GraemeH
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2005
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- Scotland, UK
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- Toyota Corolla, Lexus IS200, BMW E39 5 Series.
Remember the police man in the unmarked Vectra walking away from doing 147mph~ because he was "testing the limits of his vehicle"?
Last night, on a road pretty local to me with Specs (the speed cameras that measure your average speed between two points), an unmarked police car (Mercedes) travelling at high speed hit a Mitsubishi Shogun. The Shogun was rolled, the passenger side completely caved in (anyone in the passenger seat would have been killed instantly). The police car rolled into a field and caught fire. The driver is dead and the passenger is seriously injured.
Possible sources of blame?
1. On a streatch of road that enforces a 70mph average limit between two points, if a driver cruises at 70 for 99% of the distance, then 71 for 1%, they're done. The driver is forced to concentrate on their speedometer exclusively. To what degree is irrelevant; attention is still diverted from the things that GENUINELY prevent accidents, namely giving attention to the road around you, your mirrors, other cars movements, their distances and speeds relative to your own etc.
2. On such a road, any driver would assume no vehicle would be driving over 70mph. You can forgive someone for making that assumption (even if it isn't the smarted idea to presume anything), but what about when pulling out from a junction? Overtaking? On any other road a motorist would be weary of a car moving at high speed behind them before pulling out, or coming from the side when pulling out of a junction. The cameras lead to this presumption, and when an unmarked car is travelling well over, this presumpion becomes dangerous.
We'll probably never know if this was another "i was testing my vehicles limits" deal (the driver is dead), but i couldn't see anything coming of it anyway. I just hope the innocent party in the Shogun comes through.
Last night, on a road pretty local to me with Specs (the speed cameras that measure your average speed between two points), an unmarked police car (Mercedes) travelling at high speed hit a Mitsubishi Shogun. The Shogun was rolled, the passenger side completely caved in (anyone in the passenger seat would have been killed instantly). The police car rolled into a field and caught fire. The driver is dead and the passenger is seriously injured.
Possible sources of blame?
1. On a streatch of road that enforces a 70mph average limit between two points, if a driver cruises at 70 for 99% of the distance, then 71 for 1%, they're done. The driver is forced to concentrate on their speedometer exclusively. To what degree is irrelevant; attention is still diverted from the things that GENUINELY prevent accidents, namely giving attention to the road around you, your mirrors, other cars movements, their distances and speeds relative to your own etc.
2. On such a road, any driver would assume no vehicle would be driving over 70mph. You can forgive someone for making that assumption (even if it isn't the smarted idea to presume anything), but what about when pulling out from a junction? Overtaking? On any other road a motorist would be weary of a car moving at high speed behind them before pulling out, or coming from the side when pulling out of a junction. The cameras lead to this presumption, and when an unmarked car is travelling well over, this presumpion becomes dangerous.
We'll probably never know if this was another "i was testing my vehicles limits" deal (the driver is dead), but i couldn't see anything coming of it anyway. I just hope the innocent party in the Shogun comes through.