I’m surprised we haven’t already done this one – I did search

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-41391992/man-jailed-for-hitting-woking-teacher-with-car

Some comments on social media (actually a lot of comments) seem to be directing blame at the teacher for sitting on the bonnet – WTF are people really that entitled about driving cars? (yes I do know the answer to that 🙄 )

One of the most dangerous places to not be in car is around schools it seems. The local one to me had parents stop in the no stopping zone and boot the kids out to run across the road.

Sitting on the bonnet was a stupid move to make in an already confrontational situation. Not a justification for the reaction but it was guaranteed to inflame the situation and draw some reaction.

The sentence was correct, but the teacher should know he dealt with the situation badly.

I’m more surprised that the vehicle in question wasn’t actually an SUV, a white SUV with a private plate.. but no.. it’s a “normal” Golf.

Right sentence too, Teacher should have dealt with the situation better and once given the driver instructions should not have sat on the bonnet… it was only going to end bad after that point.

Lived somewhere with a large school at the end of the road for years – I am amazed there aren’t more incidents – the attitude of some of the drivers is just staggering.

Occasionally stationing a copper outside the gates handing out fixed penalties would seem like easy money.

The teacher didn’t really sit on the bonnet though, he was just standing on the spot and got pushed onto the bonnet as the driver continued to move forward.

Let’s not forget that the driver could have wiped out one of those cycling kids too.

School entrances are quite often hazardous, the worst are often where the entrance is on a dead end so driving parents are then reversing to turn around just where kids are crossing the road… I’ve done some school safety work. Sometimes some parents have got involved to try and encourage other parents to drop their children off a little further away where it causes much less danger, but there are always the entitled who insist on driving down the dead end road to drop off right next to the entrance, too dangerous to let them walk those few yards… it’s a vicious cycle.

What if the teacher hadn’t stood his ground, the car would driver would have come into the car park and there would have been no consequence. At least the driver got a jail sentence for their selfish behaviour and the issues around school drop off is being discussed again. Police / traffic enforcement / councils need to get a grip and send out a strong message about dangerous parking and the fact it won’t be tolerated.

Occasionally stationing a copper outside the gates handing out fixed penalties would seem like easy money.

You’d think so. The local school is on my road and I see this sort of thing every day. Except when they station a copper in high-vis when amazingly everyone seems to remember what the zigzags and pavements are actually there for. Which makes it worse, because it’s not safety of other peoples kids that’s the decisive factor for them, it’s that they might get a bollocking or a fine.

I’d go for a copper in plain clothes, or make it law that people can be summarily fined for eg stopping on the zigzgs on the basis of photo evidence. And then put a Go-Pro in the end of the lollipop lady’s stick.

The school near me is famed for having the most pupils arriving by bicycle but has a massive problem of parents driving onto school grounds.
They’ve spent thousands on barriers and have teaching staff out each day directling traffic and have sent repeated letters etc.

Why cant car people just not be dicks?

Despite the warnings issued to parents about driving their cars onto the school car park someone still did it at my Mrs’s school.

Child was hit and had their arm broken.

For the record: Audi suv

The teacher didn’t really sit on the bonnet though, he was just standing on the spot and got pushed onto the bonnet as the driver continued to move forward.

He clearly sits on the bonnet, their is a timegap between when he sits and the car starting to move again.

Don’t get me wrong, the driver got what he deserved, any normal person would have just gone “oh ok” when being told they couldn’t use the staff car park. But sitting on the bonnet was a stupid move escalating the situation, the teacher would also have ended up sprawled on the floor if the driver had reversed.

Shouldn’t have sat on bonnet but stupid parent deserved 10 months of sore bottom and no pudding.

Used car as a weapon? Should be banned for life to protect the public if you have a weird mental state.

Yes he sat on the bonnet. How very dare him.

The teacher didn’t really sit on the bonnet though, he was just standing on the spot and got pushed onto the bonnet as the driver continued to move forward.

