Safe Speed Forums

This story seems to have caused some ructions in the "revenge" mobs.


To recap.

Headteacher was indulging in a non _COAST drive in his Subaru. He was per a witness (not calibrated) travelling at 120 mph. (Speed was between 100 mph to 120 mph and given the wet conditions - I agree he was what the Swiss call a "twazak" and that word is what we call a "polite version" of what could be a much taboo word ) )


Speed limit was 60 mph. He collided with another driver. Head on. The chap could not avoid him at all. An innocent who faces his life in a wheel chair. I do feel for him. I know how my own wife reacted.

In the court I gather the head teacher was full of remorse. He got a jail sentence. Rightly so given the evidence against him.

The controversy?

We have a gifted teacher who made a big mistake. He's paying his dues by jail and the indignity of a tag on early release for model prisoner behaviour..

His board of governors/union decree that he should not be sacked over this indiscretion.

People mount high horses. Guy's a criminal for speeding. He has "no morals"


I am of the opinion that if one has served a term in prison - then dues have been paid. To deny a right to earn a living because of a jail term can perhaps be why we have the spiral of re-offends. Guy's apparently a gifted teacher with much to give to the profession.

I would hope that he has had a sobering lesson and will hope that his re-test at end of ban teaches him a strong COAST value. If he cycles or walks to work during his ban - then perhaps he will also learn much from this experience too.

I think my view is that the guy paid debt to society and further punihment by denying his right to earn a living per his qualifications would be unfair and vindictive in essence.

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A comment was also made by the judge that his choice of car made a statement about his approach to driving, which seemed to me somewhat unfair and prejudiced.

I've come across plenty of people on advanced driving forums with Scoobys.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I'd hate to take an advanced driving course, which at some point I assume would involve skid control, in something like a Micra or Prius.

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Prepare to be Judged

Hang on!
He showed very poor judgement.
Inappropriate speed for the conditions
He has not just been speeding. He crashed! Not in to a ditch.. Into another car. Is this the right role model for school kids?

"A gifted teacher"... no a pratt
"Guy's a criminal for speeding". No "dangerous driving" he is a danger to the public. By putting any person in a wheel chair he has shortend thier life by an average of 10 years. The rest of thier life will be restricted & expensive,

I can't think of anyone who could walk back in to a public funded job after a prison sentance.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

But Wildy tells me she caught the end of the Vine prog when she took a lunch break. She says a caller to the show lost her legs when hit in a similar head-on crash.

Vine was surprised when she then said that she felt OK about his returning to his job. She pointed out that he had to live with this. It would be very much on his conscience forever. Amazingly, she took the view that he did not intend to be involved in an accident.


Now on the other side of this - as Wildy is chatting away to me as I type : - the victim of the incident had just entered a straight as he emerged from a bend to see this driver approaching at speed. At this point it's unclear how far from the bend he is - or how far the other other driver had proceeded along the straight. Or even how tight the curve is. But he's closing in fast anyway and the inevitable collision occurs. No one is actually sure how fast but reports were "between 100 to 120 mph!" I have to say I suspect a bizarrely unrealistic speed given the report that the impact caused the other car's engine and gear box to fly upwards and strike the car behind the victim's (I did not know that happened till Wildy told me what she heard on the radio)

Was he "testing" this car when it went pear shaped? (It's why I cannot condone the Milton business He could have caused similar if we are honest here. He was perhaps "lucky" It's why we say COAST. This system is not a recipe for outrageous speed. It's a system to guide towards the safest speed for condition and generally promotes a closer compliance to a lolly)


But the guy's found guilty and goes to jail. He gets released and tagged. It's not clear as to whether he returns to his classroom with a tag or when the tag requirement ends.

But whether or not the job is public sector or private sector - a criminal record should not nor never prevent a person from gaining employment after serving a sentence. To do so results in the underclass of career criminals who spend half their lives in a cell. There are some jobs which would be unsuitable given the crime committed - for example a fraudster working in finance or a kiddy fiddler in a job which brings him into contact with kids - etc.

But twazak-like driving skills which have earned him a lengthy ban after a jail sentence and more than likely a guilt wrecked conscience for life should not preclude him from earning his living from the profession he trained in so who pays the wages. I'd rather him be employed and paying taxes than my paying taxes to keep him on benefits.

His board of governors apparently weighed up the immorality of his unprofessional driving skills against the morality of his useful contribution to that primary school over a long career history and decided that he should continue to lead that school. His crime was a motoring one. It does not reflect on his teaching abilities. It does reflect badly on his common sense perhaps given a road condition at the time.

But..

Prior to this incident - was it immoral of him to like fast cars and a fast drive along a motorway?

