There has been much comment recently about 'unnecessary' enforcement of traffic regulations 'just to make money' and how the police 'should be solving real crimes'. This has divided forum members broadly into two camps:
- those who want the police to stop harassing honest motorists and to concentrate on catching criminals
- and those who think people should take responsibility for their own actions.
Rather than take sides, I would like to look at this from another angle.
Totally agree we should look at it from another angle,
We have a police officer that has never met the complainant, never probably seen them before, doesn't know them from Adam and has no preconceived opinion about them... so can we therefore assume that:
(a) The traffic officer stops every single car they see and harasses
ALL drivers accusing
all of them of speeding
(b) The driver drew attention to themselves and a diligent officer thought the driving was worthy of comment?
In life I tend to use my version of common sense and always believe there are two sides to every story.
(a) or (b)? You decide.
Some folks however have an agenda and the instant they see any adverse comments about the police we them see them letting rip.
My old sergeant always used to say, "You can tell a man his breath stinks, he has a pecka the size of a caterpillar, he has the IQ of a gnat, but woe betide anyone that dares to criticise a man's driving!"
We have recently had a thread where someone was prosecuted for exceeding a 40mph speed limit by just 5mph!
Cue the 'anti' brigade, cue the abuse of anyone that dared to say the driver deserved to be prosecuted.
How many of these 'anti' folks queried the fact that the driver actually stated the stretch of road was 'dangerous'? How many of these 'anti' folks think it correct to ALWAYS travel at the MAXIMUM speed legally allowed? How many have the engine of their car bouncing off the rev limiter? Have the volume of the radio set at maximum? Why oh why is it deemed right to always attempt to travel at the very maximum legal speed and then criticise folks if they might think it wrong to exceed this legal limit?
Have we noticed how these 'anti' folks tend to get personal and attack those that say we should take any punishment on the chin and not whinge? Am I correct in suggesting that those who say 'Take it on the chin' also admit they are not whiter than white; they admit to exceeding speed limits, but unfortunately these confessions are wasted. The 'anti' brigade have an agenda and will not listen to any reasoned debate.
Those that think the police should be doing anything and everything rather than stop them, really show their true colours, come out from behind the 'I'm speaking from personal experience' and offer a sensible alternative!!! Anyone can cry, whinge or complain, that is regularly demonstrated, but let us hear a constructive alternative.
We cannot in one breath say I am not 'anti' and then submit post after post slamming the police for acts or deeds that we disagree with. We are anti police and should accept it.
We then have threads where we say get rid of camera's and put more police on the roads........................... Guess what?
Others appear to want the cameras and also want more police on the roads!!!! Guess what? A driver admits to speeding on a road that he describes as dangerous, admits to being followed by the police without knowing he was followed and yet the 'anti' brigade rush to their defence. Thanks but no thanks, your idea of road safety is not the same as mine. Your idea of a safe driver is definitely not the same as mine.
I'm tired of the threads where drivers all claim to be perfect, they were not exceeding a limit, the officer was lying blah, blah, blah. One minute we want more police, we want the police to use discretion and perhaps tick us off instead of a booking, but by crikey when the chicken comes home to roost we had all best watch out.
Let's start with a basic premise: .
Good idea,
(a)The police are servants of the Crown employed to protect both life and property.
(b) The public highways are the employer of the Grim Reaper,
(c) Unfortunately we need these 'school teachers' to keep us in check, and those that do get a telling off are perhaps deserving of that ticking off.
Lets start with those suggestions.
Perhaps we should accept there are two sides to a yarn and perhaps that 5mph might be higher, or deserved! Unless we have a corroborated story then howabout we begin these yarns with, 'Once upoin a time.....'
On a very serious note,
For all you folks that enjoy moaning about speed limits then I would invite you all to take me out for a drive. My wife drives me with extreme care and consideration. She does not drive slowly, but does not exceed any speed limits. We are continually tooted at, harrassed, cars flashing headlights, carving us up and all because my wife adheres to speed limits, some of which are as low as 20mph.
Yes there are two sides to every story and if we don't want to be stopped, or reported then stick to the limits. If we enjoy breaking speed limits, then doing it quietly and if caught why not just take the punishment on the chin and not cry about it?
Regards
John the olde fogey
from you and the regular associates.
), to change laws or areas of enforcement; if the posters feel strongly enough. If not then accept them!
