Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: Paul on May 20, 2005, 20:19:38
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A police constable who reached 159mph on a motorway has
been cleared of speeding and dangerous driving.
It's been in the news for the last couple of days,
If you have missed it then it's here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4559173.stm
I always belived that driving over 100mph was an instant ban. :?
Please don't get me wrong here I have every respect for the
police and the job they do, I'm very interested in your views
about this case.
Wonder if we could get away with it if we said we were
familiarising ourself with the new car. :-k
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there a law unto there own! :twisted:
wonder if they will see it that way if there was an accident! a normal person would be banned and have to retest.
wonder what the braking distance would be?
and were the tyres rated at the speed they were doing, most manufacturers dont fit tyres to the top speed of the vehicle, they go for mid range with economy, or it would cost them far too much!
hmmm...a blow out at that speed :shock: :shock:
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They would do me if i was doing 80 not a loan 159 :evil: . Mined you that would be good getting court in tyson doing 159 :D :D 8)
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they shouldnt have banned him providing he was genuinly carrying out an evaluation of the vehicle and he was conducting it at a safer time of the day but would you want to work in a place where your own colleagues dob you in?
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Well car law sucks anyway, That teacher who fired a air pistol at the ground, near some yobs, who have been terroising her, she gets 6 months i believe.
Knock down somebody on a zebra crossing, and you would be lucky to get any penalty points.
:evil:
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providing he was genuinly carrying out an evaluation of the vehicle and he was conducting it at a safer time of the day
not being funny (dont take it funny and i see your point) but isn't there test centers for that, like the motor industry reasearch assosiation ( mira ). i do some work there and they have test tracks for this purpose.
he was probabily late for mcdonalds opening :lol:
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The stopping distance was a quarter of a mile, according to the news. Police driver or no police driver, I can't see how that can be safe. Michael Schumacher could come a cropper in those circumstances.
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Well car law sucks anyway, That teacher who fired a air pistol at the ground, near some yobs, who have been terroising her, she gets 6 months i believe.
As I understood it, she fired near some youths who were not necessarily the yobs that had been terrorising her, which is a little different.
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From the information in the story, which for the purposes of this I am assuming to be complete (OK, OK)....
It was the early hours of the morning.... he is an experienced and trained officer.... we spent a lot of money making him that way.
To dismiss him or take him off active duty would seem to be counter-productive in the grand scheme of things.
He should probably have been given a good shouting at, unless he was actually acting with the knowledge of his department, of course ;-)
What upsets me more is that money has been wasted bringing this to an overcrowded court system, where an internal procedure would probably have been more appropriate.
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whilst I am not going to shed an opinion one way or the other, there are perhaps a couple of points that were outlined in the article, and a couple of points that weren't really addressed.
a) he is a highly qualified and instructed driver who specialises in high speed persuits, this would (theoretically at least) mean he is better able to handle the stated speeds.
b) "early hours" this doesn't really address the traffic density, likelyhood of pedestrians etc etc. Without knowing the layout of the road or whether anybody else was on it at the time means we should reserve judgement.
c) 159mph is jolly quick, but there are roads which can support those sorts of speeds in this country, provided of course there are no people to hit.
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b) "early hours" this doesn't really address the traffic density, likelyhood of pedestrians etc etc. Without knowing the layout of the road or whether anybody else was on it at the time means we should reserve judgement.
According to the article, it was a deserted motorway near Telford... so there shouldn't be any pedestrians. The in-car video they used to prosecute him would have shown up any dangerous incidents IMHO and no mention was made of anything.
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providing he was genuinly carrying out an evaluation of the vehicle and he was conducting it at a safer time of the day
not being funny and i see your point but isn't there test centers for that, like the motor industry reasearch assosiation ( mira ). i do some work there and they have test tracks for this purpose.
