Cant police officers read road signs

[henryandlesley]

I had a laugh when i was coming through Newmarket there was a long line of traffic and in front of me was a police horse box which was a hgv class 2 which was 14 ft 6" high he turned of the main high street to try and get round the traffic and had to stop because if he went any further he would of hit a 14 ft bridge.
I hope he gets a ticket for not reading the signs stating that there is a low bridge, as if it was anyother hgv driver the police would soon be fast enough fast not reading signs.

[carbore]

I hope to you diddnt take a photo

Man arrested and locked up for five hours after taking photo of police van ignoring 'no entry' sign (see below)



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1046853/Man-arrested-locked-hours-taking-photo-police-van-ignoring-entry-sign.html

[lee celtic]

sorry don't get it  :-k

If he'd hit the bridge then fair enough .

but the fact that he stopped before hitting the bridge means he must have seen the sign... :-k

[Mudlark]

If he had read and understood the sign he wouldn't have turned into the road  :roll:

[lee celtic]

AAAAARRRR the sign was at the juntion  :D

Now I get it  (sorry red wine poisoning) :lol: :lol:

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Police Horsebox in Suffolk? Must have been from an outside force. As far as I know, they don't have County Mounties in Suffolk. Must have been a townie that got lost!

[thermidorthelobster]

Not a police car, but I got a bit annoyed at a coach and HGV that both ignored the traffic lights at the Mongolian BBQ roundabout earlier;  they did yield to oncoming traffic, but did the big red glowing lights at 3 points in front of them not give them a bit of a clue?

[Sharpshooter]

I passed a Policeman on a driving whilst on a mobile this morning. And no, it wasnt his radio..

Very dissapointing.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

I passed a Policeman on a driving whilst on a mobile this morning. And no, it wasnt his radio..

Very dissapointing.

Thats a bit cheeky! I'd have complained! We are supposed to live by the same rules, hence all Hants area cars use a foot pedal for the radio. Good job most of them are automatics. Still confuses the hell out of me though, pushing both feet to the floor when accelarating and talking to the control room. :?

[Disco Matt]

I thought it was ok to use a mounted (as opposed to handheld) CB while driving? Obviously if it causes you to drive carelessly or dangerously then that's different.

I always felt they should have made it a case of "Driving without due care, to whit, using a mobile phone" rather than bringing in a specific law for it.

[Wireless]

I thought it was ok to use a mounted (as opposed to handheld) CB while driving? Obviously if it causes you to drive carelessly or dangerously then that's different.

I always felt they should have made it a case of "Driving without due care, to whit, using a mobile phone" rather than bringing in a specific law for it.

There's a Statutory Instrument that covers this, No. 2695 (I keep a copy in the car)

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032695.htm

The thing to remember is you can still be done for driving without due care if your use of a two way radio causes an Officer to believe that such actions might cause an accident, or have caused an accident.

I suspect this is why Hants Police have fitted a foot operated PTT (Push To Talk) to their vehicle mounted radios, so that there is no ambiguity for the purposes of enforcement.

All three of the Amateur Radios mounted in my car have fist mics, but I do plan to install latching PTT's, possibly not the foot operated variety, which seems too much of a distraction as it's alien to the usual vehicle control movements when driving a car, as LSP has pointed out.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

so is it still not against the law then for a police officer to talk on his radio whilst driving as up here in norfolk they do it all the time and most people say there is one law for one and another for others as same as taxi drivers talking on there radios aswell

All Norfolk Police cars are fitted with a trigger system on the stalks of the steering coloumn, usually with newer ones it is wired into what would have been the volume controls for the car audio system.
They have had this sort of system for a good number of years. I know that as I used to work for them until 2005.
They've had them fitted for a good ten years, so there isn't really any excuse.
We are supposed to set an example, and it annoys the heck out of me when I hear stuff like that. It undermines everything we are trying to achieve. :roll:

[Boggert]

so is it still not against the law then for a police officer to talk on his radio whilst driving as up here in norfolk they do it all the time and most people say there is one law for one and another for others as same as taxi drivers talking on there radios aswell

All Norfolk Police cars are fitted with a trigger system on the stalks of the steering coloumn, usually with newer ones it is wired into what would have been the volume controls for the car audio system.
They have had this sort of system for a good number of years. I know that as I used to work for them until 2005.
They've had them fitted for a good ten years, so there isn't really any excuse.
We are supposed to set an example, and it annoys the heck out of me when I hear stuff like that. It undermines everything we are trying to achieve. :roll:

Its the same in Lincs, however I think the law states you can use a 2 way radio while driving as long as its PTT, or push to talk and not a dial up mobil phone.

[Disco Matt]

That's a relief - mine's a fist mic PTT setup like most CBs.

It really does come down to where you're using it. I wouldn't, for example, use the thing while negotiating a busy town centre or in heavy traffic.

