What do the police do if you report a mobile using motorist?

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What do the police do if you report a mobile using motorist?

39 posts & 33 voices | Started 8 months ago by Oggles | Latest reply from chakaping

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Oggles - Member

Been commuting by bike again for the last month, and it pisses me off how many people I see using their phones. I don't care if you're queueing in traffic on Leeds ring road, there's no excuse.

Yesterday saw a woman texting with an iPhone in one hand and a blackberry in the other. FFS! I let her drive back past me, she was oblivious to the fact that I was riding right next to her window until I BANGED on the roof. She threw both phones away in a panic. Weren't expecting that? You shouldn't have been on the phone(s) you dozy cow.

I don't want to be that guy who wears a headcam and records video evidence... I'm pretty good at remembering plates though, so it would be nice if the trogs who get abusive when you suggest they hang the **** up got a follow up from the old bill.

/RANT

Posted 8 months ago #
Kato - Member

Nothing

Posted 8 months ago #
muddydwarf - Member

What Kato said.

When i reported a motorist for attempting to run me over by deliberately driving his vehicle at me, i also reported the fact that the motorist also then jumped a red light against the flow of traffic. The Constable told me that motoring offences are only considered 'real' if you will if a police officer sees them occuring.

Posted 8 months ago #
wrightyson - Member

Probably the same as what they did to the guy I reported for crazy driving (see previous post somewhere) the other night.....**** all, as he was at it again tonight.

Posted 8 months ago #
cynic-al - Member

prob too much hassle for a minor crime - only 1 witness.

Posted 8 months ago #
Kato - Member

As above, for motoring offences it's got to be a police officer witnessing it or it'll go no where

Posted 8 months ago #
M6TTF - Member

Boils my piss - I pass on average 5 ppl on fones on my way 2 or from work. Soz 4 spellin, hard 2 txt whilst drvin

Posted 8 months ago #
b r - Member

Probably nothing, based on my colleagues whose car was broken into last night. Its all on CCTV at a local sports ground - and the Police said 'they may come look at the video in a few weeks...'

I commute on a m/c and when I pass those on mobiles I normally sound the horn, they look up and see a m/c rider wearing a police-type jacket, and usually drop the phone...

Posted 8 months ago #
muddydwarf - Member

I see at least 4 people a day using hand held phones whilst driving, often they are in slow traffic and texting - and because they know it is illegal they have the phone in their laps and their eyes obviously looking down and not on the road.
I do wish the police would catch them but in reality...

Posted 8 months ago #
TheBrick - Member

Sweet FA even if you present the police with video evidence of dangerous driving unless someone is seriously hurt nothing will be done.

Posted 8 months ago #
enveetee - Member

I would def NOT start further distracting a phone-using-motorist by banging on their roof/beeping my horn/shouting or anything else.

The use of the phone puts their attention capacity at its upper limit, adding a further distraction could have dire consequences for either you or an innocent 3rd party road/pavement user

'...I woz driving along using my phone me Lud when this cyclist type thumped my roof, I mean, I got such a shock I drove into the bus queue killing all the little childrens...'

Leave well alone, there's nothing much you can do about it...

Posted 8 months ago #
enfht - Member

The sheer number of offenders means if the Old Bill got on top of the problem they'd generate a LOT of revenue from fines

Posted 8 months ago #
TheBrick - Member

No public appetite for it. "War on motorists" and all that bull shit.

Posted 8 months ago #
MrSalmon - Member

No public appetite for it. "War on motorists" and all that bull shit.

This. Most people are drivers, and most people don't think it's that bad, hence the police don't take it terribly seriously.

Posted 8 months ago #
boriselbrus - Member

It really p1sses me off. The other day I was driving to work when I saw a woman driving along with a phone clamped to her ear whilst also putting on make up.

I was so shocked I almost dropped my razor into my cornflakes.