Excatly what i was thinking, shouldve done this sort of test on a proper Test Track not on Telfords Dual Carrigeways. Personnely i say ban the idiot, copper or no copper. It just gives the wrong impression to the public when this sort of thing is dismissed in court. He might be a very good high speed driver but the normal public are not and someone could have panicked whilst he was driveing at such speeds thus causeing an accident, luckily it did not happen. He should have been disaplined at least. :evil:
I feel strongly about this because an old school freind was killed by a traffic cop years ago through speeding, no action was taken against him :twisted:
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Your right Tim what a wast of money, bring back hanging that speed is unacceptable at anytime of the day and on any public road. Thats why we pay lots of money for helcopters for them so they can give chase safely.
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well, the article was somewhat lacking in details.
What the judge did make reference to in his summary was teh lack of a suitable evaluation, training, testing or indeed anything procedures for the constabulary in question. It's not beyond the bounds of possiblity that to take the vehicle to a test track would have been forced to be out of his own pocket (and potentially not cheap at that) ergo he did what I'm sure a lot of people have been tempted to do and find a deserted track of motorway at a time when everyone else is asleep.
I've done it myself, although, oddly I was in the series2 and ergo only hit 70ish according to the GPS :)
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One question, with regards the law which no one is above regardless of job, what is the speed limit on a British motorway :?:
Makes no odds time or place, he was driving far to fast, no excuses.
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hey, I wasn't passing judgement, infact I was trying rather hard not to :)
Although, I seem to recall that nobody is allowed to speed, or run a red light, with the fine exception of a postman delivering a message of war... or is that running red lights ?
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One question, with regards the law which no one is above regardless of job, what is the speed limit on a British motorway :?: .
Um... the emergency services are exempt from many of the UK laws as I understand it.. the exact circumstances vary of course. If you start to take the zero tolerance approach to speeding, then you'd better report us all... have you never gone above 70mph on a motorway ?
You have to make the assumption that driving fast is instrinsically dangerous, which as someone who has spent many years driving at 100mph+ in Europe I don't believe it is.
I think he was, shall we say, lacking in judgement for doing what he did... but on the other side of the coin, you fire him and you loose another expensive and experienced police officer who then needs to be replaced.
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providing he was genuinly carrying out an evaluation of the vehicle and he was conducting it at a safer time of the day
not being funny (dont take it funny and i see your point) but isn't there test centers for that, like the motor industry reasearch assosiation ( mira ). i do some work there and they have test tracks for this purpose.
he was probabily late for mcdonalds opening :lol:
a test track is not the roads where he drives though or the area he,s in when he will be driving that car.
I have a friend in the fire brigade who instructs drivers in fire appliances and they go out on runs late to get used to handling the fire trucks on the roads in their area, not quite the same speed i know but the principle is the same.
if the police are to do their job and use the vehicles they are given then they must be allowed to test them out etc so they are safe when carrying out a pursuit, However none of the papers have made any details of whether the officer logged himself out on a call or a run etc and i would agree if he was not on official buisiness then he should have the book thrown at him
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:shock: What the judge did make reference to in his summary was teh lack of a suitable evaluation, training, testing or indeed anything procedures for the constabulary in question.
He was just late for his shift.... :wink:
Seriously though hes lucky to get away with it, without causeing death or injury to himself or others... I mean comeon if something had happened to his car whilst travelling at 150mph do you really think he could have controlled it at that speed good driver or no good driver.
Its one of lifes big misconceptions, we all think that we are in total control of our vehicles whilst travelling at speed.. sorry were just lucky if nothing happens.
:D Rant over...
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testing of any car to that speed should be done at the right place,the only places in this country are either m.i.r.a or silverstone
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ok, I'm going to get killed for saying this but..
Silverstone is a test track, should all criminals happen to drive onto it for a grid start before trying to escape I'm sure that training here would be a great idea. As it stands, he was wrong but there is a question of "how" wrong. The motorways around manchester are utterly deserted at around 3am and you have six lanes of motorway with a visibility of around 2 miles. Not that I have ever driven anything that could speed down them, but it's hardly "life threateningly dangerous" when placed in this context, since the road is twice the width of silverstone and the only life at risk could well have been his own.
