Safe Speed Forums

Yesterday, I was out walking my dog. I reached a "crossing point" to cross over the main road. This "crossing point" has a bollard "protected", central refuge so that pedestrians don't need to negotiate both directions at once. There is a blind summit to the right, but it's not an issue with traffic doing 30 or so (it's a 30 limit) because you can get to the central refuge before any traffic that appears after you've set foot on the road reaches the crossing point. Also, there's a nearby old-people's home - but if you're slow crossing there is enough time for cars to slow down or stop.

As normal, I told my dog to sit. I always do this so that I can check both ways with the dog completely under control. However, on this occasion she refused and I had to repeat the command several times. I'd just got her to sit when a panda car (Focus) came hurtling over the brow of the hill doing 60, 70, or more. It was going so fast that I only managed to read the first two characters of its registration before it had travelled too far to read. The driver was not using lights or sirens and made no attempt to slow down when he caught sight of me (with hopefully obvious intentions of crossing).

Had my dog done as she was told and sat first time, I would have checked the road, seen it was clear, and have started to cross just as the officer hove into view. I seriously doubt that he would have been able to stop or that both my dog and I would have made it to the central reservation. My dog certainly earned her food yesterday!

We need to be protected from such appalling police driving, and police drivers need proper training. I've said it before, and yesterday's episode was yet more "proof", every police officer who is required to drive beyond the normal, legal, civilian envelope must be given proper training and their competence verified before they're allowed to drive in "response mode". I don't just mean trafpol here - I mean any police driver (including "panda prezels", as IG likes to call them)!

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Will

It'd be interesting to know the distance from the brow to the crossing point.

I do so agree about Police driver training standards.

I'm think the 'operating envelope' is a red herring - we don't want Police officers using unsafe speeds irrespective of any limit set. They need to be able to tell the difference.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

About 30 metres at road level, however in a normal saloon car the head and shoulders of pedestrians start to come into view over the brow from about 50 metres.


What I meant by "operating envelope" is that they should be given no special privileges WRT speed limits, red lights, etc. until they've proved they can drive beyond the civilian envelope in safety. Of course, even speeds within the limit could be unsafe, so it is important that they're given the means to tell the difference as a matter of urgency!

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Will

Maybe your dog had feeling about the panda car
:alien:


I remember when my girlfirend was driving, there was a panda car tailgating her.

She was quite distressed, as she was driving at the limit. She was scared to drive faster, and intimidated by the police car.

I don't think police standards are worse, i think we notice it more because of the pressure we are under as drive.

Also at a junction once I saw an unmarked (I assume) car behind me, the driver was on a moblie phone. the passager was in WM police uniform

it is shame you got the first letters on the plate. as I suspect they are registerd in the same place

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Almost without doubt. Her hearing is much keener than mine and she is normally extremely obedient on-leash. I strongly suspect that she heard the approaching car while I did not. The only time I get her to sit at the kerbside is when we're about to cross the road, so I equally strongly suspect that her refusal was her telling me it wasn't safe to cross.

As I wrote in my original post, "She certainly earned her food yesterday"!

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Will

I saw the same thing while riding home last week... Car came by with panda car about half a car length behind. Naturally the tailgating didn't help him and I rolled past at the next set of lights. A bit further down the road he'd lost his escort and came past well in excess of the limit (no lights/siren).