Just recently on walking my daughter to school there have been 3 uniformed cops in hi-vis stood on the pavement by a pedestrian crossing outside the school booking motorists for using mobiles, not displaying road tax, not wearing seatbelts, etc etc.
It's very entertaining watching the look of shock on the drivers faces as the copper knocks on their window! 😆
If they can't see a copper in very slow moving/stationary traffic then they deserve a ticket.
Police? actually out of their cars? if there's no photos it didn't happen. Hang on, am I proposing you commit an act of terror?
they should be out catching criminals
or tracing stolen bikes!
Damn right!or tracing stolen bikes!
This makes my blood boil, just target the easy crimes, anything that requires any real invistigation can go screw.
I am quite happy to see police actively policing traffic and motoring offences around schools, I actually wish there was a bigger emphasis in policing traffic in urban areas rather than major trunk roads.
I'm with MSP - morning traffic around schools is a nightmare and the more that is done to control it the better.
Doesn't mean they couldn't also investigate other crimes from 09:05 onwards of course...
Getting their last bits of overtime in before they all get made redundant...
Good. A lot of drivers could do with being shaken out of their complacency.
Iwould like to see zero tolerance for illegal driving. Urban speeding, using mobiles, not using indicators, failing to leave enough room between vehicles, illegal parking.
I just would like to see motoring laws enforced. It would save a lot of deaths and injuries
I used to count how many drivers on mobiles I saw on the 2 mile round trip bike+trailer bike journey to school I do with my daughter each day.
It was rarely less than 5.
I've stopped counting now - it just made me cross with no real outlet or redress.
Jeremy- there's a difference between fast driving and unsafe driving...
Iwould like to see zero tolerance for illegal driving. Urban speeding, using mobiles, not using indicators, failing to leave enough room between vehicles, illegal parking.
Is not using an indicator illegal motoring? Pisses me off no end - not as much as bad indication mind you (for example, indicating left at a roundabout then go straight on - much more dangerous).
spokes - urban speeding I said. There is never any excuse for urban speeding and its should be treated with zero tolerance.
No indicators - without due care and attention I would have thought.
Jeremy- there's a difference between fast driving and unsafe driving...
Yup, the former being merely a subset of the other.
I find myself in the unusual position of being in complete agreement with TJ.
There is never any excuse for urban speeding and its should be treated with zero tolerance.
Tend to agree - although let's leave it to the police ehh Mr Range Rover Driver in Harrogate last week - decided I was driving too quickly (I was within the speed limit but just accelerated quite quickly as he wanted to pul out) so he pulled out on me then rammed his brakes on to learn me.
Idiot - didn't have the balls to get out and speak to me about his actions though.
I'm with TJ on this. A kid ran out in front of me once, luckily I was only doing 25 and was paying attention so I had time to brake and he kind of bounced off. At 45 I would be in jail now not writing this. A lot of people I know routinely do 45 in a 30.
Get these middle class yobbos sorted I say.
wwaswas - MemberI find myself in the unusual position of being in complete agreement with TJ.
Awww come on - I wanted an 😈 argument
Jeremy- there's a difference between fast driving and unsafe driving...
Theres also a difference between driving legally and illegally.
Not sure how zero tolerance could be easily enforced in all situations due to man power. zero tolerance in an enviroment that can be easily controlled (out side a school as children are coming and going) I definately support. You probably won't stop a numpty using his mobile phone whilst driving but if it at least stops them doing it in high risk areas its got to be a good thing
No indicators - without due care and attention I would have thought.
I doubt anyone would ever be done for that unless it was misleading indication (ie my example on roundabouts). Anyway, weren't we all taught not to assume indication actually meant the manoeuvre was actually going to be made and actually wait until you knew the vehicle was actually going to do what the lights said?
using a mobile phone while driving has been shown to impair your driving to a similar level as being at the drink drive limit of 35mg/l breath.
Not wearing a seatbelt is just plain asking for a one way trip to the morgue,
road fund licence evasion is certainly annoying for those who pay but hardly going to kill a person!