That said, I do not entierly approve of his action, just trying to point out that media driven hysteria over something we know sweet diddley about is perhaps not entirely called for.
It does also prove a more important question, which is.. where are we supposed to train high speed persuit drivers ? test tracks aren't real roads, nor are they designed to vaugely resemble them...
Ahh well, I'm going to shut up now
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a couple o years ago, their were a couple of lads who got nicked for driving at 148 and 152 mph on their motorbikes ,both had responsible jobs, which they depended on. and both were sent to prison for two months let out after a month for good behaviour .. :idea: what is the difference between the copper and them :?:
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a couple o years ago, their were a couple of lads who got nicked for driving at 148 and 152 miles an hour on their motorbikes ,both had responsible jobs, which they depended on. and both were sent to prison for two months let out after a month for good behaviour .. :idea: what is the difference between the copper and them :?:
Were they trained in high speed persuit driving and did they hold accreditations from the institute of advanced motorists as testiment to their driving abilities ? at what time of day were they stopped and where? If so, not a lot.
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and both were sent to prison for two months let out after a month for good behaviour .. :idea: what is the difference between the copper and them :?:
It isn't part of their job to chase down the little scrotes that steal cars, rob people and generally hurt others. Don't forget, pursuit drivers literally put their lives on the line to take these people off the streets.... they aren't saints, and they aren't all heros... but they do have a job to do.
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Datalas, good point. It must be difficult for Police drivers to train in high speed driveing.
And to be honest seen as though there was no accident to either him self or others, and if he hadnt of been dobbed in. Wede be none the wiser..
All im saying is, hes either a dam good driver or just lucky he didnt have an accident.
Right im going to leave this now because it drags up bad memorys of my old mate.
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Bah!
/me stomps out. Whatever he was driving can catch me ....
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It does also prove a more important question, which is.. where are we supposed to train high speed persuit drivers ? test tracks aren't real roads, nor are they designed to vaugely resemble them...
if the manufacturers of vehicles use the test tracks to test the cars capability in all areas and redesign them as required, ie brakes, vibration, aerodynamics, noise etc....the test tracks cant be that different from the normal roads or the redisign of the vehicle would be incorrect.
If they were doing a persuite then i suppose they would be engaged officialy with blues and two's, i wonder at what point would would hq tell them to back off for air support?
Ahh well, I'm going to shut up now
me too, i think pauls chose a very hot debate on this one :lol:
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i agree to a certain degree ,but he still broke the law ,and for him to walk free without losing his licence is still wrong (my own oppinion of course) but any kind of speeding is not safe and to abuse the one thing your trying to enforce makes a mockery of it all :wink:
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if the manufacturers of vehicles use the test tracks to test the cars capability in all areas and redesign them as required, ie brakes, vibration, aerodynamics, noise etc....the test tracks cant be that different from the normal roads or the redisign of the vehicle would be incorrect.
They are similar, but in different ways. There is a difference (I would guess) between mechinical forces, and the "experience" of motorway driving.
Strictly speaking a wind tunnel has the same scientific forces, but it's a lot easier to drive down :)
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Strictly speaking a wind tunnel has the same scientific forces, but it's a lot easier to drive down :)
and alot more scenic :lol:
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Strictly speaking a wind tunnel has the same scientific forces, but it's a lot easier to drive down :)
and alot more scenic :lol:
you don't happen to live in london do you? I don't find the inside of windtunnels all that scenic :)
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Strictly speaking a wind tunnel has the same scientific forces, but it's a lot easier to drive down :)
and alot more scenic :lol:
you don't happen to live in london do you? I don't find the inside of windtunnels all that scenic :)
sorry misinterprited ( cant spell) thought you were on about driving on a road, the wind tunnel i know the car doesn't move.
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sorry misinterprited ( cant spell) thought you were on about driving on a road, the wind tunnel i know the car doesn't move.
the question is... if a car drives down a windtunnel and there is nobody in it to witness the driving... is it still cursed by Ben ?
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Speeding cop.
Somebody has got to do it somewhere on a patch near you.
