A coach driver today pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving at Wrexham magistrates court.
Police produced a video taken from an unmarked car of him driving on the A5. He had a mobile phone in one hand and was using the other to open a window. A small child was sitting on the dashboard.
Magistrates are considering banning him.
I would have thought dangerous as opposed to careless.
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Mmmmm I'll tell you what I think after he's been sentenced. (I had the front page of the local rag faxed to me today......it had a still from the video)
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I'm not sure it was all that careless. Admittedly, he did have both hands off the wheel, but far dodgier things go on in coaches.
On a long trip a couple of years ago through France, the drivers used to change regularly on the fly, setting the cruise control and then climbing in and out of the driver's seat. Never caused a problem.
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Would have done if the car in front had braked.
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Dangerous driving:
Where the driving falls far below what would be expected of a competent driver,
and it would be obvious to a competent and careful driver that driving in that way would be dangerous.
Careless driving:
Where the driving falls below the standard expected of a reasonable, prudent and competent driver in all the circumstances of the case.
Take your pick?
DVD
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...try driving a coach, with people's lives in your hands, whilst simultaneously using a phone, closing a window, and allowing a child to sit on the dashboard!
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4038231.stm
The photo says it all!
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I personally think he should be banned and jailed, and his employer should be fined. He is supposed to be a Proffessional driver! especially!
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news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4038231.stm
ignoring the issue of the child on the dashboard (The girl, the daughter of a fellow driver, had refused to get off the dashboard, the court was told - so thats' all right then)
1 - 'In his defence, magistrates heard his employer had phoned him as he was driving and insisted on speaking to him.' - how did he know, until he answered the phone ?
2 - what is the employer of a coach driver doing phoning that driver when they must know that they are probably driving ?
3 - surely anybody who 'insists' on speaking to somebody they know is driving is as irresponsible (as guilty ?) as the person taking the call
4 - given the behaviour of the driver and his boss, would you use a coach from that company ?
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I posted the same info earlier today, and it got moved to a thread on the same subject that predates the ban: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=26073&...e
Guess yours will be moved soon, too. {Yep. It has}
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I did too, having first checked by doing a Forum search on the word coach where the search range was in the past week. Would seem that the latter (search range) was my undoing, as the old article predates today by more than a week.
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As I bus driver I obvioulsy cannot condone what went on, but on the subject of the child they have become almost untouchable in the eyes of the law, often schoolkids mess around on my bus and I have learned it is impossible to reason with them as they know I cannot do anything to stop them.
My employer rules state that the police should be called in incidences involving really bad behaviour but this course of action is often totally impractical and I doubt any attending officer would be impressed at having to deal with what in their opinion would be a very trivial matter....
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Don't you have the authority to throw them off the bus? Is it a service bus or a hired coach? When I went to school the drivers used to bring the coach back to the school, throw off the people misbehaving and drive the rest of us home.
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Don't you have the authority to throw them off the bus?
Surely that would require touching the little treasures and thus committing assault, and probably infringing their human rights?
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It is an offence in the eyes of the law to throw any child off a bus, and as the above poster mentioned just touching them risks an assualt charge. But then there is only so much abuse anyone can take....
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Just Carless? - Tom Shaw
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seeing the above topic heading, i thought this thread was about tom shaw having just joined the "no-wheels" camp - i.e. lost his car.
!!! tic mode on :: ;- ) :: note that in another thread tom spells hopeless as "hopless". :: :-0 ::
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in another thread tom spells hopeless as "hopless".
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see here
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=27...0
"You'll always find a legal eagle to take your case on, however hopless. "
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There has been a shortage of e's in Wales this year, Dalglish. We have been advised to economise where possible till fresh stocks arrive in the new year.
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That'll be down to the Welsh Assembleeeeeeeeeeeeeee :)
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There were plenty of Es in Wales when I used to live there. And soap bar and and even heroin too.
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