Have just read, out loud to the wife, about the 3 dead on A417 and 1 dead on M74?.
Her comment was
IF the police were out on the road (Traffic), then possibly these accidents would not have happened. In the old days, cops were seen on the road, and you behaved for a few miles. NOW you only see cops on the way to an accident.
Her words, not mine.
How will an increased number of police on the roads prevent a tyre blow out or a heart attack / illness at the wheel?
They wouldn’t but they might stop some of the utter knobheads out there.
bazza123:
They wouldn’t but they might stop some of the utter knobheads out there.
You can’t legislate for stupidity
I firmly believe that a more visible police presence on our roads and motorways would make
them safer places.Of course it wouldn’t help reduce accidents due to previously undetected illnesses or vehicle defects,but the sight of some ‘hi-viz’ police cars could well make most of the numpties and chancers out there think twice before making daft moves.
Derf:
How will an increased number of police on the roads prevent a tyre blow out or a heart attack / illness at the wheel?
And what proportion of Accidents are due to these events and how many are due to rank bad driving?
Derf:
bazza123:
They wouldn’t but they might stop some of the utter knobheads out there.You can’t legislate for stupidity
But there is Legislation that allows the Police to give out fixed penalty fines, for tailgating, lane hogging using mobile phones whilst driving and of course for there is the all encompassing Due care and attention for just poor driving. but very few people get caught for these because there are so few Traffic Police out there, to much reliance on cameras.
There so few patrol and so little chance of being caught that people driving just seems to get worse, I think it’s also the main reason we see so much parking on the hardshoulder there nobody patrolling to move them on. I think a more visible Police presence would change peoples driving habits.
Totally agree with the above, nowhere near enough dedicated traffic cops.
The amount of fixed penalties they could give out just for mobile phone use would cover the cost, accidents don’t happen they are nearly always caused by poor driving these morons would think twice if they knew there was a good chance they’d get nicked, and the penalties need to be upped as well.
There was an article on 5live yesterday, a council somewhere is employing a mobile camera firm to catch school run parents parking dangerously, such as on the zig zags at crossings. The usual uproar from the daily mail types about revenue generation, but a spokesmen for the camera firm said that the council are working on the principle that once its known that fines are being sent, then people will start observing the law and less incidents will occur.
I thought theres a lot off sense in that, and the same would apply to more traffic cops being there to dish out fines, the amount of bad driving would decrease and so would the revenue, and maybe less accidents with all the catastrophic effect they have 
Part of the deterioration in driving standards i am sure is linked to the lack of police patrol cars (those you see seem barely interested in sorting out transgressors) in proportion to the vast increases in population and resulting traffic.
Unfortunately i doubt we’ll see more real coppers if anything even less, i suspect Gp4 or some other favoured company will end up winning a new contract as privatised traffic control, more plastic non bobbies and lucrative senior jobs for some.
Police, Met anyway, remuneration is being cut for new recruits as have the perks, the quality of policing won’t be improving as a result.
Personally I think its those Interceptor guys and girls are too busy showing of their new scoobies at school fetes 
A stronger Police presence DOES make you think more, for example Germany. Having been stopped by the German Police and fined for my own stupidity, for things people do over here all the time, makes me drive like a vicar now. More Police and hefty fines WILL make a difference I believe.
In 1974, when there were 1,238,453 Police patrols on our roads, there were no accidents at all !
I have been arguing for years that as cameras increase and police decrease, anyone with criminal intent will just steal or clone someone elses number plate.
It takes a copper to spot someone who doesn’t ‘look right’ and pull them and then they can see if they’re legit and also if they’re sober etc.
A camera CAN NOT replace police, as much as we all hate them, especially when they pull you for something minor like speeding on a motorway at 3am or no seatbelt when you’re going between drops, but I’d rather have police than cameras
The first comment is typical these days.Blame the police for accidents because they are not there.The second comment is just as ridiculous.The number of accident caused by heart attacks and ill health are in the minority.
It is mainly bad driving that causes accidents.
Do not get me wrong I think there definitely should be a far higher police presence on our roads instead of all the stupid cameras.
A police presence does help to stop idiotic driving but as so called professionals we should be able to drive safely whether we are being watched or not.
Some drivers attitudes stink these days.
The first accident on the A417 yesterday morning looked like plain old fallen asleep at the wheel. I’ve been driving past the accident spot today, the lorry braked and tried to avoid the collision (as per the tyre marks) but no skidmarks from the Focus which was coming down the hill. Look up Gloucestershire news there are numerous photos of the recovery…
the pic on the a417 looks like the car was tanking it down the hill and lost it on the bend, they recon they was loads of water about at the time on the rds… blame the lorry i say… 
Here’s the Beeb’s take on the accidents.
As usual the hill is blamed for both accident even though the second happened on the Birdlip Junction on the way to Nettleton.
The car driver was a 54 year old Cheltenham man, the other two victims were elderly ladies in their 80’s and 90’s
Whilst offering condolences to the victims families lets not forget there are also two lorry divers who’s lives will never be the same.
It’s always amazed me tha people travelling in the same direction (on motorway) at roughly the same speed can crash so spectacularly.
zzarbean:
Here’s the Beeb’s take on the accidents.A417 triple deaths: Renewed calls for urgent action - BBC News
As usual the hill is blamed for both accident even though the second happened on the Birdlip Junction on the way to Nettleton.
The car driver was a 54 year old Cheltenham man, the other two victims were elderly ladies in their 80’s and 90’s
Whilst offering condolences to the victims families lets not forget there are also two lorry divers who’s lives will never be the same.
Less than 24 hours later and people are still driving like retards down the hill. Some prat crossed the white line coming down as I overtook someone coming up.