He's back in court today. BBC Radio Shropshire confirmed that the case has started.
I NEED news as soon as possible. If anyone hears anything, PLEASE let me know soonest. I'm on 01862 893030.
Safe Speed issued the following 'Press Briefing' yesterday at 3:00pm yesterday:
PR347: PC Mark Milton - the 159mph cop - press briefing
news: for immediate release and detailed press briefing
PC Mark Milton's speeding case will be heard again by Magistrates on Monday. He
was previously acquitted by magistrates, but on appeal the verdict was
overturned and the case sent back to the magistrates to be heard again.
Safe Speed believes that either verdict will be damaging.
Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(
www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "It is a tragedy that this case rumbles on.
Whatever the verdict, the world will change slightly for the worse. If
Mark Milton is found guilty, Police driving and response will be compromised.
If Mark Milton is found not guilty, public confidence in the Police will be
damaged."
<ends>
Press briefing on the key issues:
=================================
Issue 1: Is 159mph automatically dangerous?
Unlike the other issues, this one has a clear and certain answer. 159mph is
NOT automatically dangerous. If we accept a) 'dangerous' is a relative term
and b) 159mph would not be particularly dangerous on a closed test track in a
suitable vehicle, then the question really becomes: is the environment safe
enough to support a speed of 159mph? This is the real issue.
It's easy to make the mistake of comparing the safety of say 70mph to 159mph
in some unusual circumstance and conclude that 159mph must be relatively more
dangerous. For example the argument might go: 'But what if you had a tyre
failure? Wouldn't 159mph be "more dangerous" than 70mph? But a tyre failure at
70mph is potentially extremely dangerous - yet we choose to accept that danger
as part of our normal lives. The increase in danger at 159mph isn't that
great. It's real but it's rare and unusual. The real danger of speed arises
when the speed is unsuitable for the environment. So actually we'd be asking
entirely the wrong question.
Safe driving at any speed involves ensuring that the speed is suitable for the
environment. A failure to do this increases danger very markedly, and we would
correctly term the speed: "dangerous". One vital test of the safety of a speed
is to ask if it is possible to stop within the space that the driver knows to
be clear.
It's entirely possible for 15mph to be murderously fast, for example in a
crowded market street, and equally it's possible for 159mph to carry no
special risk and to be properly termed 'safe'.
A driver's primary responsibility to safety is to ensure that his speed is
appropriate to the environment.
Imagine, for example, driving faster and faster round a bend. At some speed -
a speed which is too fast for the bend - a crash becomes inevitable. We're no
longer talking about a once-in-a-lifetime tyre failure - we're talking about a
certain crash. The risk due to speed suddenly went off the scale. That's an
example of what it really means to drive 'too fast'.
Issue 2: Was 159mph on the M54 dangerous?
There might be information on the video to prove that actual danger was
present, but it doesn't seem very likely since PC Milton has already been
acquitted in another court. Any clear case of danger should have been picked
up by the previous court.
The motorway was probably deserted at the time when the highest speeds were
achieved and PC Milton would have slowed down if other road users had been
present. Or at least we hope so and expect so.
But to drive safely, you must be able to stop within the distance that you can
see to be clear. Since it was apparently dark at the time, we have to ask if
the headlights were sufficient to see a clear space ahead. It's unusual for
factory-fit main beam headlights to support speeds above about 120mph.
Issue 3: Was 80mph in a 30mph speed limit dangerous?
We don't know. It's easy to picture racing through crowded town streets, but
the reality may have been very different. Imagine leave a town area and
accelerating to 80mph just before the national speed limit signs in an
entirely rural and deserted setting. For a skilled Police driver, such a speed
could be safe, routine and entirely unremarkable.
So once again, the safety of the behaviour is entirely governed by the
circumstances.
Issue 4: Do we need the Police to be free to travel at high speeds?
Absolutely. We need officers to attend incidents as soon as safely possible.
They are trained to drive quickly and safely. Sometimes rapid response will be
a matter of life and death.
Issue 5: Is it one rule for them and another for us?
Yes. As a simple matter of fact it is. Section 87 of the Road traffic
Regulation Act 1984 grants emergency services an exemption from speed limits
under certain broadly defined circumstances.
But importantly we expect equal treatment despite the fact that the rules are
different. We expect similar degrees of discretion to be afforded to the
public and to Police officers. It's an inequality of discretion that threatens
the Police / public relationship. Read on.
Issue 6: What about the Police / public relationship?
These issues seriously threaten the good Police / public relationship because
of the different way in which discretion is applied to prosecutions. The
Public perception is that the Police receive far too much discretion, while
the public don't receive anywhere near enough.
The serious ongoing damage to the Police / public relationship is founded in
millions of unnecessary speeding prosecutions - motorists prosecuted for minor
speeding offences on occasions when they know with confidence that they were
driving safely. Stories of apparently 'extreme' Police behaviour is like a
twist of the knife.
Issue 7: What are the consequences of finding Mark Milton Guilty?
If Mark Milton is found guilty the major consequences will be as follows:
- There will be further restrictions and rules applying to Police driving.
This will cost lives because Police will take longer to arrive and will be
worrying about compliance when they should be worrying about safety.
- These restrictions will probably extend to high speed training. Effectively
the Police will in time become less skilled.
- The case will be used to further present and confirm the false 'speed is
dangerous' case that is frequently made. The truth is that speed is only
dangerous when it is also inappropriate. We MUST focus road safety efforts on
achieving appropriate speeds not legal speeds. It would be simple if the two
were the same, but they are not.
- If the Police are given their own speed limits as a consequence, criminals
will only need to drive a few miles per hour faster than the Police speed limit
to escape.
Issue 8: What are the consequences of finding Mark Milton innocent?
If Mark Milton is found innocent further damage will be done to the Police /
public relationship, with the following major effects:
- the 'them and us' culture will be extended.
- less reporting of crime
- Police road safety messages won't be trusted as much
- Police won't be trusted as much
<ends>
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