[Closed] Highways Agency?

No.

They are not allowed to exceed the speed limit in any circumstances AFAIK.

He was ovetaking you, or going to the site of a collision etc.

or just an idiot driving a company van, paid for out of taxes.

We scanned the road for the next 40 or so miles- no collisions or accidents to be seen.

Just some bloke speeding in a company vehicle.

Not that rare I wouldn't think.

Just ruing the Highways agency and complain

going to the site of a collision etc.

They still can't speed.

[img] [/img]

I am prepared to be wrong on this one. I was once told that the only vehicles which can legally break the speed limit have dispensation from the queen and are duly painted red.

Fire engines are the first for obvious reasons and the second, wait for it, are post office vehicles, delivering the queens mail.

In the reality of the today's age, I suspect this is utter tosh, but it is apparently one of those old laws which has not yet been changed.

.....post office vehicles, delivering the queens mail.

Post Office bicycles are painted red too......they also have special dispensation from Her Majesty to break the speed limit.

In the reality of the today's age, I suspect this is utter tosh, but it is apparently one of those old laws which has not yet been changed.

You're wrong but nice story.

I am prepared to be wrong on this one. I was once told that the only vehicles which can legally break the speed limit have dispensation from the queen and are duly painted red.
Fire engines are the first for obvious reasons and the second, wait for it, are post office vehicles, delivering the queens mail.
In the reality of the today's age, I suspect this is utter tosh, but it is apparently one of those old laws which has not yet been changed.

On QI, I think the Sirens would be sounding quite loudly 😉

nealglover - Member

On QI, I think the Sirens would be sounding quite loudly

Ok ok, 😀

I did say I am prepared to be wrong! One if those urban myths I didn't check on. Ho hum 😀

Hold the front page!

Man in car breaks speed limit, another man in a different car gets all huffy about it.

Yep, nothing wrong with breaking the law, apparently. I assume he was aiming for "speeds that would make your eyes bleed" so he could boast about it somewhere.

Asshat.

ernie_lynch - Member

Post Office bicycles are painted red too......they also have special dispensation from Her Majesty to break the speed limit.

I'm pleased you are on my side 😉

And once more CFH cannot resist a personal insult.

you really have lost it CFH. you used to be funny. Now - an offensive obsessive sanctimonious twerp

I have reported you. I got banned for a week for less. lets see if the mods are even handed.

Why not complain to the HA?

TJ, the Asshat in question was from the Highways Agency.

Boasting about speeding, however? Well, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

CFH - bullshit.

I'm sure we'll see someone come along to defend this type of activity. I am surprised that the Navarra can reach these kinds of speeds though, still cockish behaviour.

Actually TJ, if anyone was getting personal I'd say:

"Man in car breaks speed limit, another man in a different car gets all huffy about it."

...it was you.

I wasn't huffy at all, just curious.

Maybe you need to chill a wee bit?

My mate who is a traffic cop took great pride in doing one of those guys for speeding.
He was on his way to an RTA in an unmarked BMW & apparently the Wombles flashed him to move over..
He just waited till they all met up at the RTA, then had a quiet word.
😆

TandemJeremy - Member

I have reported you.

Why? 😕

or just an idiot driving a company van[b] pretending to be a traffic policeman[/b], paid for out of taxes.[b]in a pointless fake 4x4 when a van would be better and cheaper[/b]

one of those old laws which has not yet been changed.

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desuetude ]Desuetude[/url] - one of my favourite words. Don't get to use it too often mind you 🙂

But it's [i]supposed[/i] to look like a cop car because there's so few of them actually patrolling our roads these days!
Like an automotive equivalent of a community support officer- at first glance in passing you'd be fooled (possibly) but if you look for more than 5 secs you see through the maskirova..

in a pointless fake 4x4 when a van would be better and cheaper

I dont get what is fake about a Navara as a 4x4?

The same could be said about a lot of police vehicles to with regards to there being a better cheaper alternative for what theyre driving.

Thankfully the traffic cops still seem to value reliability and quality when procuring new vehicles, unlike the Ambulance service up here- I mean Peugeot van conversions- FFS!

Thankfully the traffic cops still seem to value reliability and quality when procuring new vehicles, unlike the Ambulance service up here- I mean Peugeot van conversions- FFS!

