Police cars killed 44 people last year!

[Simos]

How many road deaths in total... 3443?

 

That's 1.3%

 

I was shocked.

 

Are there as many Sevens as Police cars, I suspect so. If Sevens were responsible for 1.3% of all road deaths how long would Sevens be licensed for the road...?

[captain chaos]

That's both shocking and infuriating considering the current Police strategy to vilify the motorist.

[santa]

and we all like to play cops & robbers!!!

[Martin H]

Playing devil's advocate, how many additional deaths would there have been if car thieves and joyriders were allowed to drive how they liked?

[Red SLR]

Its worth remembering that some of those 44 were police officers.

 

X777CAT

[Nifty]

Also consider that the police sometimes have to put themselves in a position where they are far more exposed to accidents.

We don't/shouldn't.

 

Having said that I watched a police film of a car chase the other day and thought that the driving was unnecessarily dangerous and the comments made by the officer regarding other road users getting in his way when he suddenly confronted them at 30mph over the limit, on the wrong carriageway, did their cause no favours whatsoever. I was surprised they allowed it to be aired..not a good advertisement.

 

Nifty.

[EFA]

Nifty,

 

That wasn't dayglo stripes on a police car, that was a vid of my website...

 

Actually shot in France, the concern you show over the time spent on the "wrong side of the road" was actually the only time I was on the correct side of the road!

 

Fat Arn

Visit the K2 RUM siteid=red>

See the Lotus Seven Club 4 Counties Area Website hereid=green>

 

[FH]

Seriously, what we don't know is the breakdown of who was behind the wheel at the scene of each police "accident".

 

[rant mode on] Many years ago, the only people allowed to travel under "blues and two's" were highly trained Class 1 officers, either traffic, armed response, Special Escort Group, Royalty Protection and the Flying Squad. Intermediates often drove traffic cars (for the experience) but if it required an 'emergency response' type of drive, they had to change over seats with their Class 1 colleague for the high-speed stuff.

 

To obtain a Class 1 the driver went through a 5 week novice course; a 2 week intermediate course; 2 days on vans and a further 6 weeks' intensive training on the Advanced Course.

 

When Panda cars came in, much to the horror of all concerned (apart from those who instigated the new regime) - drivers with only a two/three week training course under their belts were technically given carte blanche to drive in Class 1 mode.

 

One of the senior instructors at Hendon Police Motor Driving School said at the time that by giving under-trained officers the use of the blue light, the accident rate would shoot up (which it did). What we are seeing now is years of underfunding, no refresher courses for those already qualified and minimal training for newcomers.

 

In the past if you spotted a marked jam-sandwich or unmarked car with blue lights in the grille, approaching at speed - you would have expected to see and would actually have witnessed a superb piece of skilful, high speed, at times almost-on-the-limit driving, all executed in a safe and dextrous manner.

 

Today, in towns and on country roads you often (virtually) meet the logo'd up Astra-man fighting to control the understeer on bends, totally out of his (or her) depth and not having the slightest idea why the car isn't staying on the left of the white line down the centre of the road.

 

As an example, the journalist who was seriously injured on the A316 was hit by a van driver. We all probably think that in each of the cases where a police car is involved in a high-speed traffic accident that they are the 'traffic' cars. Mostly they are not. It's the vans, Astras etc.

 

The 'proper' traffic officers are diminishing by the day as their superiors hand their responsibilities over to the "safety" camera. One force is 75% down on past numbers. Most forces don't give anything like the training required to reach the highest standards they used to demand. Much as we all get a stomach churn at the sight of a marked car when we blat around the country, at least in the past they could take action against the polluter, lane-hogger, dizzy granny and the dangerous driver who isn't exceeding the limit. Cameras can't mad.gif

 

Morale is at an all-time low. Police are leaving the force in their droves. Highly qualified traffic officers are being hauled off their chosen career path to become beat coppers after 5-7 years (ever since the W. Midlands fraud squad fiasco)

 

Any death on our roads is tragic and mostly avoidable with proper training - and that doesn't just apply to the emergency services.

 

We get what we pay for. See the CCTV comments elsewhere.

 

I suppose I must put that all the above is IMHO and if I'm locked up for venting my feelings, would you all come and visit, pretty please?

 

[/rant mode off, temporarily]

FH

 

[Blatman]

Come and visitquestion.gif If you get a similar sentence as most first timers seem to get, then yes. I need a holiday............Bahamas, or the far eastquestion.gif