BASHTHEBISHOP Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I think its fine... same for a RAF pilot with a new jet to do a circuit of the m25 30ft off the deck just to test it out and familiarise himself with it:blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 What the road traffic act states that there is an exemption for Police for speed/traffic lights/keep left bollards. However it clearly states that the exemption can only be used for a Police purpose, and under ACPO guidelines, familiarisation is not a Police purpose. The DPP has quite rightly appealed against the Magistrates finding. My views on this case are quite clear as per my previous post in this thread. Blokes like him don't help one iota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 However it clearly states that the exemption can only be used for a Police purpose, and under ACPO guidelines, familiarisation is not a Police purpose. Good point, as a side, would you ever take a car like the Vectra up to 160 mph even if you were on call in some emergency? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Good point, as a side, would you ever take a car like the Vectra up to 160 mph even if you were on call in some emergency? No. I prefer to arrive alive thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt H Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Cops are Hypocritical tw*ts.......... Thats my professional opinion of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt H Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Ol Ted would have been rattling the pictures on the bedroom wall with his snoring at that time of night, anyway the road was meant to be deserted/empty at the time of the offence. I dont like traffic cops either, but I just dont see what the fuss is about in this particular incident. If it had been during the day...........I'd be writing about this in a very different manner. So its safer to travel faster when you carnt see anything cos its pitch black? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 No. I prefer to arrive alive thankyou. Would you think any 'reasonably minded' traffic officer would consider that safe too? Personally I cant see any instance even in a chase where you'd ever need to approach speeds like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt H Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Would you think any 'reasonably minded' traffic officer would consider that safe too? Personally I cant see any instance even in a chase where you'd ever need to approach speeds like that. Only if they were chasing me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Been there done it, got the T-Shirt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Would you think any 'reasonably minded' traffic officer would consider that safe too? Personally I cant see any instance even in a chase where you'd ever need to approach speeds like that. Bobbeh I don't know any "reasonably minded" traffic officers! However I couldn't envisage any pursuit where it would be necessary to do those sort of speeds. A force control room would use their helicopter as the lead vehicle and use direct their cars appropriately. Blue and twos don't give you a special magic bubble of protection, if anything they seem to act as a magnet for all the poor drivers out there. There is, however, a necessity during advanced training to push the "envelope" but that is testing more about the students mental processes than the perfromance of the car. In fact on all of the daily log books there is a notice about speed, that although we have an exemption there is an upper limit and ging beyond that (10% of the vehicles top speed) is automatically dangerous driving and a big bye bye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Cops are Hypocritical tw*ts.......... Thats my professional opinion of them A very sweeping statement. Care to back that up professionally then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefgroover Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 So its safer to travel faster when you carnt see anything cos its pitch black? Well......my experience is fly around in a supra and i am safe, do 50mph and some numpty runs into me and writes my car off. I have only ever been in accidents when I was below 50mph! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiversteve Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Regardless of the when's where's and why's this guy was breaking just about every road traffic act regulation in the book and should be dealt with accordingly. I have had pretty much all the driver training available to the general public and all of that training is quite clear. Speed does not kill. Innapropriate use of speed kills. 80+ mph even on a clear motorway is innapropriate, I have been 'spooked' by shadows enough to make me twitch at the controls. That is the start of a major incident regardless of the skills I may have aquired and the familiarisation I may be seeking to acheive. Even with ABS 50 mph on a wet grass embankment seems like an eternity. The guy is using every trick in the book to avoid prosecution and to prevent the police from looking like complete idiots in the face of an obvious incident where the law was broken. Ok they have a tough job, mainly because they and the government have successfilly alienated every single motorist with more than a few brain cells. IMHO they should pull their finger out and start applying their rules to their own. Nick him for speeding as they would for Joe Soap. Ok he would lose is job. So would I it I were nicked for 2/3 of that speed. If the police want to operate a 'one rule for us' then they can, only they must expect a decline in the respect that the general public have for them, and that is already on a rapid downhill trend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 Good post.. but your twitching worries me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pump gas pete Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I was taught to drive by a Class One police driver. I have also had a considerable amount of driver training in the army.