Safety or your license ? The penalty of power.

[Submariner1]

I've got a few years to go...

Good safe driving isn't just about you though, it's about expecting things can change such as the driver getting sorted and speeding up again.
You were left with only bad options because of his poor driving (I wont say yours too but maybe raise just one eyebrow).

He should have checked his mirror before speeding up as it could be expected people may be passing but he probably saw you and was being a dick.

Speed cameras are never fair, they will ignore a drunk driver on the phone with bald tyres at the speed limit but do you for going a few MPH over the speed limit with a good car and a speed that is safe for the current situation.

In fairness to that driver, I think he was just so relieved his car got going, I think getting it running properly was his motivation.
I've met the "hold out" merchants (you know the ones, who dawdle along in a daze ... doing 20mph in a 40 mph, and as soon as you overtake they floor it, and keep you out, even if they see oncoming traffic ) quite a few times, you can really sense they are doing it on purpose.

Never did understand that mentality, anyone who wants to overtake me is very welcome, and I go out of my way to make it easy for them, like leave a gap in front.
Hey you never know they might have a sick kid on the back seat rushing to hospital.

 

[davemercedes]

In fairness to that driver, I think he was just so relieved his car got going, I think getting it running properly was his motivation.
I've met the "hold out" merchants (you know the ones, who dawdle along in a daze ... doing 20mph in a 40 mph, and as soon as you overtake they floor it, and keep you out, even if they see oncoming traffic ) quite a few times, you can really sense they are doing it on purpose.

Never did understand that mentality, anyone who wants to overtake me is very welcome, and I go out of my way to make it easy for them, like leave a gap in front.
Hey you never know they might have a sick kid on the back seat rushing to hospital.

I agree with you.
- But I do hate the ones who overtake, pull in front and then flamin' well slow down (so I have to brake and slow down too)!

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I agree with you.
- But I do hate the ones who overtake, pull in front and then flamin' well slow down (so I have to brake and slow down too)!

which by definition is Careless Driving on their part, "causing another driver to alter their speed or direction". All too common, unfortunately. Probably never results in prosecution.

 

[television]

I agree with you.
- But I do hate the ones who overtake, pull in front and then flamin' well slow down (so I have to brake and slow down too)!

Even worse when they turn left after overtaking

 

[M80]

I feel like it's cat and mosuse on the m'way sometimes.
I set cruise, around 58 - 60 and tootle along,
little wotsit passes at maybe 70, pulls in ahead,
5 minutes later I'm passing them slowly.
A few minutes later we do it all again.

 

[television]

I feel like it's cat and mosuse on the m'way sometimes.
I set cruise, around 58 - 60 and tootle along,
little wotsit passes at maybe 70, pulls in ahead,
5 minutes later I'm passing them slowly.
A few minutes later we do it all again.

And this has been going on long before all the dancing lessons on the box.

 

[davemercedes]

And this has been going on long before all the dancing lessons on the box.

And none of the above get caught on speed tills,, I mean Safety Cameras.
Yeah, right.

Interesting that a very large and basically law abiding section of our community has such mistrust of our "road policing" and most regard it as revenue earning. Maybe we need a Donald Trump for Transport Minister!

 

[kwk]

And none of the above get caught on speed tills,, I mean Safety Cameras.
Yeah, right.

Interesting that a very large and basically law abiding section of our community has such mistrust of our "road policing" and most regard it as revenue earning. Maybe we need a Donald Trump for Transport Minister!

Being a retired Traffic policeman, I am all for roads policing but, of the old type of officers in patrol cars who are properly trained, not like most of the current generation roads policing officers. Cameras, in my view, show only a very limited picture of an overall incident and capture one part of what could be a far more serious offence. If a speeding motorist passes a patrol car, they are likely to be stopped and appropriate action taken. If they pass a camera, nothing stops them continuing to kill or severely injure somebody further on down the road.
It is ironic, that the very people who called for the genuine traffic departments to be disbanded and officers re assigned to other duties a few years back, are now asking why the police are not enforcing things such as misuse of mobile phones, lane discipline etc.
When I first went on to traffic, there was an Inspector, two sergeants and twelve PC's booking out of our office with a similar number of pc's every 20 miles or so. When I retired, there were sometimes me, as the sergeant with two cars covering the whole of South Wales, including motorways, on a night shift and, I have known to complete an afternoon shift and telephone the control room to inform them that there would be no traffic officer on nights.
As with everything else, you get what you are prepared top pay for.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Being a retired Traffic policeman, I am all for roads policing but, of the old type of officers in patrol cars who are properly trained, not like most of the current generation roads policing officers.

Well said. Cameras do not educate, they may only punish, and one person at a time, and at some time after the event.

Traditional policing embodied lots of advantages, principally including the knowledge, experience, commonsense and discretion of the officers.

I believe it is held in circles who know about these things that a well worded caution is at least as good as a prosecution, and for the majority of well intentioned and normally law abiding citizens, that would be a sensible and effective remedy.

Sadly, there are fewer police these days, and they do seem to require special training or be sent on a course before being allowed to do and increasing list of everyday policing tasks.