Came down from Preston to Sussex today and counted five cars stopped on the hard shoulders of the M6/M1, seemingly, just to let the kids have a pee (potties out etc).
This seems pretty darned dangerous, not to say, stupid.
I also thought is was illegal ■■?
Hope the cameras pick these idiots up!
Dangerous, stupid and illegal - but don’t expect the cops to do anything about it, after all safety and rules mean nothing in the face of convenience to the public (or should that be public convenience 
). Les flics are more interested in trying to do the working driver for being 1mph over the limit regardless of how safe he/she might be.
cynical, me, nah…never 
Jules
Ring the old bill and give them the registration numbers, they MUST then do something about it.
You can call back and check and if they have not taken action report them to the Police Complaints Authority.
All complaint calls to the police are recorded, especially those from mobile phones as they are handled at a central control and not the local plods place.
An afterthought, make sure your using a hands free phone when you call, it’s a £2500 fine for us lot now, and they can spot you from the motorway camera’s.
An afterthought, make sure your using a hands free phone when you call, it’s a £2500 fine for us lot now, and they can spot you from the motorway camera’s
does not seem to stop some drivers,even us truck drivers.what will it take to get through to these people 
must be getting paid far to much
as for kids doing the toilet on the hard shoulder,this has been happening for years,some how i don’t think the police would be really bothered about it.i bet if you asked your parents you probably done it to.i’m not saying it’s right it is dangerous but when a kid needs to go then there’s not much you can do.and how many lgv drivers have you seen doing it hundreds,especially in a long traffic jam.
On the subject of drivers stopping to let their kids use the hard shoulder as a toilet, this happened to me a good few years ago. I had posted this on the old forums but have copied it here.
A few years ago I was heading southbound on the M1, in lane one doing about 55 mph, and ¾ of a mile from Leicester Forest Services. The road was clear in front of me for about a quarter of a mile when a car that was stopped on the hard shoulder just pulled straight off the shoulder, with no indication, about 40 -50 metres in front of me. I was being overtaken by an artic from Gibbs of Fraserburgh at the time and couldn’t move into lane two even though the Gibbs driver had seen what was happening and was braking hard trying to let me out. It wasn’t happening and I had two choices, either hit the car, most likely leaving it somewhere under my unit, or go past on the hard shoulder, which was the option I took. I saw the occupants of the car, man driving, women in passenger seat and two small children in the back, jump as I went past as that was the first they knew I was there. I pulled into the services after that to take a moment or ten to compose myself and have a coffee.
I was sitting in the cab when a policeman approached with a man who I found out was the driver of the car. He had also pulled into the services and reported me to the police. The policeman was trying to get my version of the events but the guy kept interrupting until the policeman told him to go and wait over by the police car.
I then explained what had happened and mentioned the Gibbs truck that was likely still heading south and he could get a colleague to stop it as I was sure the driver would confirm my story, He checked my tacho for speed etc. He then told me to stay quiet and not to interrupt and called the man back over and the conversation went like this.
Policeman: I understand you were stopped on the hard shoulder?
Man: Yes.
Policeman: Why?
Man: My small son needed the toilet.
Policeman: Why did you not pull in here instead of using the hard shoulder?
Man: I didn’t know we were near the services.
Policeman: Would it be correct to say you stopped about ¾ of a mile from here?
Man: Yes.
Policeman: Did you not see the big sign 1 mile from here telling you the services were here?
Man: No.
Policeman: (rolling eyes and shaking head) OK. When you set off, after your son had done what he had to do, you drove along the hard shoulder to get up to spe……
MAN INTERRUPTS
Man: No Officer, that is wrong I did not drive on the hard shoulder at all and if he (points to me) is saying that he is lying.
POLICEMAN TURNS TO ME AND WINKS
Sorry to have disturbed you driver, enjoy your coffee and have a nice day.
TURNS TO MAN AND POINTS FINGER
You follow me over to my car.
Man: Why? (Looking very confused.)
Policeman walks off and man follows
He then gave him a major bol…… telling off much to the amusement of everyone else on the lorry park which included him telling the man he should have been thanking me for my quick thinking which saved a nasty accident and quite likely the death of his family instead of reporting me. He also gave him a lesson on how to use the hard shoulder to get up to speed before merging into the live lane.
When it was over the man drove away rather sheepishly and the policeman came back over and said “I knew if I gave him enough rope he would hang himself”
I was on the way out of Nottingham on the flyover where it merges into one lane. I got to the slip road and having been stuck in traffic and drank too much coffe, I pulled over and went to the bottom of the ditch, took a leak. I hear behind me:
Young nervous female voice. “Ahem, ahem. You do realise your comitting an offence parking thier?”
Me: “I don’t care this is bliss. If you want to do me then come and put the cuffs on. I’m not stopping until I’ve finished. I’ve sat in this lot (pointing to the traffic) and I’m busting.”
I finish, put it away and turn round to see a highly nervous WPC with a grizzled old sergent (I bet he was puppy walking her) almost wetting himself in the patrol car with every motorist in sight grinning like crazy 
.
The sergent said :“I really should do you for parking their but you’ve given me such a laugh I’ll leave you to it 
.”
I said: “Do me for it then, how’s it going to look when you get to court?”
She got back in the car, rolled her eyes at me, grinned and they were off. Not another word was said .
TV Prog last night said 250 people are killed on the hard shoulder every year!
Now, haven’t been driving that long, but this really did surprise me as to how anyone could do this to there kids.
Last year november december time there was road works heading east between junction 16 and 15 of the M4, working on a sunday and was on me way home and i was in the traffic, it was moving steadily bout 10-15 mph, anyway, see this car pull off onto the hard shoulder and three kids jump out of the back. I would guess the youngest was about 5 and the eldest no more than 8. When they got out the traffic was stationary. The traffic starts up again, and i guess the driver of the car kinda didn’t want to lose his place in the traffic so starts driving off, leaving these three kids squatting having a pee on the hard shoulder!!!.. gets even worse… the kids realise that they’re driving off and start running in the hard shoulder trying to catch the car!!! All it would have taken was a recovery vehicle/police etc to be coming up the hard shoulder and bang, major accident.!!!
I honestly couldn’t believe it. The parents can value their kids lifes that much!.
I can remember when i was a kid that if ever we were on a long journey and we needed to go then my dad would either say hold it till the next junction or make a mess we can’t stop on the motorway!.