Cop gets reprimand for being passenger
Discussion
This one will please many!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4371950.stm
[quote=bbc]
Met traffic chief in speeding row
The head of the Metropolitan Police traffic division has been given a written warning after he was a passenger in a speeding police car.
Chief Supt Les Owen was reportedly running late for a meeting when the marked car he was travelling in drove at 82mph in a 40mph zone.
National road safety charity Brake said the reprimand was "appalling" and called for Mr Owen's resignation.
The car was caught on the A12 in Bow, east London, in February last year.
The vehicle's driver, Pc Mark Bradley, was fined £250 by Redbridge magistrates in January and given licence points.
'Devastating consequences'
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said Mr Owen had accepted a written warning from its Directorate of Professional Standards for "failing to challenge the manner in which a Pc drove a police car in which he was a passenger".
A spokeswoman for Brake said: "As somebody who knows first hand the devastating consequences of high speed crashes, it is just appalling.
"He should do the right thing now and resign."
Kevin Delaney, head of traffic and road safety at the RAC Foundation, said: "He may not have been holding the steering wheel, but he was the one who held all the power."
Zoe Stow, chair of RoadPeace, said: "A warning is just words, he has not had any loss of privilege or pay, nothing which would actually affect him."
Mr Owen, who received his warning last month, has worked with London Safety Camera Partnership, a group which aims to reduce the number of speed and red light running accidents in London.
Following the instalment of new cameras in east London in February 2003, Chief Supt Owen said: "The fact is that speeding kills.
"Having witnessed first hand the suffering of families whose loved ones have been seriously injured or tragically killed, I would strongly urge all motorists not to speed." [/quote]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4371950.stm
[quote=bbc]
Met traffic chief in speeding row
The head of the Metropolitan Police traffic division has been given a written warning after he was a passenger in a speeding police car.
Chief Supt Les Owen was reportedly running late for a meeting when the marked car he was travelling in drove at 82mph in a 40mph zone.
National road safety charity Brake said the reprimand was "appalling" and called for Mr Owen's resignation.
The car was caught on the A12 in Bow, east London, in February last year.
The vehicle's driver, Pc Mark Bradley, was fined £250 by Redbridge magistrates in January and given licence points.
'Devastating consequences'
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said Mr Owen had accepted a written warning from its Directorate of Professional Standards for "failing to challenge the manner in which a Pc drove a police car in which he was a passenger".
A spokeswoman for Brake said: "As somebody who knows first hand the devastating consequences of high speed crashes, it is just appalling.
"He should do the right thing now and resign."
Kevin Delaney, head of traffic and road safety at the RAC Foundation, said: "He may not have been holding the steering wheel, but he was the one who held all the power."
Zoe Stow, chair of RoadPeace, said: "A warning is just words, he has not had any loss of privilege or pay, nothing which would actually affect him."
Mr Owen, who received his warning last month, has worked with London Safety Camera Partnership, a group which aims to reduce the number of speed and red light running accidents in London.
Following the instalment of new cameras in east London in February 2003, Chief Supt Owen said: "The fact is that speeding kills.
"Having witnessed first hand the suffering of families whose loved ones have been seriously injured or tragically killed, I would strongly urge all motorists not to speed." [/quote]
Depending on exatly where on that road it was (although the Bow section is short so this almost certainly applies) it should be noted that the road had it's speed limit reduced from 50 to 40 about a year ago for no good reason.
Realistically most of that road should be 60 as it's a 2-3 lane dual carriageway with full armco style barriers, not footpaths, sliproads for entry and exit etc.
Still 84 is a bit much!
Realistically most of that road should be 60 as it's a 2-3 lane dual carriageway with full armco style barriers, not footpaths, sliproads for entry and exit etc.
Still 84 is a bit much!
minornut said:
Would the same happen to my GF if I got nicked for speeding while she was in the car?
No, but seeing as he was a senior police officer, he was in a position to tell the driver to slow down, and who do you think told him to speed in the first place.
Or you just 'avin a larf!
Just to press the point: I think it's actually a good thing when a bib does what most of us are arguing (and, judging by the numbers with points, as do most of the driving population) that...
most speed limis are too low and it's OK to travel at xx mph if the conditions are suitable.
most speed limis are too low and it's OK to travel at xx mph if the conditions are suitable.
bbc said:
A spokeswoman for Brake said: "As somebody who knows first hand the devastating consequences of high speed crashes, it is just appalling.
but he wasn't involved in a crash and probly not even close. Bit of a weird statement that and she seems to assume that travelling at a set arbritrary limit makes it's safe. The article doesn't detail the circumstances but there was probly not too much wrong with what the driver was doing.
james_j said:
most speed limis are too low and it's OK to travel at xx mph if the conditions are suitable.
Yes, but the police either have to obey these too-low limits or stop enforcing them. A different set of rules for those in power is one of the key indicators of a police state, something that there is real danger of us becoming.
BliarOut said:
"A spokeswoman from Brake" So, just another anonymous busyboy who knows all about accident causation then. Who gives these unqualified anonymous muppets a voice in the first place?
Just because she lacks the ability to drive safely and competently, doesn't mean the rest of us do
It could be she's just familiar with the measured braking distances... are you?? lol
thanuk said:
most speed limis are too low and it's OK to travel at xx mph if the conditions are suitable.
Yes, but the police either have to obey these too-low limits or stop enforcing them. A different set of rules for those in power is one of the key indicators of a police state, something that there is real danger of us becoming.
Agreed.
Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff