Naughty naughty

[Mr Pig]

I think that driving fast on public roads is inherently dangerous. The training the police get lets them reduce the risk, but it doesn't mean it's safe. I guess they figure there is a worth while trade off between the risk attached to driving faster and the delay in response time if they drove more slowly.

 

[Old Walrus]

The standard of driver training is going back to what it was, a 4 week course instead of days here and there. For my part I would not want to be a response driver anymore.

 

[hackbike 6]

Bollocks!!

blah blah blah blah.

Hi Dom!

Strange but I seem to remember some scrote who could harly see over the steering wheel driving up to Leyton at about 70mph one moroning on my commute and I didn't think that was safe either.

 

[domtyler]

Hi Dom!

Strange but I seem to remember some scrote who could harly see over the steering wheel driving up to Leyton at about 70mph one moroning on my commute and I didn't think that was safe either.

That wasn't me mate!

 

[hackbike 6]

:?:

 

[Pip]

Bollocks!! :?:!


Why should you have your life put at risk so they can go and arrest some scrote for shoplifting? about forty people die on the roads each year after being knocked flying by speeding police cars, countless others suffer life changing injuries.

By all means get out of the way if and when it is safe to do so, but being on an emergency call does not give them the right to forget about everyone else on the road, especially pedestrians and cyclists who are most likely to be killed by these gung-ho idiots!

I don't have any figures, but I wouldn't mind betting that far more than 40 people have died where either Police, Fire or Ambulance haven't quite made it there in time, delayed by traffic of all breeds not cooperating with them.

I'm not by any means saying it's ok for the police or any other 999 driver to hit people, or risk hitting people, in the name of getting somewhere quickly, of course it isn't. These drivers should have thorough training, and put safety first.

What I would say is that while they have a duty to drive within their abilities and with due consideration to the safety of those around them, I feel we have a duty to make what is a stupidly difficult job that little bit easier by making an effort to get the heck out of the way!

 

[hackbike 6]

Im sure the cops dont do it deliberately and are doing it for a perfectly good reason.You can't just let some scrote get away can you?

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I feel we have a duty to make what is a stupidly difficult job that little bit easier by making an effort to get the heck out of the way!

I agree with this... however, to the crap Police driver who ran the red light in front of me this morning (accelerated to get through just after it went red and our light was changing) you were not responding to an emergency, and should learn to drive. You muppet.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

... also the one who pulled out in front of my truck at a mini roundabout a few weeks ago. Even while standing on the brakes I had time to notice he was on the phone.

 

[domtyler]

I don't have any figures, but I wouldn't mind betting that far more than 40 people have died where either Police, Fire or Ambulance haven't quite made it there in time, delayed by traffic of all breeds not cooperating with them.

I'm not by any means saying it's ok for the police or any other 999 driver to hit people, or risk hitting people, in the name of getting somewhere quickly, of course it isn't. These drivers should have thorough training, and put safety first.

What I would say is that while they have a duty to drive within their abilities and with due consideration to the safety of those around them, I feel we have a duty to make what is a stupidly difficult job that little bit easier by making an effort to get the heck out of the way!

I'm sure you'll still be this understanding once you or a close member of your family or friend is killed or maimed for life so that a shoplifter could be arrested.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

With great respect Dom, have you actually read the post you've quoted there? It's just that you appear to be answering a point Pip wasn't making.

 

[domtyler]

With great respect Dom, have you actually read the post you've quoted there? It's just that you appear to be answering a point Pip wasn't making.

Come on RT, you've been here long enough to know that one should never let the facts get in the way of a good rant!

 

[Piemaster]

Walked to supermarket for a bit of shopping a while back, the covered pedestrian walkway had a 'Luton' type van reasonably well jammed under it. Staff / driver letting air out of tyres, scratching heads.
Went in and got the shopping and came out, must have been in the store 10 minutes.
At this point a fire engine with blues & two comes racing into the car park, followed shortly after by a similarly driven police car. Seemed a bit excessive to me.
No lives in danger (apart from by the emergency vehicles) so what was the rush?
Do the services have to respond in that way to a 999 call, is there any discretion by the receiving operators?

 

[stoatsngroats]

At this point a fire engine with blues & two comes racing into the car park, followed shortly after by a similarly driven police car. Seemed a bit excessive to me.
No lives in danger

...I was thinking this kind of thing MUST happen alot...I saw a programme on TV where the police have cameras, and the y went 'Blues & 2's' to a station where someone reported a man 'flashing' a woman...when they got there the man wasn't the one..!

Is 'flashing' an emergency scenario; and this was just regular - not traffic police too...!

There should be varying degrees of emergency surely...?!

 

[Pip]

I'm sure you'll still be this understanding once you or a close member of your family or friend is killed or maimed for life so that a shoplifter could be arrested.

To be honest, I hope I would have some capacity to understand that accidents do happen, tragically, but accidently. The police have to respond rapidly, no human is perfect, and in the heat of the moment mistakes do get made. In reality, of course I have no idea how I'd handle it, and I hope to God I never find out. You may well be right in what you're implying, that I'd rapidly reverse my opinion, you may be wrong. As I say, I hope not to find out.

Come on RT, you've been here long enough to know that one should never let the facts get in the way of a good rant!

Hehe, I'm picking up on that one

Walked to supermarket for a bit of shopping a while back, the covered pedestrian walkway had a 'Luton' type van reasonably well jammed under it. Staff / driver letting air out of tyres, scratching heads.
Went in and got the shopping and came out, must have been in the store 10 minutes.
At this point a fire engine with blues & two comes racing into the car park, followed shortly after by a similarly driven police car. Seemed a bit excessive to me.
No lives in danger (apart from by the emergency vehicles) so what was the rush?
Do the services have to respond in that way to a 999 call, is there any discretion by the receiving operators?

Yes, this does annoy me, there's no need to drive like your hairs on fire to respond to something non urgent, and I think a lot of 'pirsuit,' style driving could and should be avoided. Although there is always the argument that a situation could develop into something nastier, so a rapid response is warranted. In the end, to come back on topic, when we see a 999 vehicle approaching with the flashing lights and sirens going, we have no idea what it's attending, whether it's 'worth it' or not, so we should get out of the way as best we can ;-)