Safe Speed Forums

Apples and the Northumberland police

Well as we read shaking our heads with disbelief at this poor person
that has been prosecuted by the Northumberland police for holding an Apple
or should I say prosecuted for driving with out due care (or some rot like that)
At a cost of £10,000 to the good people of Northumberland.
Is it true that she was charged for not being in control of her vehicle?

Have I lost the plot or have hand signals disappeared from the Highway code?
I was asked on my HGV test where in particular that I would use a hand signal?
Answer: on the approach to a zebra crossing when going to stop to let some one cross.
This involves taking the right hand off the steering wheel and waving it up and down
through the open window. This is to let traffic behind you know that you’re about to stop.
Is this now illegal?? If anybody knows please can you let me know

Arm signals are still there:

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/signs02.shtml#71c

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Thanks Paul nice to know I will not get prosecuted for giving a hand signal
By taking my hand off the steering wheel
It will not be classed as driving with out due care.
And the police will not spend £10.000 in their pursuit of nicking me?
I will not have to look out for helicopters and aircraft above me because
I took my hand off the steering wheel?
I will sleep well tonight knowing that this country is being policed sensibly
Damn a police helicopter disturbed me from going to sleep
I hope it was doing some thing worth while.

But if you gave a hand signal while holding an apple in your other hand instead of maintaining a proper grip on steering wheel, then would think that you could well be prosecuted.

What if you only have on hand...
I know some one who has had a stroke. Can only use one hand yet is perfectly legal to drive.

_________________
Speed camera policy Kills

Nicely put gizmo

_________________
I'm disgusted at the way this government is fleecing the people of this country. In particular the use of Speed cameras to mug motorists and claim its road safety. I'm disgusted at the threatening NIPs that people receive they break the human rights act

Nicely put gizmo

All we now need is to see PC Plod being done for the same offence for using a radio mike/ personal radio - pigs wil fly first ( oops - whats that in the copper chopper)

Saw this on another site ,aparently put down to north east traffic police.
Would be interesting to know if true ---


Subject: Mr Plod clocks geezer at 300mph and nearly gets fried.

A report has been received that two traffic patrol officers
from North Berwick were involved in an unusual incident
whilst checking for speeding motorists on the A1 Great North
Road, between Oldhamstocks and Grantshouse.

Last May, they were using a hand-held radar device to 'trap'
unwary motorists on the Edinburgh to London trunk road.
One of the unnamed officers used the device to check the
speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill.
He was somewhat surprised to find that the speed
recorded was off the scale , in excess of 300 mph. The $5000
machine had then seized up and could not be re-set by the
bemused PCs.

The radar had in fact latched onto a NATO Tornado aircraft
in the North Sea, which was taking part in a low flying
exercise over The Borders and Southern Scotland.
Following a complaint by Sir William Sutherland, Chief
Constable of Lothian & Borders Police to the RAFG Liaison
Office, it was revealed that the officers could be classed
as 'very fortunate'!!

The tactile computer onboard the Tornado had not only
detected and jammed the hostile radar equipment, but had
automatically armed a Sidewinder Air-to-Ground Missile,
ready to neutralise the perceived threat. Luckily the Dutch
Pilot was alerted to the missile status and was able to
over-ride the automatic protection system before the missile
launched.

The Police have so far declined to comment, although it is
understood that officers will be advised to point the radar
guns inland, in future.

--- Item in the Berwickshire Gazette.

Saw this on another site ,aparently put down to north east traffic police.
Would be interesting to know if true ---


Subject: Mr Plod clocks geezer at 300mph and nearly gets fried.

A report has been received that two traffic patrol officers
from North Berwick were involved in an unusual incident
whilst checking for speeding motorists on the A1 Great North
Road, between Oldhamstocks and Grantshouse.

Last May, they were using a hand-held radar device to 'trap'
unwary motorists on the Edinburgh to London trunk road.
One of the unnamed officers used the device to check the
speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill.
He was somewhat surprised to find that the speed
recorded was off the scale , in excess of 300 mph. The $5000
machine had then seized up and could not be re-set by the
bemused PCs.

The radar had in fact latched onto a NATO Tornado aircraft
in the North Sea, which was taking part in a low flying
exercise over The Borders and Southern Scotland.
Following a complaint by Sir William Sutherland, Chief
Constable of Lothian & Borders Police to the RAFG Liaison
Office, it was revealed that the officers could be classed
as 'very fortunate'!!

The tactile computer onboard the Tornado had not only
detected and jammed the hostile radar equipment, but had
automatically armed a Sidewinder Air-to-Ground Missile,
ready to neutralise the perceived threat. Luckily the Dutch
Pilot was alerted to the missile status and was able to
over-ride the automatic protection system before the missile
launched.

The Police have so far declined to comment, although it is
understood that officers will be advised to point the radar
guns inland, in future.

--- Item in the Berwickshire Gazette.

Would have been one less speed detecting device removed from our roads! and two arseholes with it

It's an old story certainly, RAFG (Germany) was disbanded in the 1990s.
When I first heard it, the aircraft concerned was a Harrier.
The aircraft is unlikely to have been carrying live weapons, although its not impossible.
The AIM9L Sidewinder is an IR air-air missile, not an air to surface weapon. It would have been of no use against a radar source.
So the story is quite probably largely rubbish although, like many of these yarns, it may be loosely based on an actual incident.

According to snopes it's false. I tend to agree, but it's still a good story

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/radar.htm

This urban legend seems to be a classic "warning against technology" tale, cautioning us against the development of systems that could somehow escape human control and cause havoc.

If they made the story up, they could of least given it a happy ending, the missile was launched and hit it's target

_________________
Steve

I think it does in some versions, after the pilots concerned were snapped by the camera in question

_________________
"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

amazing now how quiet the official line is on the question i posed before this item - use of rafio by pc plod , or isnt this the same as jo bloggs using a mobile?????

again i thing we will be deluged by silence from official quarters

It isn't legally the same as using a mobile phone, as using a mobile phone is now a a specific offence and using a radio isn't.

However, using a radio does appear to be legally the same as eating an apple.

so what the authorities are saying is that people using a mobile phone / eating an apple / snacking have their concentration split between two topics whereas pc plod on radio, taking in information and making decisions / taxi driver taking his/her next job or directions / farmer giles talking to friends on the old cb are not

OR ---- START BANNING SMOKERS FROM LIGHTING UP WHILST DRIVING.

Never mind, in a few years time we will be able to drive up to a police officer and say, officer , please charge the wife with distracting me whilst driving, she loked daggers at me.

Saw this on another site - seems to jokingly sum up the whole situation!
http://www.thebrainstrust.co.uk/article.62.2841.html

By the way im NOT trolling,JUST trying to extract pices out of current leglislation.