Posted 8 months ago #
sam_underhill - Member

I'd love there to be something we could do. I saw some guy listening with headphones whilst testing / typing on his iphone for about 15 miles in traffic on the m25. How he didn't hut something I'll never know.

Posted 8 months ago #
mrmo - Member

I doubt the police will do anything, which is why i stood in front of some **** in his nice shiny Spider on the phone with wife/girlfriend in the passenger seat and made my displeasure fairly understood

Posted 8 months ago #
allthepies - Member

Using a mobe while driving should be up there with drink driving on the severity list IMO.

Posted 8 months ago #
GrahamS - Member

Posted 8 months ago #
easygirl - Member

With the current cuts in the police service,traffic offences are unfortunately at the bottom of the list
We are running round trying to catch burglars,robbers and thieves.In past years when there were more police and less bureaucracy we did the above and had a large traffic Dept to deal with motoring offences
Traffic policing has been drastically cut in recent years, so traffic offences get a low priority.
Its the future !,,

Posted 8 months ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

I have shouted at a few and if I get the opportunity I will try to take the phone off them and smash it, Not had the chance yet tho

Posted 8 months ago #
convert - Member

Got myself in a bit of trouble with this sort of thing a few years ago. I was passenger in a car that was cut up really badly along with about 30 others on the way towards a car park one evening by a young lad in what was obviously not his car - driving like an absolute nutter with a petrified girl in the passenger seat. He took roundabouts the wrong way and forced people off the road in the other direction.

In the car park you could smell the car's brakes from yards away and he was still sat there preparing to set off again. I rang the police to say they needed to stop this lad before someone got hurt and was told they would not take it seriously until at least two other independent people also rang up to tell them. I told them I wasn't prepared to take that risk and if they weren't going to do anything I'd do it myself. They got a bit stroppy at that point. Anyway, I went up to the car, knocked on the window, he opened it and I reached in, facepalmed him whilst I took the keys then lobbed them in the sea.

To cut a long story short there was a bit of fuss at that point, the police turned up and I got a proper bollocking (and formally arrested) before discovering the kid had no licence, insurance or permission to be driving the car(his parent's). Apparently despite a host of witnesses reporting how he was driving I'd still done wrong. I'd do it again though.

Posted 8 months ago #
TheBrick - Member

I know the police are busy but they have never been interested / there has never been the political will to target traffic crimes. This is why there is so much dangerous driving because people know the chances of being caught are and always have been very low. This is shown up by the fact that even with video evidence it's tough to get the police to act.

Posted 8 months ago #
mildred - Member

Yesterday saw a woman texting with an iPhone in one hand and a blackberry in the other. FFS! I let her drive back past me, she was oblivious to the fact that I was riding right next to her window until I BANGED on the roof. She threw both phones away in a panic. Weren't expecting that? You shouldn't have been on the phone(s) you dozy cow.

Would you have behaved in the same way if the driver had been an 18 stone, 6'4" bloke? By me asking this I don't condone her behaviour, it's just that quite a few "road rage" incidents start off by folk gobbing off at other road users.

Anyway, the Police are unlikely to obtain a succesful conviction; an investigation would go a bit like thus:

A police officer would have to obtain a statement from you.
They would then try to ascertain the driver's identity.
If they find out who was driving they could interview the suspect. Arresting the suspect is out of the question because it would not pass the "necessary, proportionate, legal" test. That is, is it necessary or proportionate to arrest (take away their liberty) someone for this minor road traffic offence?
So, they'd likely have to interview the suspect contemporaneously at their home. PACE dictates that they do not have to talk to you or remain in the interview - what then?
They get reported for summons & along with you (as star witness) gets a day out in court. He denies it, you say he used his phone, it's your word against his. Do you think all of this is a good use of Police & court time? The cost of processing this person for a minor road traffic offence will run into thousands. Really, is this in the publics interest?

Posted 8 months ago #
manxambassador - Member

I was at a meeting with a policeman once and as we were walking out of the building, some prat went past at speed chatting away on his mobile. I asked the aforementioned copper why he hadnt stopped him and was told "its socially acceptable" so they dont really do anything.

