability to control the car adequately.
silverfoxcc said:
Do speed cameras have a built in 10% tolerance
VBH No. A speed limit is fixed. A 'gentlemans agrrement' does not apply here.
(Again has anyone SEEN a ticket for a speed less than the 10% + 2mph? no photoshops, a genuine in the flesh one)
What that means to me is"Do cameras only record your vehicle as speeding if you're travelling at more than 10% over the limit?" Not "Will my local ticket office use discretion and not issue a NIP if I'm below their prescribed level over the limit?"VBH No. A speed limit is fixed. A 'gentlemans agrrement' does not apply here.
(Again has anyone SEEN a ticket for a speed less than the 10% + 2mph? no photoshops, a genuine in the flesh one)
fused the electrical curcuit.Pothole said:
What that means to me is"Do cameras only record your vehicle as speeding if you're travelling at more than 10% over the limit?" Not "Will my local ticket office use discretion and not issue a NIP if I'm below their prescribed level over the limit?"
I imagine they can set the camera to activate at a certain speed to make them adjustable for 20, 30, 40 limits etc. The cameras are accurate, the speed at which they are set is local policy.LuS1ver
You said in your very comprehnsive answers ( much appreciated )
3. There is no tolerance but most safety Camera Units "cull" the minor transgressors because it's really not worth the argument and costs too much to argue about whether the vehicle speedo was accurate (they can only under-read by law) or it had the correct tyres etc. By disregarding these, it allows them to focus on the more naughty people. That is not to say they can't, especially in 20mph zones. Their wisdom is that the speed limit is a limit, not a target.
Is it a mistype where you said they can only underead by law,? I thought it was the other way around and can have a tolerance of 2%. however willing to be corrected.
You said in your very comprehnsive answers ( much appreciated )
3. There is no tolerance but most safety Camera Units "cull" the minor transgressors because it's really not worth the argument and costs too much to argue about whether the vehicle speedo was accurate (they can only under-read by law) or it had the correct tyres etc. By disregarding these, it allows them to focus on the more naughty people. That is not to say they can't, especially in 20mph zones. Their wisdom is that the speed limit is a limit, not a target.
Is it a mistype where you said they can only underead by law,? I thought it was the other way around and can have a tolerance of 2%. however willing to be corrected.
silverfoxcc said:
LuS1ver
You said in your very comprehnsive answers ( much appreciated )
3. There is no tolerance but most safety Camera Units "cull" the minor transgressors because it's really not worth the argument and costs too much to argue about whether the vehicle speedo was accurate (they can only under-read by law) or it had the correct tyres etc. By disregarding these, it allows them to focus on the more naughty people. That is not to say they can't, especially in 20mph zones. Their wisdom is that the speed limit is a limit, not a target.
Is it a mistype where you said they can only underead by law,? I thought it was the other way around and can have a tolerance of 2%. however willing to be corrected.
Your speedo can over-read by up to 10% but it cannot under-read, otherwise you would be caught for speeding every day. Many cars in the 70s seemed to revel in this as people could claim their cars could do 100mph when it was often considerably less and the Maserati Bora speedo was once described as "a big liar" at high speeds.You said in your very comprehnsive answers ( much appreciated )
3. There is no tolerance but most safety Camera Units "cull" the minor transgressors because it's really not worth the argument and costs too much to argue about whether the vehicle speedo was accurate (they can only under-read by law) or it had the correct tyres etc. By disregarding these, it allows them to focus on the more naughty people. That is not to say they can't, especially in 20mph zones. Their wisdom is that the speed limit is a limit, not a target.
Is it a mistype where you said they can only underead by law,? I thought it was the other way around and can have a tolerance of 2%. however willing to be corrected.
If you check your GPS against your speedo, you will generally find that at 70mph, your speedo will be reading something like 75mph. So if you whizz through a speed camera or pass a speed van at 44mph-ish, you might still be actually doing 40.
Incorrect tyres can give false readings as the circumference will alter but that would be your own fault, it's not a defence.
LuS1fer said:
Pothole said:
What that means to me is"Do cameras only record your vehicle as speeding if you're travelling at more than 10% over the limit?" Not "Will my local ticket office use discretion and not issue a NIP if I'm below their prescribed level over the limit?"
I imagine they can set the camera to activate at a certain speed to make them adjustable for 20, 30, 40 limits etc. The cameras are accurate, the speed at which they are set is local policy.Jaffa cakes are banned by the EU for tax reasons, going round a round about more than 3 times will make your diff explode, you cant be arrested with snow on your roof but if you are caught with a dead body or more than a couple of kg of cocaine they will detain you while they wait for it to melt.
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