Hands On The Wheel!

[bainbrig]

I keep seeing documentary films showing police drivers speeding to incidents, or even in pursuit of criminals, with ONE hand on the wheel and the other apparently holding down the transmit button on their police radio.

Police Class 1 drivers used to be taught (see ‘Roadcraft’) to keep two hands on the wheel at all times. What’s happened to police driving standards? And why don’t police radios have an on/off switch?

I support the police, but worry about falling standards.

BB

[sapelesam]

I'm a staunch supporter of our thin blue line, however, there appears to be one law for us and a different law for them.

[shoota]

You can keep both hands on the wheel when you have an operator to use the radio. When single manned, you have to do both.
What would you have them do?
Pull over and stop to transmit?
There is a vast difference between driving school practices and what actually happens in the real world.
A Police radio that is 'off' is as much use as a frig in Lappland.

[Baldric]

Police Radios do have an on/off switch, what they are holding down is the Transmit button, unless that is done the radio is in receive only mode.

[bednobs]

there is no law saying you have to have 2 hands on the wheel, otherwise how would people indicate, wipe their windows, wave people through, operate their lights, turn on the radio etc?

[bainbrig]

Next time I’ll try English.

A) I want officers to have their radios switched to transmit. Why are you defending poor design?

B) Driving with one hand on the wheel is dangerous, much more so in pursuits. One-handed steering is a Fail on the Institute of Advanced Motorists test.

C) Of course you can change gear, indicate, etc. Don’t be silly.

BB

[bednobs]

one handed driving cannot possibly be a fail - as i said you have to take one hand off the wheel to carry out all sorts of driving operations so what you say just does not make any sense.
If it was switched to transmit all the time, they would not be able to receive.

[Baldric]

If they have their radios switched to transmit how would they receive?

[shoota]

'Next time I’ll try English.'

Use whatever language you like, you're still talking rubbish.
I can't decide whether this post is:
a) Risible
b) Fatuous
c) Both

[Islay]

BA to Shoota at 1351!!

[Islay]

When I did a pursuit driving course it was impossible to keep both hands on the wheel!!

[Baldric]

The default setting for all two way radios I've used over many years is always receive, providing they are switched on of course, so colleagues can attract your attention, you then push a button to transmit.
Simplessss

[bhg481]

Radios consume much more power in transmit mode than they do in receive mode, so there could be a battery problem if the default mode was transmit (apart from the problems reported by others). The other point to notice is that police pursuit drivers have passed a stringent test to prove that they are competent to drive in the manner necessary to drive as they do, unlike the general public.

[bainbrig]

I give up as I might as well be trying to get an infants' class to understand.

[Baldric]

I suspect as someone else mentioned you don't really know what you're talking about.

[douglas9401]

https://stv.tv/news/west-central/1407973-road-closed-amid-police-incident-in-glasgow-s-east-end/?cid=int_stv_em_el_Morning_Briefing_09022018%20(1)&utm_source=SCLEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning_Briefing_09022018%20(1)&utm_content=Main_Img&spMailingID=2896973&spUserID=MTU2NjMyNjEwODgS1&spJobID=970339537&spReportId=OTcwMzM5NTM3S0

[bhg481]

Douglas - why is that relevant? I can see no mention of him driving with one hand or using his radio before he crashed. There is no mention at all of the cause of the crash.

[bainbrig]

One last try.

From the Daily Mail, beloved repository for most contrarians:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-59483/Number-police-chase-deaths-soars.html

Has anyone else here (who know so much about driving) bothered to take the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ test?

I did (I passed).

BB

[douglas9401]

If I could just have a minute, I'm checking the terms and conditions of use over the need to reply to abrupt questions from indignant parties.

Nope, nothing there.