Can the new traffic patrol chaps do you for speeding?

[turboguru]

I am sure you have all seen the new traffic officers out on the motorways in their 4X4. It is my understanding that they are not the police as such so can they do you for speeding?

Cheers

TG

[magic torch]

No they can't

[jacob-911]

I guess they could call you in to the real cops for speeding - don't overtake them at 80+ and all should be fine

[burriana]

oh, DON'T overtake at 80+ ???? .... sorry, I mis-understood the other week

[ICSD]

My brother in law is a Traffic officer and he reckons that this lot will get their stripes before long so watch out. You're safe at the moment though.

[anonymous-user]

its only a matter of time before they get lasers/vascars. why let such a good con go to waste?

[968csreading]

I reckon they do a good job though, helping control the traffic at accidents and breakdowns etc.

You always slow down when you see them at a distance and then floor it when you realise who they are

[barry_j]

I think they do a good job and whilst they're not out to get you, there is a lot of respect for them. If they get laser guns they will loose the public's goodwill.

[Andrew D]

I'm getting a bit peeved with them sitting in the police observation platforms, three to a Discovery3, £30k p.a. each, pretending to be plod!
The only time I see them do anything else is when they park in the hard shoulder, beacons ablaze, engine running and held on the footbrake, to "help out" some Kevin who's home-made Nova Turbo has gone bang! And all that achieves is creating a rubber-necking induced tailback because people, again, think it's plod! AAARRRRRGGHH!!!

(You can probably see that I've thought about this a lot... mostly in the aforementioned tailbacks).

[The Londoner]

Never mind Kevin. This lot get my vote unless they get their stripes as stated above because if I am sitting on the hard shoulder trying to change a flat tyre, I'm happy to have someone sitting 50 yds behind me with some cones out and the strobes on so I have slightly less chance of being hit by a dozy twonk driving a eastern european registered truck who's done more than his alloted hours behind the wheel.

[anonymous-user]

The Londoner said:

...I have slightly less chance of being hit by a dozy twonk driving a eastern european registered truck who's done more than his alloted hours behind the wheel.

in the big scheme of things im not convinced aleviating this or similar miniscule risks is really worth 1500 blokes on 30k a year and 500 40k discoveries. im guessing at the very least £100m a year - or at least £100 extra to spend on advanced driving lessons for every 17 year old. hmmm

[supersport]

I don't have the figures to hand, but a high % of road accidents are down to cars on the hard shoulder or laybys being hit by cars/trucks not seing them and hitting them.

The hard shoulder is a bloody dangerous place to be.

Don't know what these guys remit is, but anything that puts a presence on the road can not be a bad thing, given the hideous driving you see out and about. Has got to be much better than just sticking a camera up every 30 yards IMO.

[tr7v8]

A few years ago statistically 3% of fatals overall were on motorways but 10% of these were people stationary on the hard shoulder.

[Andrew D]

supersport said:

Don't know what these guys remit is, but anything that puts a presence on the road can not be a bad thing

Well that has to be weighed up against the increase in shunts and pile-ups due to either drivers braking excessively having mistaken the Traffic Disco-Jockeys for plod, or rubbernecking at the now-more-obvious incidents on the hard shoulder.

Moreover, I agree that incidents of HGVs striking vehicles/pedestrians in the hard shoulder is a serious problem. However, I doubt that the proportion of such strikes that would be averted by such a marginal increase in visibility of the hazard is statistically significant. Most such accidents are due to the driver falling asleep, in which case you could be holding a strobe-lit rave across the whole carriageway, and the driver still wouldn't notice.

On another note, if Off-Roaders are such an environmental and safety enemy, as the government, the mass media and the car-haters are currently so fond of asserting, why are the HA Traffic boys kitted out exclusively with them?

[anonymous-user]

tr7v8 said:

A few years ago statistically 3% of fatals overall were on motorways but 10% of these were people stationary on the hard shoulder.

so 9 people. ish

not a very effective use of £100m+ a year i dont think.

[t5grf]

Lots of info here : www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=256191&f=10&h=0

[supersport]

I imagine this link will tell you everything you need to know:

www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/601.aspx

in particular this one about there roles and responsibilites, the blue boxes show their responsibilities.

www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/5580.htm

So I guess the answer to the original questionis NO!

Edited by supersport on Wednesday 7th June 14:40

[agent006]

francisb said:

1500 blokes on 30k a year

More like 16k

[minghis]

agent006 said:

francisb said:

1500 blokes on 30k a year

More like 16k

Is it? Surely it can't be this low - do people really work full time for this?

Edited to add -

You're right, just found this:

www.betterhighways.co.uk/pdf/HATO.pdf

which gives the starting salary of £16,500. I can't believe it!

Edited by minghis on Wednesday 7th June 17:19

[lemon yella rs]

I think these guys (girls) do a great job and so long as the remit stays the same i'm all for them.