Police car chases

[driver1 10]

How can South Yorks. police defend their actions in chasing a car at high speeds through a residential area (Sheff Star 17/6/2008). Yes the driver concerned was totally irresponsible, idiotic and a danger to society but for the police to exacerbate the situation by starting a high speed chase is surely as bad as the drivers actions. On Monday evening, on our journey home, A patrol car decide to switch on his blue lights and run a definite red light causing three lanes of traffic to brake and swerve, this was to apprehend someone using a mobile phone. As a advanced driving assessor I am becoming increasingly worried about the attitude portayed by many, not just police, driving under blues and twos. Any comments by other road users.

[RazorSHarp 10]

If the Police officer did "run the red light" then he was in the wrong, as all police officers must treat a red light as a give way.

 

As far as stopping the driver using his mobile phone, it is a new initiative of the force to stop people and fine them and I would assume that they have targets for these offences too.

 

If you are driving assesor you should be more concerned about the driver on the phone than the officer as he has probably had less training than the PC and is driving in a manner far more liekly to cause an accident.

[lee79 10]

I agree, the general driving is getting worse. In the space of one hour I saw several people driving very selfish. One old guy went through red at the bottom of Granville Road, when we all stopped so not to hit him, he pointed at a second set of lights, that had no connection with the ones he just ran, as though he was saying, 'look, they're on green' (which these one's were, but for another junction).

[Karukai 10]

How can South Yorks. police defend their actions in chasing a car at high speeds through a residential area (Sheff Star 17/6/2008). Yes the driver concerned was totally irresponsible, idiotic and a danger to society but for the police to exacerbate the situation by starting a high speed chase is surely as bad as the drivers actions. On Monday evening, on our journey home, A patrol car decide to switch on his blue lights and run a definite red light causing three lanes of traffic to brake and swerve, this was to apprehend someone using a mobile phone. As a advanced driving assessor I am becoming increasingly worried about the attitude portayed by many, not just police, driving under blues and twos. Any comments by other road users.

 

Yes, how could they be so stupid as to try and catch a criminal?

[jinnertomcat 10]

How can South Yorks. police defend their actions in chasing a car at high speeds through a residential area (Sheff Star 17/6/2008). Yes the driver concerned was totally irresponsible, idiotic and a danger to society but for the police to exacerbate the situation by starting a high speed chase is surely as bad as the drivers actions. On Monday evening, on our journey home, A patrol car decide to switch on his blue lights and run a definite red light causing three lanes of traffic to brake and swerve, this was to apprehend someone using a mobile phone. As a advanced driving assessor I am becoming increasingly worried about the attitude portayed by many, not just police, driving under blues and twos. Any comments by other road users.

 

 

Best just to let him go then.....

[Karukai 10]

Wonder what the OP's reaction would be if they saw a car driving dangerously and then saw a police car NOT in pursuit...

[driver1 10]

Would any of you care to explain to the relatives of innocent road users killed/maimed due to low standards of emergency vehicle driving the importance of catching mobile phone users or seeing how many medical emergency vehicles on one call at the same time.

[Herbaliser 10]

As far as stopping the driver using his mobile phone, it is a new initiative of the force to stop people and fine them and I would assume that they have targets for these offences too.

 

Just for the record:

 

It's been illegal since 2003 (and there was an increase in the penalty about a year ago) - it's not a new initiative by the force.

 

SYP have no targets for number of mobile phone using drivers stopped. The only road-related target is to reduce the number of people killed on the roads. Stopping people using phones whilst driving contributes to achieving this target, but there is no specific target relating to use of phone whilst driving.

[kath196 10]

Does anyone know if the range rover cars that are on the motorways, marked as traffic officers, do they have the same powers as the police ? Am I right in thinking that they aren't police driven ?

Kath

[Karukai 10]

Would any of you care to explain to the relatives of innocent road users killed/maimed due to low standards of emergency vehicle driving the importance of catching mobile phone users or seeing how many medical emergency vehicles on one call at the same time.

 

I'd quote something similar to my last post...

[Grandad.Malky 11]

If the police did nothing and the “totally irresponsible, idiotic and a danger to society” driver hit someone I wonder who would be the first to complain, driver1 perhaps.

[Grandad.Malky 11]

Does anyone know if the range rover cars that are on the motorways, marked as traffic officers, do they have the same powers as the police ? Am I right in thinking that they aren't police driven ?

Kath

 

The Highways Agency Traffic Officer Service

 

This is a new nationwide service which is being developed to help ease congestion on England's motorways and strategic road network. The service consists of two complementary parts - on-road Traffic Officers and staff in Regional Control Centres who direct and co-ordinate regional responses.

Why are they needed?

Congestion on the Highways Agency's roads costs us all around £3 billion every year and a quarter of this congestion is caused by collisions. Traffic Officers will help the police manage the traffic around accidents to reduce this congestion.

Traffic Officers

Highways Agency Traffic Officers are highly trained people who patrol the motorways. Their aim is to keep traffic moving around collisions and make road users' journey as safe and reliable as possible. Their role has been developed with the police, freeing them up to help reduce crime.

Key responsibilities:

• Stopping and directing traffic

In order to remove debris or safeguard drivers and passengers Traffic Officers can temporarily close roads and stop and direct traffic.

• Supporting Police

Traffic Officers support police in their traffic duties, such as applying temporary road closures if there is a major accident, to allow police to investigate. The police retain responsibility for serious accidents and enforcing road traffic offences.

• Clearing-up

Managing the safe clear up after road traffic collisions. Clearing debris such as shredded tyres or large items of rubbish that could damage vehicles or cause an accident.

• Removing vehicles

Arranging for the removal of damaged and abandoned vehicles that could danger or hinder road-users' journeys.

• Patrolling

Traffic Officers go on high-visibility patrols on specific routes looking or being directed to problems such as debris in the carriageway that could affect road-users' safety and journeys.

 

Working with the police

 

The Traffic Officer role has been developed jointly with the police. The police will continue to deal with the enforcement of road traffic offences, the investigation of crime, and will retain overall