Road Safety

[Caribeing]

We are inundated with road safety adverts and told to be aware of dangerous drivers etc! Today I reported to the police an incident which occurred today on a normal journey from town to home! A young man speeding and overtaking recklessly, he had an R plate up as well he was just inches from our car and we had a baby on board. Police told me unless I wanted to make an official statement and go to court there was nothing they could do. All I wanted to do was for them to give him a warning and make the roads safe for other responsible drivers! No wonder society has "gone to the dogs"

[paraffin]

Hi Mary:

I can understand your disappointment but, sadly, the facts are that the Police do not go round and "put the frighteners" on miscreants, this is a popular fallacy.

It used to happen, particularly in those long gone days of village bobbies, but no more, unfortunately.

It's a sad indictment of how, thanks to cut backs and an overwhelming amount of red tape and paperwork, the Police have lost touch with local communities they would like to serve.

[whifffey]

It is not really surprising that the police will not take any significant action based on the evidence of just one member of the public. As a cyclist I see so many (AT LEAST 10 per day) motorists chatting away on handhelds and it is infuriating, but absolutely nothing I can do about it except shout at them.

[Ethel]

You can't expect the police to take your word for an incidence like this, especially as you are not prepared to make an official statement.

[craft1948]

well whifffey cyclists bloody petrify me......they ride on the pavement.......sneak through red lights.....come alongside me when I'm sitting at traffic lights and signalling to turn left. Yet if I did turn left and hit one guess whose fault it would be.....

[paraffin]

Hi again Mary:

This is what used to happen: You would, quite rightly in my view, report such an incident, the Police would then trace the car owner through the registration number(as long as the motor was actually registered - sadly, not all are!), pay them a visit, find out who was driving at the time, and give them a good old fashioned "b*llocking" which at least made the little scr*tes aware that they'd been brought to Police attention.

There was no need to disclose the informant's details and the matter was usually resolved without the hassle and cost of a Court case. Simple, eh?

Ahhhhhhh, those were the days !