(Part of my job.....collection....collation.....dissemination...) I have driven for many miles at appropriate but illegal speeds. As the officer did not crash at the speed he was travelling at then the speed must have been as safe as the circumstances allowed. If one gets out of bed or even if one does not there is a risk element. I think that if one spends ones time worrying about rabbits running out and midnight cyclists with no lights then you might as well stay in bed and wait for the aeroplane to crash through the roof. If you are in the "right gear, right place , right time" then it is impossible to hit something. If you do hit something then one of the three rights was wrong. Your fault. Much as it pains me to say this but...... "Right Gear, Right Place, Right Time " is from the front cover of the police "Roadcraft" manual my foster brother , the class one police driver who taught me to drive , made me read until I understood it ,sometime in the late 60s. Given my apparently irrational hatred of the police it pains me even more to say......that book and its front page has kept me alive. Touch wood......I have never had an accident of any kind in any four wheel vehicle I have been driving . 36 years. What has this got to do with mr 159? Well I have no doubt he can drive but so can I but I am not going to be allowed to "familiarise" myself with the Supra at those speeds on the public highway. Why should a polce officer be allowed to road test cars on the highway? Absoloutely no reason whatsoever. What the officer did is ,however,what we all do ...go quick when we can and have judged it to be relatively safe to do so. The law , however , applies to all despite the police thinking it does not. The officer should face the same punishment the allegedly untrained general public would face for the offence. a custodial sentence....banning and community service. Have I said how much I dislike the police? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 As much as it pains me to say it, good post Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Just noticed this has popped up again. As I see it if he was on duty and had authorisation to do tests there is no case. If he was off duty, he should be treated as a civilian. Any other argument seems irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 Just noticed this has popped up again. Just because it's going back for an appeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheefa Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I say bring back capital spanking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Just noticed this has popped up again. As I see it if he was on duty and had authorisation to do tests there is no case. If he was off duty, he should be treated as a civilian. Any other argument seems irrelevant. succinct and straight to the point. A very good observation Terminator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Cops are never really off duty though are they? I thought he was just plain clothed not actually off duty - otherwise his 'testing the car' excuse is null anyway? What was it, overtime? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazboy Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Have they released the video to the public yet? This 83 in a 30 zone- we are assuming it's in a residential or heavily built up area- could it not be a 30 limit dual carriageway? Take the A40 that goes through High Wycombe- it's an enclosed, elevated D/C. No pedestrians, parked cars, turnings, obstructions, pavements, parks, dogs, kids etc.... Without seeing the video who can judge? However, a civilian doing 80odd in a 30 would get a substantial fine, and I'd guess a ban too. If it was a residential road then they might get a Due care or even dangerous Driving charge? Maybe Class One could answer? 80 in a built up area is inexcusable, and even worse if you are unfamilier with the car. 159mph is actually 5mph faster than what Vauxhall got out of it themselves (I'm guessing they didn't get that figure at Millbrook either- a European venue possibly?). If you hadn't driven your Supra before, would you give it the full ten tenths the first time you drive it? I didn't take mine for a 100% blast for four months, and even then that was on a runway. Didn't that guy with the NSX a few years ago get of a DD charge on the M4 because he had a racing licence and the car was in tip top condition? he was still charged with speeding and got a bloody long ban though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucifer Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Didn't that guy with the NSX a few years ago get of a DD charge on the M4 because he had a racing licence and the car was in tip top condition? he was still charged with speeding and got a bloody long ban though. 80 in a 30 - people should be shot - there is a time and a place for everything. I actually support the decision, as if I were him I would like to know how the car handled at top speed before I was in a pursuit. The scary thing is I'm sure a lot of us have been over that on more than one occasion in our Supras and the like. Still want him to go to prison? or are you just shooting for the hell of it. Remember the Police driver (traffic) as a rule as the best of the best and most of them are too sensible if you ask me. I have seen some truly Awful driving by panda cops, but never from traffic police, remember Road-craft is a skill that needs to be practiced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazboy Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 The scary thing is I'm sure a lot of us have been over that on more than one occasion in our Supras and the like. Still want him to go to prison? or are you just shooting for the hell of it. I never mentioned in my above post that he should be imprisoned. I do think he was very, very wrong. I don't think those two bikers deserved 2 months in jail, nor the scotsman who did 156mph in his M3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucifer Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I never mentioned in my above post that he should be imprisoned. I do think he was very, very wrong. I don't think those two bikers deserved 2 months in jail, nor the scotsman who did 156mph in his M3. Sorry the prison comment was not directed at you but a general statement. A scots man in an M3 doing 150+ na surley not they would want the poor MPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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