A policeman just when you need one :)

[W4E300]

I used to work with a rock'n'roll truck driver who used to jam his knees under the steering wheel and roll a 'jazz woodbine' whilst trolling along the motorway and drove stoned at all times. He said he'd never have a mobile in the cab - "they're bleedin' dangerous - take your mind of the driving they do.....!"

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[219]

Maybe he just sneezed?

I suppose anything is possible .

However , taking into account that he was driving without any lights , when everyone else was on either headlamps , or of those who had driven through fog a few were still on fog lamps , as well as his lack of attention to his driving and those around him , something which seemed to continue after I had passed him , my money would be on intoxication .

I was considering whether to call 101 and report the matter when I spotted the police car - my thinking being that he had just caused a near miss involving three other vehicles , and who knows what might still happen ?

The two traffic officers didn't hang about and were quick to take the matter seriously .

When I told SWMBO about it tonight , her comment was how did I feel about possibly depriving someone of their livelihood - my reply was that he would have brought any repercussions upon himself and I possibly averted something worse happening .

I have no regrets in reporting the matter ; I often see the consequences of such things in connection with my work .

 

[stwat]

Probably watching porn on his lap top.

 

[renault12ts]

I'm a truck driver and I'm not standing up for this guy one bit I'm just giving another point of view, but given how crap our roads are it only takes a bump in the road or deep tram lines for u to get out of ur lane even more so if u have a heavy load on the trailer wants to go one way while ur steering the other way

Maybe...but this was on a new section of the M74.

 

[Stratman]

.........................

When I told SWMBO about it tonight , her comment was how did I feel about possibly depriving someone of their livelihood -
.....................................

That kind of driving, whatever the reason, can deprive others of their lives.

 

[markjay]

Many years ago I did not report a drunk lorry driver whom I knew.

He died a few months later having taken someone else's scooter and crashed into a parked lorry in the lorry car park.

I don't know if he was intoxicated at the time of his accident... but I can't help thinking that had I reported him a couple of months earlier his life might have been saved (though I doubt he would have seen it this way...).

That was 35 years ago, by the way.

 

[219]

Perhaps fair to mention that the flatbed truck was a transit derivative , the sort of thing used by landscape gardeners and , AFAIK , can be driven on an ordinary licence ; the trailer was empty , but was a smallish twin axle thing of the type often used to transport mini JCB's and the like .

Not even a 7.5 tonner , never mind an HGV .

 

[martin_a]

Probably lucky you didn't get done for pulling up on the hard shoulder when it wasn't an emergency!

 

[moonloops]

..

 

[meeeb]

Agreed, the danger is not the holding of the phone, but the holding of the conversation...and that goes for talking to passengers too. But texting is in a whole different league!!

Holding the phone is equally dangerous because it leaves only one hand on the steering wheel which can reduce the amount of steering input available if a quick steering response is called for.

Never seen anyone negotiating a roundabout one-handed, or turning at a junction?

 

[meeeb]

I suppose anything is possible .

However , taking into account that he was driving without any lights , when everyone else was on either headlamps , or of those who had driven through fog a few were still on fog lamps , as well as his lack of attention to his driving and those around him , something which seemed to continue after I had passed him , my money would be on intoxication .

I was considering whether to call 101 and report the matter when I spotted the police car - my thinking being that he had just caused a near miss involving three other vehicles , and who knows what might still happen ?

The two traffic officers didn't hang about and were quick to take the matter seriously .

When I told SWMBO about it tonight , her comment was how did I feel about possibly depriving someone of their livelihood - my reply was that he would have brought any repercussions upon himself and I possibly averted something worse happening .

I have no regrets in reporting the matter ; I often see the consequences of such things in connection with my work .

You were right to do what you did.

Your "SWMBO" would benefit from a course on lateral thinking.

 

[flango]

Probably lucky you didn't get done for pulling up on the hard shoulder when it wasn't an emergency!

Perfectly legal to stop on the shoulder to speak to a police officer if you have concern another's actions may endanger the public

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[Meldrew2]

I was walking out of supermarket this afternoon - slightly concerned as I saw two people standing right beside my car.

Then came the shout "Freeze - Don't move - Police"

Turned out they were grabbing the bloke who left the store a few seconds in front of me - and those people I was suspicious of beside my car were just two more officers.

Despite my clean conscience, I still needed to pop home for clean pants...

 

[Dryce]

Holding the phone is equally dangerous because it leaves only one hand on the steering wheel which can reduce the amount of steering input available if a quick steering response is called for.

.... so manual transmissions clearly need to be banned

 

[meeeb]

.... so manual transmissions clearly need to be banned

You can, and should, choose when to change gear, assuming you've had proper driving lessons of course.

 

[renault12ts]

You can, and should, choose when to change gear, assuming you've had proper driving lessons of course.

So...those with only one arm/hand should be banned from driving?

It is not the holding of the phone...it's the conversation.

 

[cb1965]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5dL4DPm-DE

While the subject of the video is both alarming and amusing is there really any need for the commentator to swear every third word? Are people really so stupid and inarticulate that they have to talk like that all the time?

 

[E55BOF]

Yes, I'm afraid many of them are these days. Foul language is the last response of the inarticulate...

 

[IanA2]

Yes, I'm afraid many of them are these days. Foul language is the last response of the inarticulate...

Last......First you mean

 

[meeeb]

So...those with only one arm/hand should be banned from driving?

It is not the holding of the phone...it's the conversation.

Why is it illegal to use a hand-held phone whilst driving, but not illegal per se to use a hands-free device?

"Since 1 December 2003 it has been illegal to drive in the UK while using a hand held mobile phone. Previous to this legislation the only way a motorist would face prosecution for using a mobile phone would be if they were charged with failing to keep control of their car while they were using it.

The law states that it is illegal to ride a motorbike or drive a car while you are using a hand held communication device. Hands free phones may be used, but they are ultimately a distraction and you are still open to a charge of careless driving should a police officer think you are driving poorly while using one."