tinyurl.com/3jkd3mn
A couple of weeks ago the Police had an operation like this in Yorkshire which was very succesful, now it's Hampshire and it will soon be all over the country.
Pat
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Based on the offences mentioned sounds like we should all be grateful!
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I quote myself without apology in defence of
DISTRACTED WHITE TRUCK MAN
How can he be texting at 90
(However prehensile his legs)
When he's smoking a doobie
Tooting a line
Feeling his girl up
Pouring some wine
And frying his bacon and eggs?
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You're not a proper lorry driver AC, unless you can roll a rolly while steering with your elbows:)
I'm just concerned for you lot, they've twigged that they can see into cars as well as lorries from a lorry cab, and it will open the flood gates to the unwary innocently eating a sneaky Mars bar:)
Pat
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I've eaten a.....oh never mind...!
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Appreciate your concern Pat.
"Another lorry driver was spotted eating a pear with a knife while another was caught writing down the answers to a radio quiz."
I suppose those aren't so bad if the driver was sitting stationary in a traffic jam - it doesn't say.
Last edited by: Focus on Tue 4 Oct 11 at 18:49
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I'll have to be careful with the Werthers.
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I doubt he was stationary Focus.
I think we've all glanced at delivery notes for an address, eaten a sandwich or changed the satnav details...when conditions have been quiet and allowed it.
Let's face it, we all navigated our way around London and every other major city with an A to Z in one hand before satnav, how else did anyone find an address?
The point with this new initiative is it doesn't differentiate to take anything into account.
Offences are reported in a way that makes them look so dangerous on account of what could have happened had it been snowing on the M25 at 4.30 on a Friday PM.
It's revenue earner and while it has it's place, it's grossly unfair to the otherwise safe driver ( car & lorry) .
Pat
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I don't really have a problem with the Police undertaking an operation like this. As to taking other factors into account, isn't that the function of the courts rather than the Police?
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>> I don't really have a problem with the Police undertaking an operation like this. As
>> to taking other factors into account, isn't that the function of the courts rather than
>> the Police?
In practice the police are being judge and jury, which is the thin end of a big wedge.
None of us would argue with the prosecution or ticketing of a driver watching a DVD, or using a laptop with a cup of coffee in his hand, nor is there a credible excuse for doing something explicitly proscribed like using a hand held mobile phone.
If it comes to getting done for swigging water, or taking a bite out of a sandwich, unless there's some other eveidence of carelessness then to me it's out of order. Any good driver can do that while maintaining the necessary level of awareness and being no more inattentive or distracted than probably half the drivers on the road are all the time.
I'm particularly grumpy about the sandwich one, having carried a grudge (when I remember) for being given a roasting by a snotty copper in Greek Street, Leeds in 1984 for eating a ham sandwich. I was stationary at the time which I thought pretty well sealed my innocence, but subsequent reports I was wrong. Yet another case of picking the easy targets with taxed and insured cars and their own addresses on the V5.
Last edited by: Manatee on Wed 5 Oct 11 at 07:07
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Of course, all of the offences would be greatly reduced by the visible presence of a few patrol cars on our motorways.
OK, the lorry is 'borrowed' from a main dealer but it still has to be manned by two officers, one video camera, another police car and a police motorbike to stop the offending vehicles. The diesel consumption would be under 10mpg so wouldn't it be far more cost effective to use a marked police car as a deterrent?
Pat
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Thanks for the warning.
I drive through towns and villages keeping me mincers peeled for safety cameras and ignoring everything else.
I shall now when on the motorway or dual carriageway only keep an eye open for other suspect trucks and likely plain clothes cars, and ignore everything else.
Safety first, should have done this sooner....kerching.
-:)
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>> I shall now when on the motorway or dual carriageway only keep an eye open
>> for other suspect trucks and likely plain clothes cars, and ignore everything else.
And there is the problem, spending more time looking for the traps than on driving safely.
Drive properly and the traps are useless.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 5 Oct 11 at 11:37
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Ho hum.
As I sit in the endless queue at the tyne tunnel or tyne bridge I shall probably be flicking idly through some messages, drinking a cuppa or fiddling with the radio. As I'm barely moving I don't think the distraction will have me careering off the road but it makes for nice easy policing as I'm bang to rights.
When I'm actually moving, I don't do anything other than drive.
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Isn't this just old fashioned policing from a new vantage point?
The police have always exercised discretion as to whether an offence is provable and/or should be reported or dealt with by 'words of advice'. If a fixed penalty is issued the driver can either pay up, taking the points where applicable, or decline and put the police on proof in front of the bench.
Cannot see anything underhand nor any opportunity for police to be both judge and jury. And it's only kerching if they catch peoppl.
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If that were the case Bromp, then why don't they just use a marked police car which would also act as a deterrent, instead of an UNmarked lorry which does that only for the ones who are caught?
It is underhand, and resented by most of us who try and stay on the right side of the law
Pat
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I think policing at all levels has failed to be a deterrent for many years. The political correctness brigade have made them terrified to police robustly in case they are themselves punished for infringing "human rights".
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I really don't think that's the case.
I think it's more about finances.
Every outlay has to show an income and resources are being cut all the time.
Preventative policing costs money and doesn't provide any income whatsoever, on the other hand that weeks operation showed a fine profit and makes good PR.
Pat
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>> I really don't think that's the case.
>>
>> I think it's more about finances.
Deterrence is about making people afraid of the consequences of doing wrong. The London riots got out of hand. The Manchester riots were nipped in th bud with a few baton charges and mildly roughed up youngsters who tried it on. On a different scale, no deterrence, no insurance, but thats the fault of the politicians who set the penalties.
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I see the deterrent effect of police cars (and HA vehicles) on speeding whenever I'm out on the motorway. But as soon as they're out of sight they're not deterring anymore.
What on earth is underhand about observing people breaking the law and pulling them over. I don't think I'd be too resentful if the unmarked car on the A5 caught be rushing for a train - I'd just feel a bit of a berk.
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Nothing underhand at all, if they exercised a bit of common sense.
Unfortunately the formulaic approach universally adopted by the plod these days (I guess they can't afford to hire anyone capable of thinking for themselves these days) precludes that. It means that some poor beggar eating a Mars bar on a quiet motorway, with nothing better to do with the "spare" hand, gets "done" for the same as some eejit writing War and Peace in a text message on the North Circular Road.
It's the idiotic "tick in the box" approach to policing that's lost 'em the support of the public, not the law itself.
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...I shall probably be flicking idly through some messages, drinking a cuppa or fiddling with the radio....
Just be sure you don't pick up an apple, the police on your patch don't like it:
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article506183.ece
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I have never been one for eating sandwiches in cars or drinking cofffee whilst driving.
I rather have a stop somewhere have a walkabout.Like some people walking the street eating sandwiches not for me.
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>> ...I shall probably be flicking idly through some messages, drinking a cuppa or fiddling with
>> the radio....
>>
>> Just be sure you don't pick up an apple, the police on your patch don't
>> like it:
>>
>> www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article506183.ece
>>
Well, precisely. Eating an apple.Should have got the chair for that!
I tend to prefer a banana whilst in the queue for the tyne tunnel :-)
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Brilliant, great idea, lets hope they keep it up and may be increase the fines, especially for using phones, lap tops etc whilst on the move.
Having suffered life changing injuries having been hit by someone using a phone a few years ago on a motorway I,m all for a huge crack down.
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Be very careful - Focusless