Advanced driving training takes the red mist from the driving experience that would otherwise be an adrenalin rush at the top end of the performance envelope of a performance car. The thrill of the chase. These emotions have to be drilled out from the police driver psyche.
When driven for three reasons I believe the law enforcement agencies we depend on are absolutely entitled to do these activities.
reason 1: To test & evaluate the suitability of a high speed vehicle.
reason 2: To train the police driver to acquire the skill and risk awareness of high speed driving under blue lights.
reason 3: High speed blue light official police business.
Training to concentrate on the driving task seperates the advanced driver from the less able driver whose mind is elsewhere when driving. Police driver training is an essential element of keeping the skills honed and will be inevitably treated with disdain by the public at large. This is the price we pay for law enforcement.
(Lowey was typing with his I.A.M & ROSPA/ROADA observers hat on)
Lowey now putting his slow oily Landie hat back on again.
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He was still breaking the law, no matter how you try and cover it up.
Why not a test track which I think has been mentioned before :?:
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Nobody is trying to cover anything up.... there is no question as to the speed he was travelling... the question is whether what he did warranted him being dismissed. I, and I believe Lowey at least believe that it doesn't.
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OK covering up was probably the wrong way of putting it, lets saying justifying his actions.
At the end of the day he's kept his job, lets hope he never again has to reach those speeds in the name of the law :wink:
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Throw him out of the force, sack the judge.
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People keep mentioning that "he was breaking the law" - so what happens when the towrags they're chasing exceeds the speed limit?
Pull up, radio base and say "sorry, couldn't catch them, they went over the speed limit"?
Or continue to chase them, track them and attempt to stop them?
If it's the latter, then they (the police) better be bloody good drivers!
I did IAM training when I came back to biking a few years ago. I considered myself to be a perfectly capable and quick rider - until I started doing the training :shock:
Travelling quickly and safely on Britain's roads is not necessarily natural - it needs to be trained and continuously practised.
From the quick read I had of the BBC news item, it appeared as though there were (are?) not any clear guidelines for this sort of thing - possibly the fault lies with his superiors?
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If as his defence says he was evaluating the car surely he would not have done this alone, I thought patrol car operators worked in pairs . At that speed he was not driving with due care and attention :shock:
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If as his defence says he was evaluating the car surely he would not have done this alone, I thought patrol car operators worked in pairs . At that speed he was not driving with due care and attention :shock:
You can be pretty certain there was significant attention and unless he was on a death-wish, there would have been a whole load of due care going on too :wink:
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he was just out on a jolly..............
oh we have a new pursuit motor souped up whatever
he was not chasing a joy rider he was ONE
simple as that
if it was me or you we would go to prison like the bike riders
even if you were a racing driver.
there has been drivers in the past caught speeding on britains roads
and banned and heavily fined
so it is one rule for one :twisted: :twisted:
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Good heavens,
The behaviour on this thread is appalling, perhaps we should all join the anti 4x4 brigade too, we could then spout off a load of rubbish because like them we're not in full knowledge of the facts.
Now I know everyone is entitled to their opinion but what does it matter now, no-one was hurt, so why keep moaning about it.
I have no views on the subject one way or the other, I just don't like to see usually highly refined people in a heated discussion.
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Good heavens,
The behaviour on this thread is appalling, perhaps we should all join the anti 4x4 brigade too, we could then spout off a load of rubbish because like them we're not in full knowledge of the facts.
Now I know everyone is entitled to their opinion but what does it matter now, no-one was hurt, so why keep moaning about it.
I have no views on the subject one way or the other, I just don't like to see usually highly refined people in a heated discussion.
I have been watching this thread to and think thats its a good healthy debate and done in the right spirit - let it continue I say, its a good read! I certainly dont think that the behaviour is 'appalling'
I might even stick my 2p worth in later!
