Reply to: Question for CarolB

Re: time in jail

Due to the sort of cars I drive I found in the UK there were more than necessary jealous types that would try and have accidents with you.

That's true for more than just cars. There are all sorts of problems caused by having a certain accent and being educated at certain schools and universities.

Re: time in jail

Forget the normative stuff like drink driving what about the emotive crap?

Anyone can kill someone in a car. A kid can run out into the road, and you can kill him at 20mph. The emphasis from the parents point of view will be to blame the driver, not the fact that he hasn't been taught the green cross code. I rmember readin an article in the paper about some group who had campaigned for speed bumps so that little johnny can play football in the road. Excuse me WTF is the road for?

All of a sudden the parents of RTA incidents become experts in road safety, "oh that road is so dangerous that killed our 17 yr old Johnny" (in his 140bhp Saxo) we must have speed bumps.

End of rant

Re: time in jail

Driving a car without a licence, insurance, MOT etc, being involved in an accident due to careless wreckless or even dangerous driving should be offensive weapons offences.

Always amazes me that the penalty for driving without a licence, seems to be a driving ban. :rolleyes

What’s the point of banning someone who wasn’t allowed to drive in the first place?

Re: time in jail

Forgot to mention: I always carry a disposable camera with me. Whenever there is an accident I take lots and lots of pictures. All around both cars, not just at the impact point.

Never ever ever mention to the plod you have photographic evidence, they will seize the camera and lose it (had that trick pulled on me as well).

And thanks in no small part to that I have an 80% no claims bonus and a clean driving license.

Re: time in jail

I would expect that red jumpers and deliberate crashers would be much reduced if they faced an offensive weapons charge should they be found to be at fault.

This would no longer be under police control as it would no longer be regarded as a traffic offense.

Re: time in jail

One of the reasons I got fed up of living in the UK was the plod doing stuff just like the above. It is really sickening. It is so much like several incidents I've had I can well believe it.

Due to the sort of cars I drive I found in the UK there were more than necessary jealous types that would try and have accidents with you.

And the plod always seem to back them up.

Tw4ts

Re: time in jail

I would have fought it, but they he decided to pay for the course rather than risk points a fine or whatever.

I've heard of a couple of other cases where the police have been doing this threatening tactic to get people on their £300 courses.

AFAIR my friends only error was to assume no-one would be coming through the red light. The other driver disputed that he'd gone through the red but he was the only car to go through in a line of traffic. Unfortunately my friend assumed the other guy was going to play fair so didn't seek witnesses.
The police tried to do the other guy first but then just latched onto my friend who was less cunning.

Re: time in jail

So did he hit the car jumping the red, or did the car jumping the red hit him? If the latter, this is just police harrasment. The conclusion of that train of thinking is that no one would go over a green light in case someone jumped the red coming the other way and drove into you.

Re: time in jail

He's not the type to make things up. It's a road where people often jump the red. He was turning from a side road, the Police arguement was he should have seen the car jumping the lights.

Re: time in jail

A friend (no not me) was hit by someone as he went through a green traffic light, it was his right of way and the other driver jumped a red. The police tried to blame my friend and threatened to charge him with driving without due car and attention

Huh? How can this possibly be your, sorry your friend's, fault? The basic principle is that unless there are exceptional cicumstances (e.g. someone blasted out of a blind junction right in front of you) if you hit someone, it's your fault.

If your friend isn't telling porkies to cover himself, I think he has a case for bringing a charge of police harrasment.

Re: time in jail

Driving a car without a licence, insurance, MOT etc, being involved in an accident due to careless wreckless or even dangerous driving should be offensive weapons offences.

A friend (no not me) was hit by someone as he went through a green traffic light, it was his right of way and the other driver jumped a red. The police tried to blame my friend and threatened to charge him with driving without due car and attention, there were no witnesses but he was forced to go on a dangerous driving course which the police now profit from (coincidentally?). If the person in the other car were killed should he have gone to prison for murder?

Re: time in jail

WageSlave1: Agree there comprehensive 'edukasun' is at the root of many problems in the UK.

Going decimal is at the root of many others.

Re: time in jail

The clerk involved has been sacked and is likely to be facing criminal charges.

The clerk held a position of trust, which she abused. She deserves the heavy hand of justice.
I blame comprehensive education :rolleyes

Re: time in jail

being involved in an accident due to careless wreckless or even dangerous driving

Shirley such a car accident would be anything but "wreckless"?

Gads, I'm so sharp today I fear I might cut myself.

Re: time in jail

Numpty: I would generally agree, but as Eddie says, once you factor in stupidity a car becomes a lethal weapon, we lock people up for having guns without a licence, we send twocers on go-karting holidays for driving without a licence.

We need at least two pieces of legislation.
1. Culpable manslaughter. If you kill someone or cause someones death whilst doing something stupid, or doing something illegal, if that death could have been avoided had you not done what you did, then you should be held responsible and go to prison for a long time.

2. Driving a car without a licence, insurance, MOT etc, being involved in an accident due to careless wreckless or even dangerous driving should be offensive weapons offences.
Maybe drivers would be a lot more careful about how they drive.