Reply to: 144mph speeding A19 drivers given suspended jail terms

[eek]

Should have been prosecuted and lost his job.

Thinking about it driving down that road this morning I don't think Durham had the right to decide what to do. The speeding must have taken place in either West or North Yorkshire so surely that police force should be the one making the decision and Durham should have asked them to decide...

[psychocandy]

I dont think they should have been prosecuted at all

BBC News - Speeding Durham Police driver disciplined over 140mph

Should have been prosecuted and lost his job.

[eek]

I dont think they should have been prosecuted at all

BBC News - Speeding Durham Police driver disciplined over 140mph

Different police force.

[Boney M]

I dont think they should have been prosecuted at all

BBC News - Speeding Durham Police driver disciplined over 140mph

[pjclarke]

Ah, so SS thinks a public road and a rally track are the same driving environment.

That explains a lot.

[scooterscot]

But then rally drivers dont have other people on the road to think about. Completely different.

Sure they do, they're standing with their cameras on the side of the road applauding.

[scooterscot]

Hey I didn't know you were legally qualified.

Funny though that when I got busted for speeding recently and was in court, my solicitor (an expert in this area of law) advised me to plead guilty and mitigate. I got off pretty lightly in the circumstances.

But what does he know, eh? Had I followed your legal advice, maybe I'd have got off completely

The council of a solicitor is now a prerequisite to understand the legal ramifications of breaking the law when speeding?

With such clients, who needs a money tree?

[vwdan]

I recall a case in fife where a driver got done for dangerously driving his bmw m3, again 140mph+ on the M9. The judge threw the case out when the defendant had a representative from bmw testify that it was indeed safe to drive the car at that speed. Because of double jeopardy law the police could not charge him again with the lesser charge of speeding.

No he didn't.

[DirtyDog]

Accidents just down the road from where this was filmed:

• A 77-year-old driver was killed in a car crash while crossing the southbound A19 at the junction. Marjory Cook, of Hutton Rudby, died in Middlesbrough General Hospital on May 27, 2001.
• Hairdresser Joanne Devine, 22, from Tawney Close, Eston, was killed crossing the junction in May 2002. Her death prompted Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield to write to the Highways Agency highlighting the junction’s safety record.
• In March 2003 Mr Sheffield called for action to be taken at the blackspot after a crash claimed a young woman’s life.
• In August 2003, Myra Ann Gray, 75, of Brancepeth, County Durham, was one of two who died after a crash there.

[psychocandy]

The prosecution argument would be on the basis of the number of accidents that occur on that stretch of road, the number of times that traffic comes to a sudden stop, the number of times there are obstructions in the outside lane etc. etc.

The combination of those factors would be enough to show that driving in excess of the speed limit would be dangerous. Trying to argue that it isn't dangerous, based on the assumption that they were driving a BMW, is ridiculous.

Exactly. If BMW can prove to me that ploughing into the back of a stationary vehicle turning right (as I understand can happen on this road) at > 140mph will result in no injuries to occupants of either vehicle then I'll buy one tomorrow.

At the end of the day, their metal cars. If you mule into something at this speed someone is going to die (unless their in a tank).

[psychocandy]

Please make a case for driving at 140mph on a road which has crossings and people pulling into the fast lane while braking to reach the central reservation, and often has stationary cars in the central reservation right next to the fast lane, being safe.

Motorways and autobahns have slip-roads to remove these sources of danger.

EXACTLY. More like an argument for driving fast because I like it and think I'm cool.

[psychocandy]

Rally drivers approach high speeds on roads in far less condition than the A19, but is it considered dangerous?

But then rally drivers dont have other people on the road to think about. Completely different.

[eek]

Hey I didn't know you were legally qualified.

Funny though that when I got busted for speeding recently and was in court, my solicitor (an expert in this area of law) advised me to plead guilty and mitigate. I got off pretty lightly in the circumstances.

But what does he know, eh? Had I followed your legal advice, maybe I'd have got off completely

Not quite. I reckon following Scooter's advice it would be

[Platypus]

The lead driver should have pleaded innocent, and demonstrated the car was safe to drive at that speed

Hey I didn't know you were legally qualified.

Funny though that when I got busted for speeding recently and was in court, my solicitor (an expert in this area of law) advised me to plead guilty and mitigate. I got off pretty lightly in the circumstances.

But what does he know, eh? Had I followed your legal advice, maybe I'd have got off completely

[eek]

Did the drivers own a Mac though?

Not just any mac though. It need a really big, really expensive hard drive because it made it really, really expensive for no good reason.