So much for the legal system!

[mark.h]

Came back from the witness statement feeling rather short changed yesterday...

what would you expect to recieve if you caused a head on accident after driving through a red light at a junction you had been through a hundred times as you live 100m away (so not knowing the area is not an excuse)???

3 points and a fine?
6 points and a fine???

based on the charge of driving without due care and attention?...sounds about right?...

no... try no points, no fine and a driver awareness day course at the drivers cost (circa £90)! WTF! im under no illusion that the accident was not serious in the grand scheme of things but had i been in my first car (an old austin mini) i would almost certainatly recieved serious (probably permanent) injuries AT BEST!!! since when did the type of car determine the seriousness of a case of gross negligence! Im also under no illusion that had it been a young lad like myself they would of thrown the book at me. Absolutely sickening! Next time this happens ill do what i was sorely tempted to do and ill just drag the other person out of their car and knock 10 shades of ste out of them as the police blatently dont want to dish out appropriate punishments! No doubt her insurance will go up to a crazy £200.00 a year too while i pay 5 times that!

[delboy735]

She obviously wasn't speeding then? Thats the only offence the police seem to be able to make stick!!

Eldest lad got done for speeding...hidden video scamera at bottom of a hill, 4points, £210 fine.Perhaps he should have crashed into some-one, he might not have got any points!

[Martin_Hx]

Pretty shocking that Mark well utter bks tbh

[C2look]

I knew they'd introduced the speeding awareness thingy, so you pays your £60 to go on it and don't receive any points - great, especially if you've innocently tripped a scamera barely above the limit.

But FFS, why oh why has this happened here? This country is run by f'kin morons!

[tvrbob]

Well I hate to be the devils advocate but training does make sense. A fine and point isn't going to make the driver less likely to do this again. It'll just put money in the government coffers and insurers pockets. Driver awareness training on the other hand covers things like improved observation, plenty of gory images to make people see what can happen, braking technique, things like that. That must be a better way of making sure someone else doesn't end up being hurt by this person in the future.

[C2look]

tvrbob said:

Well I hate to be the devils advocate but training does make sense. A fine and point isn't going to make the driver less likely to do this again. It'll just put money in the government coffers and insurers pockets. Driver awareness training on the other hand covers things like improved observation, plenty of gory images to make people see what can happen, braking technique, things like that. That must be a better way of making sure someone else doesn't end up being hurt by this person in the future.

Agreed, but surely in this case both re-education and the fine/points should go hand in hand?

[wildoliver]

I assume your pursuing the case civilly? Now they have been found guilty it should be pretty straight forwards? Do I hear mental trauma? Unable to get back behind the wheel?

[AL600-or-so]

tvrbob said:

Well I hate to be the devils advocate but training does make sense. A fine and point isn't going to make the driver less likely to do this again. It'll just put money in the government coffers and insurers pockets. Driver awareness training on the other hand covers things like improved observation, plenty of gory images to make people see what can happen, braking technique, things like that. That must be a better way of making sure someone else doesn't end up being hurt by this person in the future.

Her driving ability while slightly soused probably won't be affected though.

[MitchT]

For future reference, here are all of the motoring offences which carry a punishment:

1: Speeding
2: Driving an interesting car
3: Being young

NB. In the interests of equality women and all pensioners are exempt from these conditions.

HTH

[tvrbob]

4. has a PH sticker on the car

[Bsmithmilne]

What a joke mate, Im surpised that she got the trainig course and not a dont do it again talk

[grahamw48]

Only a ban will concentrate these dozy bugger's minds...say 2 months minimum.

Riding the bus after a half hour wait will do em good.

[Jonty355]

True, but isn't it funny how by going about 100mph on a road where there is no one, and you're the only person in the will get you a ban, but driving head on into someone is deamed a better thing to do.

So in future chaps, if you want that motoring buzz.... forget speed and acceleration, try weed and deceleration (via a Skoda)

[mark.h]

Jonty355 said:

True, but isn't it funny how by going about 100mph on a road where there is no one, and you're the only person in the will get you a ban, but driving head on into someone is deamed a better thing to do.