[DEANO3528]

They wil do whatever they like, end of story.
I watched the CNC Bully Boys drive up a Bridleway in their van last night. Still kicking myself I was without my camera. not that it would have any effect as they probably would have taken it off me at gunpoint. :roll:

[Boddle]

 The law with regards to Phones is you are not aloud to use one unless it is with system wired into the car and if you have used a preprogrammed number. And bluetooth are not hands free as people still have to phone up to enter number and is as illegal to use as the pick up the phone to your ear.

 Personally I feel this should applied to use of two way radio whilest in motion, Most police cars have a second person in them so why does the driver need to answer the radio surely its safer for the passenger to do this. Which is what I do with CB (well that and the fact that no-one understands what I say when I talk over CB).

[EbonynIvory]

Can any one explain to me why you can smoke while driving but be done for eating an apple?

And bluetooth are not hands free as people still have to phone up to enter number and is as illegal to use as the pick up the phone to your ear.

I use blue tooth and I don't hold my phone to my ear. Whats the difference between a corded hands free and a un - corded ear piece? Confused!

[solihull-mick]

The law with regards to Phones is you are not aloud to use one unless it is with system wired into the car and if you have used a preprogrammed number. And bluetooth are not hands free as people still have to phone up to enter number and is as illegal to use as the pick up the phone to your ear.

 Personally I feel this should applied to use of two way radio whilest in motion, Most police cars have a second person in them so why does the driver need to answer the radio surely its safer for the passenger to do this. Which is what I do with CB (well that and the fact that no-one understands what I say when I talk over CB).

Roger that over  :lol:

[redhand]

The law with regards to Phones is you are not aloud to use one unless it is with system wired into the car and if you have used a preprogrammed number. And bluetooth are not hands free as people still have to phone up to enter number and is as illegal to use as the pick up the phone to your ear.

 Personally I feel this should applied to use of two way radio whilest in motion, Most police cars have a second person in them so why does the driver need to answer the radio surely its safer for the passenger to do this. Which is what I do with CB (well that and the fact that no-one understands what I say when I talk over CB).

Must be awkward if your greenlaning and on your own.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Oh dear, I feel the hate coming from this topic :roll:

To try and answer some of the points raised.

1) Not all Plod cars are double crewed, as nice as that would be for safety and effectiveness. Hence the fitting of hands free systems with remote PTT buttons. (As discussed)

2) 'you can smoke, but not eat'. Interesting question. I personally would not nab someone for just eating, unless it is a huge pizza that is obscuring their view. It would then be seized and 'examined very closely'.
If they had a prang as result of eating, then due care etc would come into play, much the same as someone who drops their fag into their lap or onto the floor, tries to grab it and has a prang.
It was on this principle that Alec Issigonis designed the Mini as a no frills car, with no radio as it would distract the driver. In this day and age of iPods, how many people do you see driving with earphones in? Cuts out sound from other road users, approaching sirens, warnings etc,perhaps?

3) Police driving up a bridleway. Not an ideal situation, but they may well have been carrying out a patrol of their area. I in the past have driven on and still do drive on areas that are technically 'no go' areas for motor vehicles, but if I'm trying to prevent a crime, I can justify it.

It is not the case of 'They can do what they like'. Police officers are governed by the same rules as everyone else, and frequently get taken to court and punished. Before anyone turns round with the old cliche of 'They get away with a lighter punishment', look at it in perspective. There are a heck of a lot more people who go to court and get what are seen as lenient sentences.

As a 'Bully Boy', I am very much in the Public view, and I am very concious of what I do being open to scrutiny. Hence (as mentioned shed loads of times before), I deal with people the way I would want to be dealt with, as do the vast majority of officers.
If you have a cause for complaint, then complain. There may be a perfectly logical explanation for the actions of that officer. If there isn't then it will be dealt with.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

Oh dear, I feel the hate coming from this topic :roll:

I was not having a pop at any police officer just saying why cant they read road signs which I thought it was funny seeing it turn up this road and the very line of traffic behind as I know I was down in dover a few weeks ago and turned up this road and just as i got round the corner there was a sign say no through road for hgv's  so I went through knowing that i had a 45 ft trailor and if i backed out onto the main dual carrageway then there would of been a right mess so i went through to find a safe place to turn arround and just 300 yards there was and when i was turning arround a police car came up the road and stopped to let me carry on with turning arround and yes I did say thankyou for him holding up the traffic but what was safer doing what i did or just backing out

Perhaps the use of the word 'hate' was the wrong choice on my behalf, and for that I apologise. 'Dissent' may have been a better one to use, and possibly justified.
To quote The Bard from his Merchant of Venice, when Shylock was on trial "If you cut us, do we not bleed?"
Something like that, anyway. Thats probably the only bit I do recall from the MoV, unlike A Midsummer Night's Dream, which he must have been stoned when he wrote it or at least having an 'alternative lifestyle moment. I mean, an ass called Bottom? Hmm, make of that what you will! Men dressing as women and women dressing as men? Sounds like an evening bash at a political party conference!
As for being a stoned author, how about Lewis Carroll with Alice in Wonderland.
Picture the scene. Lewis is suffering from writers block and laudanum withdrawal, so he necks a few glasses of absinthe and what happens?
"ok, ok, I've got it, right. Theres this chick, right, and she eats this special cake, and she starts to see this rabbit with a big watch, and a dormouse that lives in a teapot, right, and there is this hatter bloke who has unbirthdays, then these playing cards start running round painting flowers. Then the Alice chick, wow this is good gear, eats a mushroom and gets, like, really big and, right, sees this big cat that vanishes, leaving only a smile. What a far out trip!"
HE WAS A DOPE FREAK!
As for Mary Shelly and Bram Stoker, bad acid trips, or what?