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Yeah but, No but, Yeah but, you just like a good arguement. :wink:
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Yeah but, No but, Yeah but, you just like a good arguement. :wink:
I know ! u know me lol :wink:
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Well, having read this thread, the top and bottom of it seems to be; Bloke (who happens to work as a copper) gets a high-speed vehicle to play with; he plays, and RECORDS his jollies!! -[ed: naughty]!!!!
Now he may be highly-trained, able to cope with high speed driving etc etc, but the bloke isn't very bright, lets face it!!
He may be authorised for high-speed pursuit when necessary: BUT this wasn't!!! He messed up, shot himself in the foot and was stoopid enough to leave the completely incriminating evidence behind :(stoopid): For being that dim; he deserves to be sent to sit in the stoopid corner for a goodly time!!
A friend of mine died some years ago when a drunken idiot in mummy's shopping rocket spanged their car up the backside on the M1 at 100 + in the early hours, my mate was fired out of the back window. Speed kills peeps travelling in the same direction too!!
:(bigcry):
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Gosh!
In America, if the chase would endanger the Officers - they call it off. However, in the UK, at 3am - on an empty motorway - how many people in here would actually stick to the speedlimit. And I want honest answers. I know some would, and I know some would not.
I have been "pulled over" by flashing blue lights at speeds well in excess of the speedlimit at 2am and 3am - they simply slow you down and you continue on your journey - I have never been physically stopped - just had the waggling finger.
It would be interesting to know what vehicle they were driving as I was under the impression that by law vehicles (cars) are limited to 155mph (if the engine can exceed it) maximum, and I think around 180mph for bikes. Also, I note with interest that he was actually caught by himslef ... what an odd situation to be in ;-)
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You can see the picture, him looking in the mirror and saying, "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?, you're nicked", slapping cuffs on himself and dragging himself off to the cells. :wink: :shock: :? :lol: :D
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<moderators hat on>
Note, this thread is being watched very closely. A number of people (myself included before anyone accuses me of hypocracy) have expressed some very strong opinions, however for the moment at least this has been reasonably jovial and not accusatory.
Please try to keep it this way :)
</moderators hat>
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I thought police head quaters brought a new law out on traffic control cars or police vech" that they were not to speed anymore on a chase dew to the amount of injurys happen a report they whent into.
If we or not allowed to do speeds up to that, They should not be doing them aswell. But they do get away with alot more then we do. I say ban him and others doing that sort of speed. He probley did not get his brain back from henddon yet, But still lose his lience for 1yr big fine and retake his test again we do if cought but it's hard to catch a 4x4 at those sort of speeds anyway. Anyone at 159mph is a twit to all road users.
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If I was a copper I would be looking to the Police Federation for advice about the Health & Safety at Work Act and see if driving a cop car at high speed is contrary to health & safety to the driver in the course of his job.
Not to mention the general public put at risk as a consequence of the behaviour.
Just thought I would throw that one in to keep it on the boil.
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Apologies if I replicate anyones words, but I 'haven't read all 4 pages
Surely if he's been trained, examined, continually assessed, (& thus) authorised to drive at this level of speed & competance, he needs to keep 'up to speed' (no pun intended)
It has been suggested in the press (by journalists & readers) that a track be used.
Utter Tosh!!, how can a track replicate the varience of conditions that occur on a road?
It seems that the main problem was the lack of management control over the assessment & the actual videoing. Was the video for evaluation/training purposes?
I've been passed on numerous occasions up in North Yorkshire by unmarked cars (Omegas, Vectras, B*Ws, Imprezas) at vast increases over the speed limits.
But, they always have appeared to have been driven to the conditions & driver-visibility.
After all do the 'scrotes' stick to the legal niceties of driving when on the run?
Now, if he'd messed up & caused accident/injury/death, that would be a large book thrown at him.
Neil, the vehicle in question was a 3.2 Vectra (GSi?) that had had its ECU 'played with' (presumably by Vauxhall/Opel)
As a side-thought', What an advertisement for them, no ad company on earth could get better publicity for the performance of their cars
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It has been suggested in the press (by journalists & readers) that a track be used.
Utter Tosh!!, how can a track replicate the varience of conditions that occur on a road?
I agree that a track would not be representative on a driver training mission but I would regard the vehicle approval assessment driving which is more of a technical undertaking is better suited to a track.
The elimination of this element from public roads would in itself be an improvement.
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Yes, but how do they test top speed on a track without using somewhere like Bruntingthorpe?
A national standard of performance for each eligiblecar would have to be agreed on , so forces in (for example; the north of Scotland) could make a traffic car choice based on evidence
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Yes, but how do they test top speed on a track without using somewhere like Bruntingthorpe?
A national standard of performance for each eligiblecar would have to be agreed on , so forces in (for example; the north of Scotland) could make a traffic car choice based on evidence
Police are people like anywhere else, there is no way any agreement will ever be forthcoming when personal preferences will dominate. Cars with identical specs in the final analysis will come down to availability & budget in the final decision. The evidence you suggest is in a driving experience context very subjective. It is the feel, the handling that matter to drivers, but might just be 'How many traffic cones can we squeeze in the boot' for other appraisers. There will be different constraints for mountain regions compared with fen regions or city regions or Mway patrol for example.
Let a local force choose their own I reckon they know best.
I know a local force who will be buying silver metallic cars next since their white cars lose value quicker.
Fleet management can be a nightmare, but I reckon local cops know what they like.
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What a b****y waste of tax-payers money.
1, train a driver to go very very fast indeed.
2, buy him a car that goes very, very fast
3, prosecute him for going very, very fast.
It wasn't like he even got caught, his colleagues grassed him up!
If an officer is ever likely to be called upon to drive like this then surely he should be confident in the knowledge that he can do so, safely, and that the car is capable.
As for training at MIRA, well actually it's not that easy to go really fast on a proving ground. The neutral speed for the banking at Milbrook is I think 100MPH on the outer lane, but you are scrubbing 2mph off your top speed just trying to hold the left hand side of the lane (inside line) so you can't get the vehicle to it's max speed. Even that place in Italy (think it's called Mireval or something) with a 10Km radius curve knocks a few MPH off, that's how Jaguar managed to claim a top speed of 220 even though they never reached it.
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One vital bit of information has been left out of the discussion.
I saw some video clips from the video that was taken.
He was doing over 80mph in a built up residential area which I would have thought would be the main reason it was brought before the courts whereas 156 on a motorway would have been dealt with in house.
I'd have thought anyone would question the sanity of the officer involved. When firearms officers have to undergo psychiatric evaluation you'd think a vehicle in the hands of someone capable of making such a gross error of judgement would be seen in the same light.
The police have a hard enough job without some speed freak having a bit of a jolly.
I've often come across the training teams in the past, usually around Warwick/Stowe area and they certainly give it some but drive to the conditions.
Ed
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It wasn't like he even got caught, his colleagues grassed him up!
He drove a car on the public road faster than the speed limit permits and was reported by an officer of the law for doing so.
If that is not getting caught then what is???
As far as I can see the guy can be forgiven for doing 159mph on a deserted motorway were if you are crossing the road you must be trying to commit suicide any way(we would all like to do that and get away with it) but to do 60 in a 30 limit and 100 in a 50 limit (and don't quote me on that) but he did crazy speeds in built up areas were somebody may be wandering home a little worse for a drink or two and step off the pavement for a second.
That man should not be allowed to drive anything faster than a desk until he can tell the difference between a housing estate and a motorway.
Sooty steps down off his soap box.
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I've hd a look to see if there's anything on the net about the speeds involved. I specifically remember seeing at least 80mph in a 30 but a repot from the Telegraph says
He was also accused of "grossly excessive" speed and driving dangerously on the A5 near Telford at 137mph, and on the town's Redhill Way and St Georges Road at speeds of around 100mph.
