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PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 17:26 
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/7612304.stm

BBC news wrote:
Driver 'watched TV show' at wheel
Image
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
The cult show was first broadcast in the United States in 1978

A lorry driver accused of watching a cult television show at the wheel on the M6 in Cumbria has had his bid to change his guilty plea rejected.

Police claim Benjamin Trotsman veered across the road while watching an episode of 1970s sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica on a laptop computer.

The 37-year-old, of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on 22 August.

His attempt to enter a not guilty plea was turned down by magistrates.

Trotsman's solicitor told Penrith Magistrates' Court that his client was actually looking at Google Maps on the laptop.

'Erratic manner'

He had felt pressured to enter a guilty plea "in the heat of the moment" after being advised by another solicitor, the court heard.

He was spotted driving erratically over a 25-mile stretch of the M6 in the early hours of 11 December last year.

A Cumbria Police spokesman, speaking outside the hearing, said: "The driver was seen to be watching a film on a laptop computer that was situated on the dashboard in his cab.

"He appeared oblivious to other motorists, and continued to drive in an erratic manner, speeding up and slowing down, and crossing on occasions on to the hard shoulder.

"This continued from the Kendal area to where the motorway passes Penrith."

He said officers examined the laptop and found that Trotsman, of The Hobbins, appeared to have been watching episodes of Battlestar Galactica.

Presiding magistrate Nick Swinscoe said he was satisfied that Trotsman understood the consequences of pleading guilty and rejected the new application.

He will now be sentenced at Penrith Magistrates' Court on 3 October.

Good job he wasn't speeding or the CSCP would have got him for driving REALLY dangerously!! :lol:

edited to fix quotes

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PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 23:58 
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It appears that the CSCP are to target TV viewers with a campaign of hard hitting adverts on TV.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7627021.stm
Quote:
TV campaign to cut drivers' speed

A television campaign showing images of car crash scenes in which people have been killed or seriously injured is being aired in Cumbria and Scotland.

Two adverts, featuring wrecked vehicles, are being shown on Border Television in an attempt to get drivers to cut their speed.
The adverts will also appear on video sharing websites, such as YouTube.

They have been created by Cumbria Safety Cameras and the Dumfries and Galloway Safety Camera Partnership.
One advert, called "Stop", features images of vehicles that have hit trees or walls, while the other called "Killed" highlights how many people have died in car crashes.

Kevin Tea, communications manager for Cumbria Safety Cameras, said: "There is a common misconception gained from TV and film collisions that people walk away from high speed collisions, but they rarely do."
"The 'Killed' sequences are particularly horrific and they demonstrate the reality of what really happens when vehicles collide at speed."


Well it's early days yet, but already one member of their target audience who obiously does NOT watch too much TV has come to grief....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7627873.stm
Quote:
Teenagers hurt as car leaves road

Three teenage girls were injured when the car they were travelling in left the road and hit a tree in Cumbria.

The accident, involving a Peugeot 306 driven by a 17-year-old man, happened in Workington early on Saturday.
The vehicle came off Moor Close Road onto a disused railway line, now used as a cycle path.

Two of the girls are 15, the other is 18. One suffered serious arm injuries and remains in hospital, the others were released after treatment.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Cumbria Police.

Now it might be just me, but should 15 year old girls be riding around with a young man in the early hours, instead of being at home watching TV? :shock: It might just save their lives!

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