For those that followed the 159mph incident...
Discussion
v15ben said:
Then again, I'm not sure to what extent that's paranoia about being pulled (where conditions might not allow) but in any event, given the anal probings of the commies at hand, that's probably no bad thing.
E.Borgnine.
I quite agree though I have been in a car at 170 on a UK motorway late at night and we were never pulled. I have also watched an SL65 steam past at around 120 during the rush hour and a Diablo seemingly much faster late in the evening on the M62. These guys were not stopped whereas I have heard of people gettting tickets for 79 on certain motorways and scared to drive any faster. I usually drive at 90ish on the motorway when conditions allow yet I always feel the need to look around me for cameras, unmarked vans and cars, heck I even slow down as I pass any Volvo estate car or 5 series until I am 100% sure that it isn't a police unmarked car. Paranoid - damn right we are!!
How do you know they haven't been stopped or lost their licences if they do that habitually ?
TripleS said:
Perhaps I'm mistaken but I would have thought the driving involved there was not something that could be evaluated by any normal driving instructor, as it is too specialised and quite outside their scope.
And further to Von's point, this was exactly what Hallett established at Appeal -- that they court was not allowed in Law to take into account the driver's superior skill level, just the manner of his driving as judged by a careful and competent driver.
v15ben said:
...I always feel the need to look around me for cameras, unmarked vans and cars, heck I even slow down as I pass any Volvo estate car or 5 series until I am 100% sure that it isn't a police unmarked car. Paranoid - damn right we are!!
Sums up my approach very nicely indeed; don't forget to add to that list, bridges and flyovers of any type, bends which may conceal a crouching plodster and as you go under an exit/entry junction, the manic mirror check on the sliproad for more bloody sneaky pandae.
The other classic is the HGV cover technique, like a lion stalking carribou, hidden by a clump of swaying, long grass, precisely what you pay the damned licence fee for.
vonhosen said:
How do you know they haven't been stopped or lost their licences if they do that habitually ?
I don't know specifically but the cars I saw were on motorways where I also saw police vehicles in operation and none of them were pulled over. The guy who I was sat next to at 170 has a fully clean licence.
Does someone pay you to be devil's advocate on every thread round here?
derestrictor said:
Funnily enough, I reckon 159 in a Vectra probably is pushing it.
They do - the Police spec ones do. Oh yes.
Standard Omega MV6 151mph - Plod spec - mine goes off the calibrated clock at 155 Road Angel Reports 157 on petrol run out of steam - never had it flat out on lpg - pulls better at top end though.
This saga has gone on long enough. Were it not for the Taliban in North Wales, this would have gone away long ago.
The officer "tested" the car between the hours of 0100 and 0200 if my memory serves me well, and like many others have said, I'd rather see a traffic officer aware of the full capabilities and also the faults of such a vehicle for that slim chance that they may need to use it in anger at some time.
In my mind, prosecuting this officer for familiarising himself with the capabilites of his new car, is like prosecuting a firearms officer for carrying a handgun whilst on duty. Bloody stupid.
On an aside.. how long ago were the ACPO calling for the national speed limit to be raised to 85? Probably just before they realised how much money could be made from grey tin boxes on the side of the road, and sneaky vans parked with their rear doors open......
For those that want to read the report from the appeal court-
www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2006/242.html&query="dangerous+driving"&method=all
I haven't gone all the way through it for a while, but from memory a large portion of the appeal centred around whether or not PC Milton was actually on Police business at the time of the offence.
www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2006/242.html&query="dangerous+driving"&method=all
I haven't gone all the way through it for a while, but from memory a large portion of the appeal centred around whether or not PC Milton was actually on Police business at the time of the offence.
thunderbelmont said:
In my mind, prosecuting this officer for familiarising himself with the capabilites of his new car, is like prosecuting a firearms officer for carrying a handgun whilst on duty. Bloody stupid.
Zod said:
bad analogy: carrying the firearm is analogous to driving the car at normal speeds; using the firearm is analogous to driving at 159 mph. (not that I believe for a moment a la Mary Williams that driving fast is like firing a gun at a crowd)
Actually for Mary driving fast is firing a belt-fed machine gun into a crowd while high on acid and blaming the little fairies...
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