Indeed - indicators are merely an indication, not a promise. Mercs and BMWs don't have them any more anyway, from my observation. Quite a few Range Rovers come without thm too.
Of copurse more could be done. One proposal that I saw was to allow traffic wardens to ticket for pavement parking . Another was for all buses to have video cameras to prosecute cars in the bus lanes. Lots more average speed cameras about, more traffic police, allow random stops on cars especially for breath testing, set up roadblock traps for illegal drivers.
Use the revenue from the fines ( and make the fines much higher) to pay for the extra policing and equipment
highlclimber - non-road tax = no insurance though and, often, other 'issues' as well.
No road tax is a very good 'excuse' for police to stop a car and get uninsured drivers off the road.
I'm with TJ on this. A kid ran out in front of me once, luckily I was only doing 25 and was paying attention so I had time to brake and he kind of bounced off. At 45 I would be in jail now not writing this. A lot of people I know routinely do 45 in a 30.
Been there myself (as posted about recently) - motorcyclist came off as she overtook oncoming traffic and ended up under my bonnet with her head about 2 inches from my offside wheel. As you I was paying attention and within the speed limit - even a few more MPH and she would almost certainly have been dead or very badly injured.
Quite a few Range Rovers come without thm too.
Ohh they do - I see them all the time flashing...
...whilst sat 3/4 on the pavement on a school crossing so little Princess doesn't wear out her Jimmy Choo Juniors walkig too far to school.
non-road tax = no insurance though
[pedantry]if this is true then everybody is uninsured as 'road tax' has been abolished for a number decades now![/pedantry]
ah, sorry, can I blame your previous use of 'road fund' not VED as my inspiration?
This happened two weeks back, at our local busy school drop off.
I walked passed a parked up car, with its drivers door open & engine still running, with a baby latched into its rear seat with no sign of the driver or another adult about!
Stopped, and asked other parents near to see if new the owner?
Told by another parent, it was a known parent dropping her other kid off at school!
The car was parked some 100 yards away from the school entrance, out of view of the car!
So we waited by the car (with another parent).
Mother came back, fag in one hand, phone in the other, got into her car, totally blanked us, still smoking and on the phone pulled out and drove off, did I mention no seatbelt?
Words failed me!
Some days you just wish there was a PC about 😯
I'd rather see just one copper booking errant motorists and be safe in the knowledge that his/her two colleagues were out using unreasonable force to apprehend bike thieves.
Just my two penneth, I expect to be shouted down, naturally.
Ski, did you not think of taking the other witnesses details and shopping her to the old bill?
highlclimber - non-road tax = no insurance though and, often, other 'issues' as well.No road tax is a very good 'excuse' for police to stop a car and get uninsured drivers off the road.
Yup - its a good 'in' to get speaking to them and finding out more about them.
I do the waiting by the school when I can, watching the world go by at the school crossings, and as already said, there are some right muppets that dont see you standing by the road in hi-vis. The lollipop lady gets a fair amount of abuse from drivers who block her crossing, so being there is more than just trying to catch easy targets.
As an aside, one of the things I have noticed is that when your standing by a school, is that a car approaching at 30mph does seem quite fast audibly and visually. There have been plenty of times that i've looked at a car thinking 'you're speeding' held the speed gun upto the car and its been sub-30mph ... and thats without the car having braked or anything. Quite surprised me sometimes.
grunty - MemberSki, did you not think of taking the other witnesses details and shopping her to the old bill?
At the time, I was pretty much gob smacked!
The family is well known to the police too 😉
Just recently on walking my daughter to school
😯 what no cocooning 4X4??? think of the child man!!!!
ski: you should have got in, driven it 100 yards down the street, got out and waited to see her face when she came back. Silly mare, on multiple counts!
what no cocooning 4X4??? think of the child man!!!!
The Humvee was in having its rims pollished 😉
I'm surprised the nspcc ain't been in touch as I make my poor child walk all of about 500 yards 😆
Do you reckon the coppers were looking for peados?
They drive slower past schools 😀