He clearly sits on the car

Some comments on social media (actually a lot of comments) seem to be directing blame at the teacher for sitting on the bonnet

My first thought was fake news… the news headline doesn’t match what happened (like the title of the thread) because the teacher sat on the car bonnet.

From that point on it is hard to see any other way this ends…. the driver has to either go forwards or backwards…

WTF are people really that entitled about driving cars?

People feel entitled to have their kids attend school.
For many parents dropping them off by car is the only way to drop them off and get to work afterwards but this hasn’t been taken into account. The school has loads of parking, its badly planned parking but that’s by design. Even if you wanted to cycle to the school it’s built on a particularly dangerous road … there’s no parking I know of so

What if the teacher hadn’t stood his ground, the car would driver would have come into the car park and there would have been no consequence. At least the driver got a jail sentence for their selfish behaviour and the issues around school drop off is being discussed again. Police / traffic enforcement / councils need to get a grip and send out a strong message about dangerous parking and the fact it won’t be tolerated.

OMG .. a car would have pulled into the parking to drop off their kid … the world would end, meteors strike the earth, cats and dogs living together … you know the whole biblical armageddon. ??

The situation is just set up to fail…

WTF are people really that entitled about driving cars?

So Jnr has a race Sunday, its just over at Farnborough .. I’d planned on cycling over to the race with him as its only 9-10 miles or so and a nice warm up.

I can with a little inventive illegal riding on footpaths get him as far as the canal… and from the canal only a few times we have to get off and push to get around roads with no paved area…. (as it happens just down from this school) then I can get to the other side but I have no idea how we get from Mytchet to the event by the airport without an 8yr old riding on terrifying roads.

I actually started off determined to cycle… spent ages on google street view and still can’t find a safe way to get to this event… SO I’ll probably have to DRIVE or not go (OMG)

If we do drive then we will doubtless drive on to Swinley after so he can get some actual exercise… and then DRIVE home … but I doubt you ever felt so entitled as to DRIVE to Swinley..

Teacher fanned the flames somewhat by sitting on the bonnet, a lot of people would get annoyed by that, cars arent cheap and some plank trying to make a point by sitting on mine would annoy me too…

…i wonder what wouldve happened to the driver if they’d reversed away from the teacher instead?…still a good result as the teacher would’ve ended up on their arse again only in that scenario you could make a case that you were retreating from the aggressor?

Trying to park in school car park = dick move
Sitting in bonnet in already tense situation = dick move
Driving when someone sits on your bonnet = dick move

Driver at fault for trying to park. Teacher at fault for potentially damaging someone’s else’s property. Driver at fault for causing injury by frankly dangerous driving. Teacher had other options and the driver had many, many other options

Sit on my bonnet and I will push you off myself – without moving the car. However, I choose to drive responsibly around schools – it’s not hard, even with frustrated other road users and inconsiderate stopping and parking. Just chill, there are huge members of unpredictable children about.

The school near me is famed for having the most pupils arriving by bicycle but has a massive problem of parents driving onto school grounds.
They’ve spent thousands on barriers and have teaching staff out each day directling traffic and have sent repeated letters etc.

Why cant car people just not be dicks?

Why don’t you stick a sign up saying they are free to park on your drive ??

OH conveniently gets teachers parking at Jnr’s school … but most parents (or me) don’t.
When I take him we cycle and a load of people are asking why we have to be such dicks cycling through the park and illegally on footpaths…as you can see we are not the ONLY complete dicks, this is just part of the route – where are the police when you need them… just look at that cyclist illegally cycling on the footpath to avoid death.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3111209,-0.5616086,3a,75y,347.89h,95.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skFKkcyfCjTCOTwNzhpXaeg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

He did well to find a teacher that was working. 😀

He clearly sits on the bonnet, their is a timegap between when he sits and the car starting to move again.

It was definitely triggered by the car nudging his legs though, and possibly directly caused by the nudge. Which is apparently how the evidence in court described it (fuller report in the DM of all places – didn’t want to link, but check it out yourselves). I don’t think any blame can be placed on the teacher for the incident – apparently this driver had driven around him before when he tried to stop him. You can’t really anticipate somebody being a complete nutter like that, not even somebody that entitled.

