Notice of intended prosecution
07-27-2011, 02:14 PM
#91
Registered User
Originally Posted by loftust' timestamp='1311778201' post='20820298
[quote name='The Rev' timestamp='1311777561' post='20820257']
I wonder, how many of us have actually knocked over a child, at any speed?
I wonder, how many of us have actually knocked over a child, at any speed?
I was driving along a residential main road and saw that there were a lot of mums and kids about, so slowed to ~ 20 MPH in light of this.
Not more than 10 seconds after this, a kid (4-5 years old) ran out in front of the me between parked cars. The mother was very apologetic as I nearly had a heart attack
I stopped in time...just, and I mean just. By the time I had come to a complete stand still, I could not see the top of her head over my bonnet.
It just goes to show that even speed limits at the lower end of the scale are not always suitable...we should therefore drive in accordance with the limits AND the environment we are face with. If you think it's OK to proceed above the limit, then crack on...just be aware of the consequences...which is something I bear in mind.
In a different car, or on a different day, or with some rain....
You may have killed the child.
You may have been looking in the rearview at just the wrong time.
Very different consequences, but would you have been to blame then?
[/quote]
If I was in a shitter car with poorer brakes, or the weather was worse, I would have slowed even further. I drive like miss daisy in the wet anyway
I knew that looking through the windscreen was the best thing to do at that time Knowing there was potential for this sort of incident...hence why I slowed. I honestly thought 10 seconds earlier that there was a chance that this sort of incident could happen...hazard perception my friend.
Oh wait...you weren't tested on that, but must still be safe
If I was not confident that I could have stopped in time to react to such an instance, then I would not have proceeded at that speed...I carried out a sub conscious risk assessment, something that we do all the time but don't realise it...some are better than others.
If I had been proceeding at a safe speed which was reasonable to the circumstances and conditions, having made a full appraisal of the situation, and still hit the kid, then no, I do not believe I could reasonably take the blame.
Had I been driving whilst distracted, tired, looking in the rear view mirror when there is clearly an increased risk in the opposite direction, not aware of what was going on in front me and in my periphery, and therefore not driving at a speed suitable to this situation, then yes, I would have been at fault.
07-27-2011, 02:16 PM
#92
Originally Posted by unclefester' timestamp='1311770521' post='20819871
If i was on my way to a seriously ill family member, i'd drive like hell and if i lost my license in the process i'd not blink twice about it.
However if i killed someone on the way due to excessive speed, would that justify my actions - no.
However if i killed someone on the way due to excessive speed, would that justify my actions - no.
Honestly, talk about contradictions.
If a family member was on their death bed, are you telling me you'd not try and make the world spin in the other direction to get there?
07-27-2011, 02:23 PM
#93
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Originally Posted by m1bjr' timestamp='1311801485' post='20821896
[quote name='unclefester' timestamp='1311770521' post='20819871']
If i was on my way to a seriously ill family member, i'd drive like hell and if i lost my license in the process i'd not blink twice about it.
However if i killed someone on the way due to excessive speed, would that justify my actions - no.
If i was on my way to a seriously ill family member, i'd drive like hell and if i lost my license in the process i'd not blink twice about it.
However if i killed someone on the way due to excessive speed, would that justify my actions - no.
Honestly, talk about contradictions.
If a family member was on their death bed, are you telling me you'd not try and make the world spin in the other direction to get there?
[/quote]
probably.
But if I broke the speed limit in doing so and got caught, I'd pay up and wouldn't complain, any more than I'd complain about the extra fuel I'd chosen to use by putting my foot down.
The law isn't perfect - it can't be, because all of life is a compromise of one sort or another; policing the roads no more nor less.
I chose to deal with it.
07-27-2011, 03:04 PM
#94
That's pretty much my point 
07-28-2011, 12:30 AM
#95
I've been there, done that and told the story in another, similar thread. Got a phone call from my mother to say my father was having a heart attack at 1am. Got in the car and drove as fast as i possibly could to my parents house 8 miles away. Unfortunately, by the time i got there he was already dead.
I'm not a doctor or a paramedic. Could i have done anything when i got there even if i'd got there quicker, no.
Did i need to drive that fast. At the time i bloody well did.
07-28-2011, 12:40 AM
#96
Banned
Originally Posted by gaddafi' timestamp='1311783602' post='20820663
IF it caused an accident then you should be punished accordingly
If it didn't, what exactly is the problem?
If it didn't, what exactly is the problem?
We HAVE to prevent accidents from happening...failing to do so is morally unacceptable. You CANNOT reasonably accept that if there are no limits, or methods of getting caught when you exceed these limits, that people will drive safely...it ain't going to happen.
I think the answer to your second quoted point, is that you have increased the chances of having an accident, and therefore causing injury or death to someone else. They have to deter drivers against this...it is not acceptable to hit someone whether that be in a residential area, outside a school, or if they are on a well lit bike, at night, on a country road, and you have hit them on a bend.
it isn't carnage, people slow down and drive more carefully
have you seena wht happens when traffic lights fail at busy junctions?
it isn't carnage, people slow down and negotiate the hazard
I'd be really interested to see what would happen if speed limits were removed on some roads, coupled with a new focus on driving standards
same story with undertaking - allow it unconditionally but if you carve someone up doing it and you are seen, expect to be prosecuted for careless driving
I see large numbers of embittered twats driving obstructively and insensitively "because that's the speed limit"
that in turn leads to frustration which may well lead to accidents - who can say - but maybe we should look at some root causes rather than symptoms?
07-28-2011, 05:12 AM
#97
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^^^ What a ridiculous suggestion
More collisions occur at junctions than (working) traffic lights
People have difficulty staying within the markings at the best of times, it would resemble something from the "Wacky Races", you can be Dick Dastardly
Confusion reigns when road makings are removed, it may make people slower but not necessarily safer
It would just add to the number of low speed "accidents"
More collisions occur at junctions than (working) traffic lights
People have difficulty staying within the markings at the best of times, it would resemble something from the "Wacky Races", you can be Dick Dastardly
Confusion reigns when road makings are removed, it may make people slower but not necessarily safer
It would just add to the number of low speed "accidents"
07-28-2011, 06:47 AM
#98
^^^ What a ridiculous suggestion
More collisions occur at junctions than (working) traffic lights
People have difficulty staying within the markings at the best of times, it would resemble something from the "Wacky Races", you can be Dick Dastardly
Confusion reigns when road makings are removed, it may make people slower but not necessarily safer
It would just add to the number of low speed "accidents"
More collisions occur at junctions than (working) traffic lights
People have difficulty staying within the markings at the best of times, it would resemble something from the "Wacky Races", you can be Dick Dastardly
Confusion reigns when road makings are removed, it may make people slower but not necessarily safer
It would just add to the number of low speed "accidents"
But the nannies wouldn't like it, because they know best.
07-28-2011, 06:58 AM
#100
They also gave bikes priority, subsidised public transport properly and they also allow you to smoke pot ....