Safe Speed Forums

Per Daily Post and various BBC news bulletins - an inquiry is under way as to whether aa car which crashed killing 5 teenagers was being chased by police.

The blue Rover Metro which hit the wall had been the subject of a report to the police shortly before this crash but the IPCC refuse to confirm this. or whether it was stolen

All five occupants died at the scene at St Leonards, East Sussex at 1.42. am on Saturday. All were aged 14-16 years Locals said the car was being chased by police along a residential road when the kid lost control. A local told the paper



Indeed... what we would all love to know.

Flowers have been placed at the scene One bouquet reads



and

Now I don't wish to appear heartless and callous - but parental love does include firm discipline and perhaps a more discreet message and simple given the circumstances of the joy riding may have been more appropriate and the remarks left to a more private family funeral.

It does not help when kids are shouting "murderers" at all policemen either. per the paper.

The police did not steal the car, nor did they drive it at speed down a residential road. If they were being followed by a pursuit car signalling it to stop by simple fact of sirens and flashing lights - then they should do so.

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Is this the one where the Police were 1st aware of the car AFTER a cyclist phoned 999 to say he had been knocked off his bike?

Reminds me of an episode of "Car Wars" a few years ago on BBC, officers in unmarked car were informed of a stolen car, they headed to the area were the car had been taken from and found it crashed.

Officer summed it up - "see, they crash even when we don't chase them"

I do feel sorry for the families concerned. Stealing the car was probably the idea of one or two of the youths and the others were probably just peer-pressured into coming along. Peer-pressure is the dominant force in the universe when you're that age. Believe it, I know.

As regards the Police, what else were they supposed to do when faced with an out-of-control vehicle? Their first concern has to be for all the innocent road users that are being endangered by the joyriders.

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

I firmly believe that Police training is key to getting the right outcomes.

I'll place my personal bet right now that a junior Police Officer with inadequate training triggered the behaviour that led to this crash. And I don't blame the individual - I blame the training.

Health warning: I'm only guessing about this case. The public will have to wait for the facts to emerge.

One of the keys to all this is recognising that stolen cars can be as volatile and as dangerous as a bomb. Call the experts and approach with great caution.

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Paul Smith
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Per the "Wail" the other day - it seems the 15 year old "driver" had a history of nicking cars and they had all been drinking in the grounds of a cemetary following another pal's funeral. The young girl had died from natural causes following a serious illness per the paper's report.

Regardless, feel sorry for the families. One parent said they had been living in fear of this particular knock on the door given their child's behaviour.

Teenagers.... not easy at any one time. Peer pressure... getting away with a joy ride and enjoying the "thrill, challenging authority". I should be thankful the twins are just cheeky and mildly challenging by comparison. And yes - it was a cyclist who reported the bad driving to the police who responded and the youngsters decided to challenge and evade .. with tragic results.

Some would argue "Darwinism" Some would say the outcome was inevitable sooner or later - and certainly the driver's and the 17 year old's fathers had reportedly been living in dread of this moment for some time.

The real problem is

how the hell do you stop them, discourage them, educate them, find something more of interest for them to do....as clearly this type either do not fear death or believe in their immortality.

Our eldest three are not saints and we have our moments with them ... but we exercise what we consider a firm, fair discipline which is always open to some negotiation... But we have always encouraged responsibility for actions and acceptance of consequences... Not foolproof - we do make mistakes and we try to learn from them

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

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

I genuinely feel sorry for the parents.

That said, lets examine the circumstances:

5 in a Metro (overloaded, then)
all under age
been drinking
no insurance, licence etc

and I believe that the only thing worthy of regret is the damage to a perfectly good brick wall.