Steve – stay on the canal and ride it all the way to the back of the airport. Brings you out Ively road. I work right by airport and commute from Bracknell…. Sometimes I go the long way through swinley and pick up canal and ride all way round. Very few roads.

He didn’t sit on the bonnet. He stood in front of the car with his back to the driver, who then moved forward, putting him on the bonnet, before flooring it.

Dick move is putting it mildly. Jail-time sounds fine and dandy in that situation.

just down from this school) then I can get to the other side but I have no idea how we get from Mytchet to the event by the airport without an 8yr old riding on terrifying roads.

From Mytchett, stay on the canal and skirt around Ash Vale/Aldershot until you go under the A325. From there you can take a very quiet access road/track which takes you to the airport perimeter (near BAE). Then take the road inside the airport (quiet at the w/e) to the Village Hotel.

Edit: Don beat me to it 🙂

This is from the media reporting “He then revved his engine before and Mr McCarthy turned away. As he did so, Schoeman edged forward, knocking into the teacher’s legs and causing him to sit on the bonnet.”
It would seem the judge accepted this as truthful saying “‘You took matters into your own hands by nudging him.”

He did well to find a teacher that was working.

I wonder how long it took to find a working ambulance driver after he got injured?

Why cant car people just not be dicks?

You know it’s just people who can be dicks? Bike people can be, and regularly are, dicks. Motorbike people are mostly dicks, and pedestrian people… have you walked down a busy street lately? Other people being dicks are available. Lots of people being dicks for lots of different reasons, you dick.

@stevexc you sound like a child making excuses, grow up.

Steve – stay on the canal and ride it all the way to the back of the airport. Brings you out Ively road. I work right by airport and commute from Bracknell…. Sometimes I go the long way through swinley and pick up canal and ride all way round. Very few roads.

Thanks .. do you have a route you could share in some way … I looked at following the canal down to Government Road then tried finding a way … like Camp Farm road but street view seems to lead me into roads I’d definitely not want to ride with a 7yr old…

I used to commute (for 2 months) to Farnborough by bike…. but a completely different route that there is no way I’d go with the kid.

Even driving round the roundabouts up by B&Q is scary… and the first time I cycled I ended up on roads I’d not even feel great driving on… let alone cycling… and it took me a few tries to find a safer route..and we will need to be at registration at 9am… so I’d planned on an hour to cycle based on 14-15 mph and stops… and bits we have to get off and walk…

I’m afraid I’m not seeing that video in the same way as the majority of folk here. The teacher turned his back on the car, the car nudged him in the back of his left knee forcing him down onto the bonnet of the car. He had about a second (where I personally would be sat there thinking “WTH just happened?” as I tried to extricate my hands out of my pockets), before the car driver floored it, pushing the teacher further onto the bonnet.

The teacher was there, doing his job to keep the kids safe. Driver deserves everything he gets in jail for being a knob end.

Sorry, but that’s how it looks to me.

You know it’s just people who can be dicks?

Yes, but being in a car seems to generate an extra sense of entitlement even in otherwise nice normal people. Not only that, but being a dick in a car has potentially much higher consequences than being a dick doing most other things.

Of course the NbRA* are just going jump on this as part of their campaign and say this wouldn’t have happened if the teacher was armed.

“National board Rubber Association

Yeah saw that on The Metro FB feed and was amazed/appalled at all the number of folk commenting that the teacher got what he deserved!

Apparently if someone touches your car it is perfectly reasonable to attempt to kill them.

I imagine the same people would lose their shit if the story was “Teacher Ignored Safety Rules – allowed in Car Which Hit Pupil”

Trying to park in school car park = dick move
Sitting in bonnet in already tense situation = dick move
Driving when someone sits on your bonnet = dick move

+1. The teacher made that situation a whole lot worse with his behaviour, however the driver thoroughly deserved to go to jail.

