Policing on the Souths Roads

[Paul.B]

I thought best not posted in the other thread running as this will go O/T!

I just wandered what others thoughts were re the policing of the great roads we have in Hampshire? I did not see any but I understand there were several Mobile Vans about on Saturday. I did see a couple of overt Police Bikes though.

I get so cheessed off when you hear about scamera vans along these sections of the south's roads. Last Saturday being a fine example. What we need is a clamp down on dangerous driving. That is what kills people! Why do they, press/media/campaigners, only focus on one simple factor? (Cheap to enforce and headline grabbing?) To combat dangerous driving you need active Police units seeing and stopping the reckless. You can't do that parked in a lay-by!
Two deaths in one day is going to make it harder to fight off mandatory blanket 40 limits and continuous double whites because that is what they will install along the entire length of these roads.
If it means we keep the NSL limits and overtake sections I for one support both overt and covert mobile policing but not tax collecting from a lay-by.


Discuss!!!

[Reardy Mister]

Paul.B said:

Discuss!!!

Again?

[y2blade]

I can't see the problem myself tbh

[nick1275]

the general standard of driving in this country is poor, im not saying my driving is perfect but doing 18k a year or so on all sorts of roads i get to see some interesting sights. mostly its poor lane choice, not indicating and just a general lack of awareness of there surroundings

[danyeates]

nick1275 said:

the general standard of driving in this country is poor, im not saying my driving is perfect but doing 18k a year or so on all sorts of roads i get to see some interesting sights. mostly its poor lane choice, not indicating and just a general lack of awareness of there surroundings

Agree with that. It still amazes me the amount of people that overtake me when I putt over to let a blue light vehicle come past! I seriously can't believe that firstly, they didn't see the police car/ambulance etc in the first place, and secondly can't believe they would just overtake when I pull to the side without checking their mirrors! What if there was a motorbike there?!?

[Reardy Mister]

nick1275 said:

the general standard of driving in this country is poor,

Where else have you driven, other than the UK?

[nick1275]

Reardy Mister said:

nick1275 said:

the general standard of driving in this country is poor,

Where else have you driven, other than the UK?

only driven in america but have been to germany and france and racked up some miles with other people driving. america was a pleasure to drive in, and on the continent in the towns it wasnt much better but on the motorways and autobahns it seemed miles better. dont germany have a much stricter driving test than ours? and im sure one if not more of the scandanavian countries have a phased driving test?

[K77 CTR]

danyeates said:

Agree with that. It still amazes me the amount of people that overtake me when I putt over to let a blue light vehicle come past! I seriously can't believe that firstly, they didn't see the police car/ambulance etc in the first place, and secondly can't believe they would just overtake when I pull to the side without checking their mirrors! What if there was a motorbike there?!?

Believe me it happens all the time, very frustrating for us emergency service drivers!!

[M5 Mark]

I think MOST people hate scamera vans. If you ask me NOTHING is better than a copper using his own judgement to pull someone over. I have NO problem being stopped by the law at all, they are for the most part decent enough people and make good calls. They can decide if someone is dangerous, speeding, unsafe etc etc and there is NO room to get out of a fine by giving false details.

Replace scamera vans with real coppers if you ask me!

[Burgmeister]

Reardy Mister said:

nick1275 said:

the general standard of driving in this country is poor,

Where else have you driven, other than the UK?

AGREED.

And to qualify;
Scotland
France
Spain
Germany
Poland
Czech Rep
Russia
Kazakhstan
Mongolia
Belgium
Morocco

ETA
Ukraine

[P101]

Burgmeister said:

AGREED.

And to qualify;
Scotland
France
Spain
Germany
Poland
Czech Rep
Russia
Kazakhstan
Mongolia
Belgium
Morocco

ETA
Ukraine

I think I would have put it in a slightly different way. I think the standard of driving in the Uk has without doubt got a lot worse. Perhaps this is due to more cars on the roads, or poor driver education. I renewed my insurance for a 2 litre Suzuki grand vitara yesterday, it has gone up by £150 per year, apparently due to an increase in claims. It now costs more to insure our Suzuki than it does to insure our Lamborghini, how does that work!

[.Mark]

P101 said:

I think I would have put it in a slightly different way. I think the standard of driving in the Uk has without doubt got a lot worse.

Can even be more accurate than that Peter, South East England is shocking. Get north of Birmingham and it all seems much better.