Sadly we don't get the same discounts that Police get on new vehicles, some services buy through the Police or Military to get the discounts they do. Then there's the ambulance services buying together in a job lot to get discount on Sprinters, some opted out of this and well you can see what has happened.

I have no problem with the traffic wombles having 4x4s. If they need to tow a big vehicle out of the way quickly, which they might, then that's a perfectly valid vehicle to use.

When they go all lights-a-blazing and close lanes of a motorway just because someone has a flat, now that's a different matter...! Grrrr.

I got banned for a week for less.

I got banned once for two days for insinuating that you were an idiot, and that was despite you presenting plenty evidence on a daily basis to demonstrate the truth behind that insinuation 😉

When they go all lights-a-blazing and close lanes of a motorway just because someone has a flat, now that's a different matter...! Grrrr.

Safety tho innit.

Vehicle might have got a drivers side flat on a bit of hard shoulder that is too narrow to safely change it otherwise.
We had 2 guys killed by a lorry that side swiped them when doing exactly that just last year.

Back to the OP,

It raises an interesting question. Who, exactly, is allowed to break the limits, and under what circumstances?

I was under the impression that the only time anyone was allowed to speed was with blues & twos going (or accompanied by same). Is that not the case?

In answer to cougar's question;

By virtue of s.87 of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 (as amended by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005), no statutory provision imposing a speed limit on motor vehicles shall apply to any vehicle on an occasion when it is being used for fire, ambulance or police purposes, or for Serious Crime Agency purposes (including driver training) if the observance of that provision will be likely to hinder the use of the vehicle for the purpose for which it is being used on that occasion.

We have to provide names of drivers if they flash speed cameras when going to a shout. No action is taken but we still have to provide the name.

What v8ninety quoted, plus lights and sirens are at the discretion of the driver.

plus lights and sirens are at the discretion of the driver.

Not for us if on an Emergency we're to have the lights and siren on at all times, trust policy.

They gave up chasing up if Ambulances up here and many more areas that have gone through speed cameras wasn't worth the effort.

lights and sirens are at the discretion of the driver.

Legally, certainly, however Brigade/Trust policy usually dictates their use unless specifically directed otherwise. (not talking about police, I would imagine that driver discretion is the rule there; enough rope and hanging springs to mind)

Vito Sport, tis the future.

Vito Sport, tis the future.

You appear to have spelt "T5 Sportline" wrong.

😉

no statutory provision imposing a speed limit on motor vehicles shall apply to any vehicle on an occasion when it is being used for fire, ambulance or police purposes

So, wait, what, any police car can ignore the speed limit so long as they're on duty?

Wow. Every day's a school day.

So, wait, what, any police car can ignore the speed limit so long as they're on duty?

Yes, but if for example an accident happened where speed in excess of the posted limit was a factor then the driver would be expected to justify his decision to claim the exemption, demonstrating reasoned proportionality. So not just a licence to tear around willy nilly. Also important to note that there is no exemption for careless or dangerous driving. (or 'no left turn' signs)

cougar - you need to read to the end of the sentence:

"if the observance of that provision will be likely to hinder the use of the vehicle for the purpose for which it is being used on that occasion."

What V8ninety says, yes whilst on duty in the simple term but it would need to be justified, doing that for returning to station or a routine run would take a little bit of convincing.

What V8ninety says, yes whilst on duty in the simple term but it would need to be justified, doing that for returning to station or a routine run would take a little bit of convincing.

Not for us if on an Emergency we're to have the lights and siren on at all times, trust policy.

@Drac, out of interest, when do you put the sirens on? Is it just to warn other drivers that you're around?

Oh no trust policy says we have them at all times when going to an Emergency call so that's what I do. 😀

Hell, yeah. I would too. 😀

Put our hee haws off but keep lights on we are stuck in traffic that is obviously going no where fast. Only a matter of time one of the emergency services are brought to account if they force a driver through a junction and cause an incident.

Having faced a court hearing it was squashed at the last minute, I was heading to the court, as the advice was they not come off well against me because I had lights and sirens on.

That said in total grid lock I'd consider switching them off if policy allowed me. 😀

cougar - you need to read to the end of the sentence:

Ah, good point. I did misread that. Ta.