Posted 8 months ago #
mildred - Member

I know the police are busy but they have never been interested / there has never been the political will to target traffic crimes. This is why there is so much dangerous driving because people know the chances of being caught are and always have been very low. This is shown up by the fact that even with video evidence it's tough to get the police to act.

Utter tripe. Refer to Easygirls reply regarding budgets. The Police want to do something about traffic officers but, despite strong evidence based arguments from rank & file officers, successive governments have insisted on diverting cash away from traffic to other areas such as anti-social behaviour. If it is "fact that even with video evidence it's tough to get the Police to act", there must be loads of evidence readily available that you can post up for us all to peruse?

Posted 8 months ago #
Taff - Member

Not much unless you have evidence and even then they have other things to do. I had someone in Portsmouth drive the wrong way down a one way street on his mobile the other day. Won't be referring anyone to his driving school!

Posted 8 months ago #
888trojan888 - Member

I have been busted using my phone whilst driving and accpet all suitable abuse however just for info the police can type in a code on your phone which shows usage of phones at what times and to who. So if you report a driver at a certain time and the police chose to presue it........they can actually persue it.

Posted 8 months ago #
dirtyrider - Member

filed under Oscillate Wildly

Posted 8 months ago #
maxray - Member

I have shouted at a few and if I get the opportunity I will try to take the phone off them and smash it, Not had the chance yet tho

um... ok then

Posted 8 months ago #
crazy-legs - Member

If I reported every muppet I saw on a mobile as I ride into work, it'd take all morning. I'd have to have an A4 pad mounted to my bars to take down registration numbers!

Posted 8 months ago #
joao3v16 - Member

Using a mobe while driving should be up there with drink driving on the severity list IMO.

The minimum penalty for any motoring offence should be car taken away and crushed to the size of a satsuma, 10-year ban, all legal costs charged to the offender.

Everyone knows the rules so there's no excuse.

Posted 8 months ago #
clubber - Member

The minimum penalty for any motoring offence should be car taken away and crushed to the size of a satsuma,

That would be silly and wasterful. Seizing it and selling it as part of a fine would be much better.

Posted 8 months ago #
saxabar - Member

@convert - list under Achievements on your CV!

Posted 8 months ago #
TheBrick - Member

mildrid "utter trip e.t.c" (can't quote due to computer) can only offer a quick single reply this morning.

Maybe I was being unfair to say that the police don't have the will it's not ment to be a dig at the police more the entire system, if you reread the first sentence of my post you will see that I place the blaim on a combined police / lack of political will. This is to say what crimes they make a political decision to priorities. I stand by the fact that there never has been the political will, that there never has been good implmentation of the law. After all easygirl claimed it was due to the recent cuts but there has never been good complience on the road. There has never been good implimentation of this area of law. The level of traffic law complience is so low. Maybe it's impossible to have a high level of inforcemnt of the law in this area but it has never been good, breaking road traffic law driving is standard pratice. People work on their expected loss / gain when making a choice. The expected loss for breaking a traffic law = P(gettering caught)*concequence of getting caught. Both are low.

Even when people are caught there is lack of will, be that political, CPS, police or judges being lenient to push for tough charges. The number of people that are band from driving after building up points to have the ban upon appeal removed is a joke. If your licence is so important why don't you take more care of it? I realise this last point is not a police issue but as I said my post clearly points a finger at polictial will as well.

As for the police not taking action even when presented with video evidence there are some good examples on thecyclingsilk blog spot. He had to battle to get the met police to take a look at some evidence and they only did through his perisitance and position and Thames valley police will not even look at video evidence, I think he did have better results with Surrey police. There are other cases out there as well but unfortunatly I don't have them to hand.

Sorry for any poor spelling but the means by which I'm posting mean I do not have access to a spell checker.

Posted 8 months ago #

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