As for insurance, a few years ago when my daughter turned 17 I enquired about her being added as a learner on our old XR2i - quote? £9000, just for a laugh I then asked about the cost of adding her to the Chimaera. £3000. Bizarre.

[J5]

The most annoying thing is that when you're in a marked police vehicle people around you drive like saints. So they do know how to drive well, they just choose not to.

[.Mark]

J5 said:

The most annoying thing is that when you're in a marked police vehicle people around you drive like saints. So they do know how to drive well, they just choose not to.

I'm sure they believe the Police think they drive everywhere at 69mph. I must admit it's frustrating, I'm pretty sure a copper wouldn't blink an eye if you crept past t 75mph?

I did have a very interesting conversation with a traffic cop about motorway speeds a few years back. He attended when our Chimaera was rear-ended and remembered me a good few years later when an old guy decided waiting to exit a side road was just too much trouble, pulled out, tagged me so hard it spun the car 45 degrees (company car this time) and carried on to his doctors appointment. The half hour or so we chatted completely reinforced my view that these are good guys, just trying to stop utter carnage by all and sundry.

[Neil.D]

[quote=.Mark]

I'm pretty sure a copper wouldn't blink an eye if you crept past t 75mph?

If the police car is doing bang on 70mph, at the front of the pack if you like, someone trying to overtake could be deemed at taking the piss. I wouldn't be surprised if that policecar moved to lane 3 as he saw you approach from behind - so don't take it personally.

[Gwagon111]

It's exactly this horse st that has caused me to decide to sell the GB270, in favour of a metallic brown Honda Accord. I'm not sure it even goes over 70 mph. I'm sick and tired of having to constantly watch out for some inbred waste of oxygen, in a stty van, with a stty speed camera, trying to raise money for the gubermint coffers. All the decent roads are being slowed down with a combination of Nazi wagons, and policing akin to something from a totalitarian European regime of the 1940s. There's no point in having a capable car if you're forced to pootle along at a speed a Prius could manage. I'm saving myself the high tax, fuel, and insurance costs. I never thought I'd see the day I'd give up, but tomorrow that day will have arrived. Screw camera vans, unnecessary 40 limits, and the mumsnet cock suckers in this miserable st hole of a country.

[.Mark]

Gwagon111 said:

It's exactly this horse st that has caused me to decide to sell the GB270, in favour of a metallic brown Honda Accord. I'm not sure it even goes over 70 mph. I'm sick and tired of having to constantly watch out for some inbred waste of oxygen, in a stty van, with a stty speed camera, trying to raise money for the gubermint coffers. All the decent roads are being slowed down with a combination of Nazi wagons, and policing akin to something from a totalitarian European regime of the 1940s. There's no point in having a capable car if you're forced to pootle along at a speed a Prius could manage. I'm saving myself the high tax, fuel, and insurance costs. I never thought I'd see the day I'd give up, but tomorrow that day will have arrived. Screw camera vans, unnecessary 40 limits, and the mumsnet cock suckers in this miserable st hole of a country.

Gosh.

[.Mark]

Neil.D said:

If the police car is doing bang on 70mph, at the front of the pack if you like, someone trying to overtake could be deemed at taking the piss. I wouldn't be surprised if that policecar moved to lane 3 as he saw you approach from behind - so don't take it personally.

Not often we see a patrol car in anything other than the nearside doing probably 55-60 though?

I'm not for a minute suggesting people should go steaming by regardless, just show a bit of common sense.

[P101]

.Mark said:

Neil.D said:

If the police car is doing bang on 70mph, at the front of the pack if you like, someone trying to overtake could be deemed at taking the piss. I wouldn't be surprised if that policecar moved to lane 3 as he saw you approach from behind - so don't take it personally.

Not often we see a patrol car in anything other than the nearside doing probably 55-60 though?

I'm not for a minute suggesting people should go steaming by regardless, just show a bit of common sense.

I did have one dodgy copper stop me because I wasn't going fast enough once.

[Neil.D]

My goodness, that was rather raucous. I may need a lie down after that...
I believe it was Signund Freud that advocated masturbation as a legitimate stress reliever.
Perhaps not taking up this pass time in the public domain may have overted this 'sour grapes' attitude you seem to have developed.

If you are after future car buying advice then please feel free to contact me, I don't believe the GB270 reached 70mph either however the STI did well in excess of this. As for the Accord...well...I understand the seats are very comfortable.

Best wishes.

Oh, and should you wish to compare your current findings between modern Great Britain and 1940's Poland then im sure my elderly friend Hayim Cohen would be more than happy to examine the differences.