Traffic Cops, BBC

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 16:14
Traffic Cops, BBC - jamie745

Did anybody see Traffic Cops last week? I caught up with it on Sky+ and what got me the most was (for those who didnt see it) there was a guy who worked on behalf of a car dealer, was delivering a customers Audi TT and was clocked at 116mph on the dual carraigeway, unmarked police chased him for many minutes at extraordinary speed to catch him, doing 70 odd in a 30. And in the end he got a £350 fine and a 14 day disqualification.

Seriously. What was the point?

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 16:45
Traffic Cops, BBC - TeeCee

The size of the fine and length of the ban are pretty much immaterial in that case, he won't be doing it again anyway. Even if the dealership was insanely sympathetic and didn't fire him on the spot, I doubt they'll be letting him out in anything more tasty than a diesel Polo in future.

The ones that really make my blood boil are when they hand out an n month ban to someone for driving while disqualified, which for my money is pretty much the same as saying; "carry on as you were"....

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 16:46
Traffic Cops, BBC - Andy P

That's been one of my bugbears for a long time - the fines that get handed out are pitiful, and do nothing to act as a deterrent. Take no insurance - a couple of hundred quid at most. What good is that? If they made it a couple of thousand, then maybe people would think twice about not having any (and I'd make damn sure they paid it, even if it meant confiscating their plasma TVs and iPhones).

Rant over.

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 16:53
Traffic Cops, BBC - jamie745

Putting points on a licence people havent got isnt a productive measure and an example of the law not keeping up with the times. Currently there isnt anything else they can do. But to me, 14 day disqual for 116 on an A road and 70 in a 30 (you shouldve seen the speeds the police had to do just to catch up with him, jesus christ) is pointless. Im guessing he begged in court that he'd lose his job etc and he got off lightly but as the copper said 'i didnt make him drive at that speed'

Driving without insurance can be up to a £5k fine but ive never seen that actually given. What i hate is the examples of people thinking its ok because 'i only did it the one time' etc. The woman who 'parked' in a junction when the police pulled her and was found to be without a licence etc she thinks its ok because its 'just this one time' etc.

What the show does sometimes prove though is how the policies of Governments, councils and road safety charities who believe everything can be policed with cameras is flawed. The case of the woman on a provisional etc the car was fine according to the ANPR and if she'd had her lights on and was driving with some competance she'd have never got pulled. And speed cameras are somewhat futile as i could drive up any road with a speed camera on it with no licence, insurance, tax, mot, drunk and on drugs in a stolen car but so long as i dont go too fast it wont flash.

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 17:12
Traffic Cops, BBC - bathtub tom

It probably really hurts when he comes to re-insure.

How many points on your licence?

Have you ever been disqualified from driving?

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 17:13
Traffic Cops, BBC - jamie745

Yeah so then they just drive without insurance. Some of them dont get caught for years. Five fines a year still wont cover the insurance.

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 17:27
Traffic Cops, BBC - unthrottled

That's the problem. I'm not really sure that encumbering someone's licence with endorsements that make them uninsurable for 5 years or more is helpful. I'd rather that they had a short period of disqualification (say 6 months) that was rigorously enforced under threat of imprisonment.

Part of effective law enforcement is making sure that the law abiding path is easier than the criminal one.

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Tue 9 Aug 2011 17:54
Traffic Cops, BBC - jamie745

Im not sure i buy that because by making the law abiding path easier than the criminal one it makes the reoffending path easier as well. You need to remember theres plenty of people out there for whom no amount of chances will be enough. They're just brainless vermin scrotes who will never change their ways.

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Wed 10 Aug 2011 01:43
Traffic Cops, BBC - Ben 10

Re the TT mechanic. I would have taken the car back to the owner on a low loader and made the idiot make his way back on his own. If it were my TT I'd be furious. All they did was let him go on his way, with a little financial slap on the wrist, and an opportunity to carry on speeding wherever he was headed.

Should have cost him his job. How many other customers cars has he done it in.

So if you are tempted to have your car serviced with a pick up and drop off service, beware. You don't know how it's being driven/thrashed. Better to do it yourself.

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Wed 10 Aug 2011 02:02
Traffic Cops, BBC - jamie745

Well thats just the thing, under current legislation if you're pulled over purely for speeding you're issued with a fixed penalty and three points. In his case because he was over the 30mph threshold he had to go to court instead but in neither case do they take the car away, you're free to go on your way. However if he didnt have a licence/tax/insurance/mot etc they wouldve seized the car and then the TT owner wouldve been royally p***ed off.

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