I digress, where was I? Oh yes! Is it me, or are Mars Bars smaller now than when we were kids? I need sleep, lots of sleep. Beer would be good, or rum, or both, in a bucket with a straw.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

they are getting smaller and why have they changed the names on most chocolate bars like marathon to snickers and opal fruits to star burstwhat else is going to change it is a pitty this goverment dont change

Re-branding and the ability of us public to think "Ooh, snickers, thats new, it must be better!" A bit like British Leyland having such a bad reputation, changing it to Austin Rover, which didn't really help, to Rover. Nuff said.  Metro to Rover 100 or City Rover. Bad move. However much you polish a turd, it is still a turd! Unlike a marathon, which is not one of those, but could be if you warmed it in your hands, shaped it and dropped it in someones pint! Never fails to amuse at parties! :twisted:

[Boddle]

Can any one explain to me why you can smoke while driving but be done for eating an apple?

And bluetooth are not hands free as people still have to phone up to enter number and is as illegal to use as the pick up the phone to your ear.

I use blue tooth and I don't hold my phone to my ear. Whats the difference between a corded hands free and a un - corded ear piece? Confused!

 Seem to recall on the scatter hunt watching you Scrabble with your phone for a period of at least 10 seconds fortunately we on a track like green lane traveling at five miles an hour an there was nothing to injure but rabbits for miles. At 30MPH you are traveling at 13 1/3 meters per second that's 133meter you haven't looked at the road once, at 70mph that translate to 310 meter (best part of 1/4 of a mile) it made me realise the danger even a bluetooth device can be. Hence the reason the state a wired in system and you are only allow to answer or use voice activated preprogrammed numbers. It Like the same as trying to read a map of or sat nav when driving or for that matter drink whilest driving (not just alcohol). All of which you will likely be done for dangerous particularly within the Warwickshire Borders as a result of an accident. Dangerous driving is a 2 year ban £1000 fine and the real humiliating part is the retest before you can drive again after your ban (Death by dangerous driving comes with 6 month in prison), with out all the additions to insurance cost and difficulties with jobs ETC you don't want to go there.
 You know I am talking as some one who has had Dangerous driving conviction.
 Think about it, Driving is like walking into a crowd of people with a hand grenade in your hand with the pin remove you may be have the strength to hold on to it or you may take out others and then having to live with that afterwards(as you may kill other but not yourself).
 Although I don't currently work in areas of the vehicle which relate to crash I have done in the past and I've also spent time envolve with setting up crash tests. Having seen a Range Rover Classic in 30mph crash test I would not recommend it to any one you Disco won't fare much better.

[Boddle]

 If I'm not mistaken you'll find that it also Illegal to cover the ears with anything but the hair on your head when driving.

[Wireless]

What about people driving motorcycles, they seem to cover their ears all the time?

[Boggert]

In answer to the origional question... No!

[fleffer]

  Seem to recall on the scatter hunt watching you Scrabble with your phone for a period of at least 10 seconds fortunately we on a track like green lane traveling at five miles an hour an there was nothing to injure but rabbits for miles. At 30MPH you are traveling at 13 1/3 meters per second that's 133meter you haven't looked at the road once, at 70mph that translate to 310 meter (best part of 1/4 of a mile) it made me realise the danger even a bluetooth device can be.

Hrmmmmm ........seem to recall on the Chippy run last friday, watching a certain vehicle behave most erratically around our vehicle on more than one occasion!!!!    [-X

PS...Hi everyone....finally got round to registering :) (EbonynIvory's partner in crime!!!)

The law with regards to Phones is you are not aloud to use one unless it is with system wired into the car and if you have used a preprogrammed number. And bluetooth are not hands free as people still have to phone up to enter number and is as illegal to use as the pick up the phone to your ear.

 Personally I feel this should applied to use of two way radio whilest in motion, Most police cars have a second person in them so why does the driver need to answer the radio surely its safer for the passenger to do this. Which is what I do with CB (well that and the fact that no-one understands what I say when I talk over CB).

Roger that over  :lol:

......er yes that's affirmative roger.....the tango fox is in the tree Charlie over!

[denviks]

so i think that maybe i should not post a picture i took not long ago of a police car parked on doubles outside a police station up north a couple of weeks ago then  :P :lol: :lol: :lol:

( tongue in cheek )....

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

You mean to say there are road signs? Oops!

[Boggert]

You mean to say there are road signs? Oops!

Yeah... but you are in a marked car so they just don't apply..... :roll: :roll: