Safe Speed Forums

DAILY MAIL Saturday April 9

Student is given a fix penalty then breath-tested after he objects

A motorist claims he was fined £30 by a policeman for unclipping his seatbelt as he drove on to a garage forecourt.

Mei Owen, 20 had started filling his car with petrol when the traffic officer from the North Wales force handed him the fixed penalty notice. Mr. Owen, a third year criminology student at Bangor University pointed out that he unbuckled the belt just a few yards from the pumps as he arrived at the garage and not on the road.

His visit to the garage coincided with the first day of a two-week "seatbelt crackdown" by North Wales Police, the constabulary notorious for its crackdown on speeders.

The law says seatbelts must be worn in the front and back seats of a moving car. But the issuing of fines for not wearing them is a grey area. Yesterday, North Wales Police said an officer could only impose a penalty if he witnesses someone driving o a public road wihout a seatbelt.

"Policemen would be better of catching burglars, instead of targeting innocent motorists. I was thinking about becoming a police officer when I left university but this has put me right off."

His ordeal came just three weeks after North Wales chief constable Richard Brunstrom said anti-social behaviour orders would be handed out to taxi drivers who sounded their horns outside customers houses.

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Anyone who tells you that nothing is impossible has never bathed in a saucer of water.

Hold on. As far as I know you don't have to wear one on private land!

I found this in the highway code but it is not clear at all.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Same article says that the Home Office insist fine can be issued on a garage forecourt.

Still - before a general election ...trying to show that Tone is "tuff on "crime""!

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If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

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Disgraceful, if true. I would take anything in the Mail with a pinch of skepticism though.

Hey ho, oh well I'll stick to my policy on not commenting negatively on fellow officers actions
There is one point however, the last bit on the original post about anti social behaviour referrals being given to taxi drivers who beep their horns to get customers attention.
I have to say I totally agree with this. Remember this is only a referral, you have to have 4 separate incidents of anti social behaviour before an order can be enforced, each of these going through set procedures, and advising you on your behaviour. (if they are dull enough to do it 4 times, after all this they deserve all they get).
Some may think this petty, but say you lived next door to someone who used taxis a lot (an elderly person for example, IM NOT BEING AGEIST).
If you worked shifts and were constantly being woken up by a beeping horn, you would feel pretty anti social yourself, as you would if you just got your screaming baby off to sleep. A sounding horn could also startle a passing motorist/cyclist, and cause an accident (it can).
A horn is an audible warning device, not a Yoo Hoo device.

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'Detritus, get yer stoney arse over ere'

Down under the definition of a public road is any road/paved area which is open to the public all year round.

To ensure that the car parks associated with large shopping centres retain their "private land" status they install gates and close them a few times a year, say on Easter Friday and Chrtistmas Day and maybe a few nights between 10pm and 6am.

So you can drive around the car park without a seat belt and the cops cannot do a thing about it. If you drive in an anti social way the police will be called and you can be charged for other driving offences but not seat belts!

Damn stupid behaviour by the cop if you ask me.

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Ross

Yes I'm a hoon, but only on the track!!!!

Not just in Notts I'm sure, but taxi drivers round here are afraid to leave their vehicles to 'knock on the doors' of customers.

There is a real danger that they will be mugged, have their cab damaged or stolen.

Also, there are a number of 'no go' areas where the cabbies will not even venture, either to pick up or drop off a 'fare' for fear of attacks, and this applies in daylight hours as well as after dark !

Several taxi drivers have been murdered, and their killers have never been caught, (hardly surprising, after all, this IS Notts !) so the Notts cabbies will 'carry on honking', and I doubt very much if any action will be taken against them !

Oh, nearly forgot, THEY 'NEVER' WEAR SEAT BELTS EITHER !!

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"CAMERAS "DO NOT" SAVE LIVES" !!
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brum brum

daughter speeds - gets away with it - standards double - w****!

Moderator: sorry to edit this, but it really does not advance the standard of debate on this forum