Had he a history of crunches? I think back to the argument of "never having an accident being complacent" A condition which is/can and does lead to incidents like this one at any speed.

Was it red mist of a mad moment rather than a blatantly deliberate decision to drive as that speed that day?

I think some folk will have a problem conscience -wise with answering the first question as so many of us like fast cars and a decent blat down an empty-ish motorway (in Germany for us )


I do not think any one can really answer the red mist one though That driver has to ask himself that question for the rest of his life as perhaps the victim will always wonder what possessed him to drive that way.


But the guy has a lengthy ban. I would also have expected a court to order that he cannot obtain insurance on a fast car again and restricted him to a small standard vehicle should he decide to drive again after his ban.


Would I want him to teach my kids? If he has the skills to enthuse them and stimulate an appetite for learning - then yes, despite his twazak-like driving skills.

He has to live with his conscience. His legal team will have advised against contact with the victim until the case was heard probably. I hope that when he is released from prison, he will have the courage to write to his victim or look him in the eye and apologise to him. I rather think this would influence his own decisions as to whether or not he returns as a head teacher or a classroom assistant teacher or chooses another means to earn a living.

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

It is probably acceptable to re-employ someone after they have been "inside" if their offence bears no direct relationship to their job. For example, if this teacher had been convicted of viewing "kiddie-porn" then, even after he came out having "paid his debt to society", he should not be employed as a teacher no matter how good he was.

It must generally be possible for released prisoners to then use their skills and qualifications to get work as, otherwise, the permanent criminal underclass is created.

Our company job applications ask if you have any unspent convictions. We might employ someone who had "previous" for non-payment of council tax but not if their crime was stealing from their employer.

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

well, it was about 20 years ago the then headmaster of a CofE primary school I attended was caught banging the cleaner in a broom cupboard, then dumped his wife and moved in with her, and kept his job. So is this really that big a deal?

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Of course not, but...

It involves driving a car and car drivers are devil monsters who eat children and must be punished. It's typical of the same people who say that Lewis Hamilton is a bad role model for black youths because he drives a car fast.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

You are absolutely right. Dangerous driving is dangerous drving. It doesn't matter whether it's done in a Nissan Micra 1.0 or a Ferrari Enzo. His choice of car was totally irrelevant to both the case itself and the defendant's character profile and should not have been raised by the judge at all.

He may have just owned a Scooby because he liked the distinctive engine noise they make. Likewise many Ferrari/Porsche owners buy these cars just because they look nice & impress people. Just because a car is capable of 150mph+ doesn't mean that people buy them intending to do those sort of speeds on public roads.

It is VERY worrying if Judges & Magistrates are making unjustified connections between choice of vehicle and recklessness as a driver.

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

It does depend on the crime committed. If he defrauded someone - then career in finance would be a as well.

It a difficult one as one see how victim feel. I am perhaps one of few who can empathise. He saw car heading toward him at speed. I saw car heading toward me at speed. He came around a corner to face that. I was in standing traffic.

I cannot convey at all what it feel like to experience such a thing. It not fear. More deepest und shocked disbelief at what about to happen. You cannot do anything in such a situation. There not really a learning curve for you. You just brace for the inevitable und hope in reality.

If you survive it - you feel a mix of relief, lucky euhporia und anger at person who did that to you. It take time to overcome that anger too. I think perhaps why legal bods advise against contacts with grieving affected until dust settle a bit. From their point of view - guilt ridden - they unsure of reaction und perhaps also afraid of facing the one who suffer as result und in denial as well. But said before - the guilt burden for life - that ist one serious weight to deal with.

But to wish unemployment on that person? vindictive. He practised a profession. He drive a car. He enjoy driving. He not have incident before this. He perhaps had a moment of madness which no one can explain nor forgive wholly - least of all himself in all reality.

He get 15 month sentence behind bars - reduced with good behaviour. It not seem enough to the poor man who suffer. He get lengthy ban from driving too. This perhaps considered the harsher given he apparently enjoyed driving his car. But he also get to keep his head teacher status.

My view ist that prison term should have been a few months longer und driving ban for life given his age I would have made cycling und walking compulsory requirement of early release.

I would not, however, have supported unwarranted loss of job in primary education. If secondary teacher, he could perhaps prove to joy riding TWoCs that cars claim lives if we do not COAST the drive properly

I think perhaps positive come about from a negative. But perhaps he should have been demoted from head teacher to teacher in class room where he could make all the difference road safey wise in that a car driven by a very stupid person full of red mist und complacent idea as to skills can kill or injure another person. Perhaps that would have satisfied all parties. I try to compromise und suggest way to make good come out of bad here.

But we all agree that he was a twazak who perhaps get off lightly all things considered.

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