Ed
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I'd need to attempt this feat at least three times and have to add thwem all togeather to get this sort of speed from my series 2a :lol: :lol:
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I'd need to attempt this feat at least three times and have to add thwem all togeather to get this sort of speed from my series 2a :lol: :lol:
150mph in a series 2A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that would be dangerous :shock: :shock:
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I'd need to attempt this feat at least three times and have to add thwem all togeather to get this sort of speed from my series 2a :lol: :lol:
150mph in a series 2A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that would be dangerous :shock: :shock:
the 150mph isn't dangerous, so much as the sudden stop at the bottom of the cliff :)
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I'd need to attempt this feat at least three times and have to add thwem all togeather to get this sort of speed from my series 2a :lol: :lol:
150mph in a series 2A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that would be dangerous :shock: :shock:
the 150mph isn't dangerous, so much as the sudden stop at the bottom of the cliff :)
There we are students, you homework for this week is to work out the maximum verlosity of a series 2A in freefall.
All practical demonstrations must be on video to count and at the expense of the student. :lol: :lol:
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old joe's time to throw something in.
Ok we all have and know people who work in the emergency service's correct.
we spend alot time training them at our expense correct.
so we the taxpayer expect them to do there job in proffessional manner and to the best of there abiliites correct.
Blue Light Training need's to be carried out so that the examiner can ascertain that the driver has the relevant skills and knowledge to drive in those sort of conditions, these need to be carried out at various times of the day to gain the knowledge of driving in certain types of road conditions.
I'm not agreeing nor disagreeing with what has been said on this link nor am i agreeing with what should have happened to that particular police officer.
what i am saying is we all take responsibilies for our own actions and speed does kill wether it be at 159 mph or at 3mph the vehicles we drive are killer's missiles guided by pilots experiance or inexperanced.
This particular polic officer will live with this for the rest of his day's and won't do it again it may even affect his driving ability for that we will never ever know.
dazza :-#
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For my twopennorth's worth NOBODY is in control of a vehicle at 159mph,
christ knows what he was thinking of doing 100mph in 30 mph zone, no amount of training makes that safe, when it's late at night there are people out there who also think it's late & theres no one else here, its a recipie for disaster, he was on a jolly abusing the privelige of his position, if a pursuit ever got that bad it would be called off & left to the helicopter.
I say lock him up & throw away the key!!! :evil:
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Theres no justification, 159 is insane, i would do it in a car like that but would expect the book to be thrown at me if i got caught. But Tonys protectors can don no wrong, can they?
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Gosh!
In America, if the chase would endanger the Officers - they call it off. However, in the UK, at 3am - on an empty motorway - how many people in here would actually stick to the speedlimit. And I want honest answers. I know some would, and I know some would not.
If road conditions were appropriate ie. not wet or icy then no chance.
The 70mph limit is a joke anyway, it was brought in at a time when most family cars struggled to do 80mph and quite a few still had drum brakes at the front. A modern Mondeo or similar will probably stop quicker from 100mph than a Mk2 Cortina would from 70mph. Better tyres, brakes and ABS have all come along in the last 35+ years.
The biggest problem on motorways isn't speed, it's poor lane discipline, bunching up too close (normally because some prat won't move over after overtaking), and inappropriate speed in poor weather conditions.
A personal gripe is the spate of 50mph limits that have cropped up locally on otherwise fast open A roads across open country (almost all within Blackburn's area) just because a few pillocks that couldn't drive according to either the conditions or their own ability parked in a ditch.
I have been "pulled over" by flashing blue lights at speeds well in excess of the speedlimit at 2am and 3am - they simply slow you down and you continue on your journey - I have never been physically stopped - just had the waggling finger.
It would be interesting to know what vehicle they were driving as I was under the impression that by law vehicles (cars) are limited to 155mph (if the engine can exceed it) maximum, and I think around 180mph for bikes. Also, I note with interest that he was actually caught by himslef ... what an odd situation to be in ;-)
I think the German manufacturers have a voluntary limit of 155mph.
As for this policeman, I don't think what he did on the motorway was that terrible. What he might have done in a 30mph limit is more questionable but I don't think we have enough facts to make a real judgement on it, presumably the court did. In my view he should maybe have just been told off and stuck behind a desk for a couple of months instead of costing lots of money to take him to court.