Safe Speed Forums

I saw this on the net and, following a search on SS, I don't think this has come up before...

The total number of people killed and injured by police officers driving cars in the course of their duties in England and Wales has risen by 61% in just one year.

The figures were released by Home Office minister Hazel Blears in a written answer to a question from Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green in London.

They show that in 2002-2003, a total of 22 people were killed and 1,131 were injured. But in 2003-2004, the number killed has increased to 31, with more than 2,000 injured, of which 138 were serious. All the people killed or injured were involved in road traffic collisions with police vehicles responding to emergency calls, or those involved in high-speed pursuits. Independent Police Complaints Commission Chair Nick Hardwick issued a statement in response to the figures.

"Training and risk assessment are the keys to reducing deaths and serious injuries involving police drivers", he said.

(Really? Just police drivers then?)

"We all accept that in emergencies police officers have to speed,"

(Do we? Did I miss a survey? It's acceptable to put other peoples lives at risk in an effort to catch a rouge whom, if he wasn't being pursued, would likely have gone slower and stopped sooner? You couldn't just trace him instead, with all your cameras and modern science? We have to have a speeding car plus however many officers in speeding vehicles to add to the danger?)

"and go through red lights but they must not take unacceptable risks, either for themselves or the public."

(Can someone tell me what is an acceptable risk in this context please?)

"The IPCC will continue to manage or independently investigate the most serious collisions involving police driving. We are ensuring that the lessons learned will benefit the police service."

(How about benefiting the rest of us?)

In conclusion, If speed is such anathema then surely there should be no excuses for anyone to speed? This should include police pursuits too, shouldn't it?

I wonder if RB has a clean licence, but then, who's going to book him? Turkeys don't vote for Christmas do they?

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Sure. Remiss of me soz...

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/England_and ... e_vehicles

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Maybe I should say, this strikes a particular chord with me because I live on a road which is a 30 mph limit. I'm next to a crossroads where there is a pedestrian crossing, bus stops and other junctions all along the way.

My bedroom window is about six feet away from this road and I have heard police cars come past at rediculous speeds. I honestly and seriously haven't seen or heard anything like it accept at Donington Park. The force from the pressure wave on my window, before I had double glazing, used to feel like the glass was going to come out! No exaggeration.

The siren isn't on, all I see is a blue light flash by in an instant and I cringe, expecting that one day I am going to hear the big bang. I can hear the sound of the engine in the distance and the Doppler effect as it races past just like you would get from watching the F1 on TV.

It's always very late at night, early morning but even so, if I were to pull across the crossroads or pull out from a parked position at the roadside in normal fashion, I would not see him and he would kill me!!! I'm at the top of a slight hill which at those speeds you just wouldn't see anything coming.

It feels like an accident just waiting to happen - watch this space. It occurs on average about once every month or two and when it does, I can't get back to sleep for ages. My heart is left pounding and each time I ask myself what on earth could justify that? It also begs the question, if this is just the frequency by where I live, where else and how often is this happening?

I have known such madness because, as I found out later, the police have been called out to a store where they have caught and arrested a kid for a petty crime.

Perhaps InGear can advise?

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

'Blues and two's' are not licences to ignore the rules of the road, speed limits traffic lights or anything else traffic related.
They are however a audible and visual warning to other road users to give way and make the emergency vehicles path to the incident as clear as possible.
Unfortunately the phrase "Give Way" seems to have been missed out of the driving instructors handbooks these days.....not many drivers either know or care what it means.

people who exceed the speed limit are maniac child-murderers, regardless of any and all other circumstances. so i guess taken to it's logical cnclusion that must include the police?

maybe too many people people are driving around in a trance like state while maintaining an unatural speed (possibly also in a daze of smug self-satisfaction for doing so) they just failed to notice the police car screaming towards them.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

A news item caught last week reported that of the 90,000 police officers who were detected speeding, only 350 of these instances resulted in any disciplinary action.

Are we to take it from this that the police don't consider exceeding speed limits as being serious in the slightest?

Spireman...

And we can also take it that exceeding the speed limit isn't actually dangerous, when it's safe to do so...

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

It may be safe to do so but that doesn't mean its legal to do so...

Safety is always paramount to legality at any time...

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

Sorry I'm a bit dense today
I don't see your point...are you saying if it is safe it is OK to break the law?

God, no!

I'm saying that my safety (and other people's) always comes before any law...

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

To pick up on a thread I remember from elsewhere; if I'm three quarters past a car and he starts pulling out towards me when I am past the point of no return, I may well add 30mph over the limit to get past him.

Does that make me a criminal?

Guilty Tone There's no excuse.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Absolutely so!

Once all coniderations have been er duly considered why would it be wrong to obey a law that contributes nothing to the wellbeing of those it impinges upon?

The law says "30!" on the sign. So what!? As long as its safe and it puts no one else in danger or fear for their lives then what could be the objection? Remember, we keep being told its all about safety? Bu its not.

Any other argument for just blind obedience of a law can not be a logical one and should be treated with the contempt it deserves.

Laws are only any use when people see them as fair, even, reasonable and actually of some real purpose.
As far as i can see, speeding law is none of these and thats why it gets so regularly flouted...just like other laws in fact.
If theyre not working for the good of people then what good are they for?

Until someone can adequately explain to me just why its "30 for a reason" then i for one shall ignore what the sign says, come what may, come what any moron acpo speed fixated Politically Corrected anally inverted chief copper says.

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"Safety" Scamera Partnerships;
Profitting from death and misery since 1993.

Believe nothing- Question everything.

Yes if you get caught by a scamera. They don't understand context. That's just one of the problems with them.

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Brian

Frankly, I fail to see just what is so all-fired important for the police to travel to an incident with such indecent haste. Other than firearms bearing officers attending an armed robbery, what can the average officer do.? They aren't allowed to give first aid other than mouth-to-mouth as far as I'm aware so why the rush.?

Apart from a very few isolated incidents, I can't think of any that would warrant the risk of taking an innocent life.......

They get there as fast as they can in order to preserve the scene and protect others from becoming or adding to the victims.
I'm sure there would be a public outcry if the BIB's took their time attending a two car shunt and it escalated into a multiple car pile up just because no-one was there to slow/calm the traffic down.

An example of "Immediate Response" Incidents

Danger to Life
Use or imminent threat of violence
Serious injury to a Person
Serious damage to Property
A Serious Crime in Progress
Offender disturbed
Offender detained but still causing a risk to others
An RTC involving or likely to involve serious injury
An RTC where the road is blocked and causing a dangerous build up of traffic
Racially motivated incident in progress
Evidence of a serious incident may be lost without immediate attendance

Hope this helps

Mark

If everyone took that sort of attitude onto the road there is no wonder so many fall foul of speed traps/cameras

Can you attempt to answer the points i raised rather than pontificating vis a vis the scamera/trapping aspect?
After all i thought we were talking about safe driving not "the law is the law"........

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"Safety" Scamera Partnerships;
Profitting from death and misery since 1993.

Believe nothing- Question everything.