The parking situation at my kids school is ridiculous, people arrive up to an hour early in the afternoons, just to get a parking space next to the gate, others just double park, park in local residents drive ways, etc.

One of the teachers at our kids school also got nicked for speeding recently, on her way into school (about 300m from school in same road) doing 50mph in a 30mph zone.

As I have said before we need some properly hard hitting information films putting cars and car people back in their box.

It wont happen whilst our politicians are in the pocket of car/transport industry.

I live literally next door to that school. Most of the parents are idiots. But, they do park on the side roads to pick up their kids.

Sorry Steve, but your last point adds nothing to this particular situation.

I drive past a (primary) school to get home from work, it is after school finish, but the number of cars still parked at the side of the road is still high (and every side street near it). The school was renovated a few years ago, and part of that was to re-do the staff car park. An off road waiting area would have been easily within the realms of design possibility to reduce risk to the kids for crossing the (fairly high use) road, between parked cars, and near industrial units so large lorries coming and going past. This wasn’t done, which is a missed opportunity to help alleviate the problems for parents who have no choice but to drive kids to school. That doesn’t mean, however, that those same parents can do whatever they want or park wherever they want because they are in a car.

As I have said before we need some properly hard hitting information films putting cars and car people back in their box.

It wont happen whilst our politicians are in the pocket of car/transport industry.

What does the government have to do with it? They’re not the only people allowed to make films.

Then its just fake news.

Apparently if someone touches your car it is perfectly reasonable to attempt to kill them.

Depends on the car.

As I have said before we need some properly hard hitting information films putting cars and car people back in their box.

It wont happen whilst our politicians are in the pocket of car/transport industry.

Do people still believe this?!…its not a conspiracy, we’re car dependent in this country because public transport is so crap particularly once out of the cities…then factor in the cost, a single person travelling a decent distance on the train is ok but once there’s two of you (or more) you all end up paying the same and it quickly becomes cheaper for your group to get in a car instead where you pay for one tank of fuel between you not a tank of fuel each…then there’s convenience issues, leaving when you want to leave not when the bus, train etc leaves…having some privacy in your own car and not having to sit next to Mr Stinky and his body odour or Mrs Chav and her three screaming brats…being able to stop when you like for food, toilet etc…i could go on but for me the only time public transport is convenient is when i’m drunk and cant drive, then my drunken self doesnt mind putting up with the experience.

@stevexc you sound like a child making excuses, grow up.

Wilburt you sound like someone who simply ignores reality. Rather like the school..

For millions they have no choice but to use a car to take the kids to school then drive to work.
Jnr’s school (a mile away from the one in the post) fines parents if the kids are late … so parents end up parking locally .. the local residents (who chose to live there) then set about hassling them and on occasions committing criminal damage to parents cars… we aren’t allowed to drop them off we have to accompany them to the gate… (which means parking somewhere)…

Luckily OH is a member of the teaching staff and gets parking… but even so it’s a cluster **** and even cycling to the entrance is hazardous…

The schools attitude is they need to start on time and how parents get their kids to school is their problem.. its not the councils problem except in issuing residents parking only… and the police are only involved when someone reports criminal damage

The school can afford a swimming pool, huge playing fields and nature areas… but it can’t afford a place for parents to do a drop off??? Its a fundamental problem with Jnr’s school and the Winston Churchill school… that there is no parking and many parents have no choice but to drive..

I personally cycle when I can … but if I had to drop Jnr off THEN be at work I’d have no choice but drive.
That doesn’t mean I can’t see the fundamental problem that not providing drop off areas causes.
If this was a supermarket etc. they would be obliged to provide parking… it would be part of the planning permission …

They are building a brand new school on the A320 … again without provision for dropping kids off…
Instead thy have a designated green area into town which will be great for us but no use at all for anyone not coming from the town centre

As soon as the new school opens it will face the same problems… through lack of acknowledging that many parents will have to drop their kids off..