Lad killed by US wrong side driver, who's done a bunk...

[henrycrun]

Boris needs to involve all (5?) US Bases.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...

Perhaps persuade staff to leave their LHD vehicles in the USA.

[saaby93]

henrycrun said:

Boris needs to involve all (5?) US Bases.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...

Perhaps persuade staff to leave their LHD vehicles in the USA.

Is it LHD vehicles that are the problem or the double change of RHD cars and change of side of road that's confusing.
If they kept with with LHDs they'd realise in the UK they need to sit near the pavement.

[Dr Jekyll]

The Mad Monk said:

Why "Please" drive on the left.

It's compulsory, ……………………………...

No it isn't. Broken white line not solid.

[BaldOldMan]

It only applies to the yanks though right ?

We’d still be allowed to drive our RHD cars in Europe ?

[Halmyre]

saaby93 said:

henrycrun said:

Boris needs to involve all (5?) US Bases.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptons...

Perhaps persuade staff to leave their LHD vehicles in the USA.

Is it LHD vehicles that are the problem or the double change of RHD cars and change of side of road that's confusing.
If they kept with with LHDs they'd realise in the UK they need to sit near the pavement.

Plenty of foreign tourists seem to navigate round the UK in their LHD cars without any problems, and, I would assume, large numbers in RHD hire cars. Similarly, UK tourists don't seem to be causing carnage abroad. So it's not the car that's the problem, it's the squishy organic substance behind the wheel.

[poo at Paul's]

WilliamWoollard said:

There are now painted arrows on the road and signs advising "drive on the left" outside the base entrance.

Interestingly, whislt those are new, there was an arrow showing anyone overtaking on the right (broken line) should move back to the left just before the brow of the hill that she seemed to ignore and drove over the top of on the right just before the impact. So I am not convinced these newly painted lines would have helped the hapless perpetrator in this case. In fact, I think she may have ignored two of them about 40m apart, you can see them on Google earth.

[Frank7]

Halmyre said:

Plenty of foreign tourists seem to navigate round the UK in their LHD cars without any problems, and, I would assume, large numbers in RHD hire cars. Similarly, UK tourists don't seem to be causing carnage abroad. So it's not the car that's the problem, it's the squishy organic substance behind the wheel.

My elder son, a thirty plus years resident of Germany, and now a German citizen thinks like you.
He’ll be over next week, driving his LHD Peugeot 3008, slagging off British drivers and their lack of awareness on M-Ways, or of what’s going on behind or ahead of them, their seeming inability to opt for the correct lane in any given circumstance.
His usual final shot is, “They make the Belgians look like Advanced Motorists!”

[Ayahuasca]

The US has refused the extradition request.

[ferrisbueller]

She did have DI after all, apparently.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Ayahuasca said:

The US has refused the extradition request.

No surprise, the US never extradites one of their own.

[Gweeds]

Exactly what you'd expect from Trump and Pompeo.

The lawyer has said they'll just wait for the next US administration, to try again. But the US have a history of not extraditing, whilst we seem to hand people over pretty readily.

[Coolbanana]

Gweeds said:

Exactly what you'd expect from Trump and Pompeo.

The lawyer has said they'll just wait for the next US administration, to try again. But the US have a history of not extraditing, whilst we seem to hand people over pretty readily.

I can't help but feel their lawyer is just prolonging their grieving process by insisting that there is hope. He is doing his job, sure, but his bullish attitude towards being convinced he will win comes across as someone trying to increase his personal value more than anything else.

Why would the next Administration churn up local waters if it risks alienating some of its voters? It will be easy for it to simply inform that the matter is closed, dealt with by the previous Administration.

For the lawyer to have any real effect, he has to get a significant number of Americans vocally accepting that Sacoolas must return to the UK. Without that there is just zero incentive and the US will not want to appear weak - they are adamant DI existed at the time of the offence and so it is up to the UK to prove it wasn't - do you see anyone in the UK Government actively doing this?

[anonymous-user]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

She will be tried in absence, found guilty and given a suspended sentence and that will be the end of it.

[Gweeds]

Coolbanana said:

I can't help but feel their lawyer is just prolonging their grieving process by insisting that there is hope. He is doing his job, sure, but his bullish attitude towards being convinced he will win comes across as someone trying to increase his personal value more than anything else.

Why would the next Administration churn up local waters if it risks alienating some of its voters? It will be easy for it to simply inform that the matter is closed, dealt with by the previous Administration.

For the lawyer to have any real effect, he has to get a significant number of Americans vocally accepting that Sacoolas must return to the UK. Without that there is just zero incentive and the US will not want to appear weak - they are adamant DI existed at the time of the offence and so it is up to the UK to prove it wasn't - do you see anyone in the UK Government actively doing this?

I'd agree - hard to see hoping for a different outcome from the next lot as anything other than a fool's errand. The US has never been keen on extraditing their citizens and it's long been the case that the treaty is very much a one-way door.

I hope the family can grieve, but I can't see this going their way any time soon.

[nonsequitur]

On the radio this morning: Family are taking high court action to determine whether the lady had diplomatic immunity at the time. I presume there must be some sort of administrative process to register such a status.

[Not-The-Messiah]

I do think we should be looking at who we are allowing to have diplomatic immunity.
There needs to be an agreement with the US if they want to keep their base in the UK then if it's service staff are involved in incidents like this they can't just run away.

Ultimately this incident say a hell of a lot about the US and how much they can or can't be trusted, and don't say its Trump they have aways been like this. It's sad and stupid really our relationship between our nation's is damage OK not in any meaningful way but it does make you think fk them. All over a coward of a woman who refused to accept the responsibility for her actions. And a stupid government who stood up for her.
It's would have been over and done with if she just had stayed and faced the music the chances are it would have been a suspended sentence any way.

[Mrr T]

The Mad Monk said:

Why "Please" drive on the left.

It's compulsory, there is no 'please' about it. Is there?

Not every where. I used to frequently walk past a road where its compulsory to drive on the right.

[HarryW]

The ironic thing is the feedback I’ve seen from Americans shows the US public support the extradition of her to face the music in this case.

[The Surveyor]

She will be swapped for Julian Assange, a deal will be done.

[Alucidnation]

nonsequitur said:

On the radio this morning: Family are taking high court action to determine whether the lady had diplomatic immunity at the time. I presume there must be some sort of administrative process to register such a status.

If it proves that she didn't, then what?

Anyway, just heard the US in the past have always honoured UK requests, and yet the UK hasn't in the past.

Edited by Alucidnation on Friday 24th January 15:18