So in future chaps, if you want that motoring buzz.... forget speed and acceleration, try weed and deceleration (via a Skoda)

for everyones information, I dont smoke weed, nor was i smoking it at the time of the crash, Jonty is making an innocent general comment and didnt realise the comment read like i was at the time stoned.

Edited by mark.h on Friday 13th June 14:55

[C2look]

mark.h said:

Jonty355 said:

True, but isn't it funny how by going about 100mph on a road where there is no one, and you're the only person in the will get you a ban, but driving head on into someone is deamed a better thing to do.

So in future chaps, if you want that motoring buzz.... forget speed and acceleration, try weed and deceleration (via a Skoda)

for everyones information, I dont smoke weed, nor was i smoking it at the time of the crash, Jonty is making an innocent general comment and didnt realise the comment read like i was at the time stoned.

[Jonty355]

Er, not quite sure how in any way that could be taken as to imply you smoke weed?

Maybe the other party yeah for the fact they obviously weren't with it. I suppose I should say that I was also not implying that you have ever driven at or above 100mph though.

[Deva Link]

mark.h said:

the police blatently dont want to dish out appropriate punishments!

You mean the magistrates?

[StuB]

That's very unsatisfactory IMHO Mark.

tvrbob said:

Well I hate to be the devils advocate but training does make sense. A fine and point isn't going to make the driver less likely to do this again. It'll just put money in the government coffers and insurers pockets. Driver awareness training on the other hand covers things like improved observation, plenty of gory images to make people see what can happen, braking technique, things like that. That must be a better way of making sure someone else doesn't end up being hurt by this person in the future.

I think 'training' is something that only adds value to someone who identifies a deficit in skill/method/process/awareness etc. in themselves and consciously wishes to improve their proficiency.

Sending someone on a course as a way of avoiding points/fine seems to be a politically acceptable way of not banning people for totting 12 points but still creaming some money off into the public purse with an acceptable strapline of '£xxM pounds worth of driver training provided' blah blah blah.

If someone wants driver training, they'll get off their arse and find it, like most of us do/have/will.

I bet if we return to the location of the incident, you'd see the perp doing the same thing next week, with a clean license and a clean conscience.

[big_jof]

tvrbob said:

Well I hate to be the devils advocate but training does make sense. A fine and point isn't going to make the driver less likely to do this again. It'll just put money in the government coffers and insurers pockets. Driver awareness training on the other hand covers things like improved observation, plenty of gory images to make people see what can happen, braking technique, things like that. That must be a better way of making sure someone else doesn't end up being hurt by this person in the future.

Easiest way to stop them hurting someone else is to fine the ste out of them remove their license or bolt gun them - driver awareness my arse - if they're crap at driving a day out with tea and biscuits been berated by an ex traffic copper is gonna do fu#k all. Make them pay for 5 years with increased premiums a big fine and tw#t tattoo on their foreheads! Rant over!

[tvrbob]

big_jof said:

tvrbob said:

Well I hate to be the devils advocate but training does make sense. A fine and point isn't going to make the driver less likely to do this again. It'll just put money in the government coffers and insurers pockets. Driver awareness training on the other hand covers things like improved observation, plenty of gory images to make people see what can happen, braking technique, things like that. That must be a better way of making sure someone else doesn't end up being hurt by this person in the future.

Easiest way to stop them hurting someone else is to fine the ste out of them remove their license or bolt gun them - driver awareness my arse - if they're crap at driving a day out with tea and biscuits been berated by an ex traffic copper is gonna do fu#k all. Make them pay for 5 years with increased premiums a big fine and tw#t tattoo on their foreheads! Rant over!

Well you have a very pleasant way of expressing yourself.

What I don't understand is why people think that making someone pay money to the magistrates' court and giving them an insignificant number of points on their licence is going to prevent this person from doing it again. Paying money & getting points on a licence does not address the deficiency that caused this accident. If you truly believe this then you must also believe that speed cameras are a good thing, there's very little difference in the way the safety cameras serve out penalty and what is advocated above.