If this was one of us, we'd have been hung

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

Wheel Nut:

Derf:

scaniason:

The question for me is: would we prosecute a member of the public for a similar offence?

Errmmm - yes?

Only if it’s in the public interest. Wasn’t there a squaddie who fell asleep at the wheel on the M11 on one of those police programs? Been on excercise all weekend, drove home, dozed off, totalled his car, closed the M11 and ended up in hospital… no prosecution.
I also know of several guys I used to know through night trunking who ‘swerved to miss a fox’ and never got prosecuted. So to say they prosecute everytime is not entirely true.
If we can ‘get away with it’ now and then, why can’t they? What about the traffic officer in Portsmouth who was prosecuted for dangerous driving for pursuing some scrote? He was charged and went to court for basically doing what he was paid and trained for.
While I’m by no means saying the police are angels, I’m also not going to bash the police just for the sake of bashing them, as some on here seem to do.

Then again you have the “specially trained” coppers who can still drive at 140 + mph ignoring speed limits.

My own special training to drive a lorry taught me about speed limits.

It does tend to go against the grain when a lorry driver gets done at 45mph in the name of safety

Wheel Nut sometimes officers have to go at that speed to catch up with a vehicle in front. So your telling me that officers should respond to a incident without breaking any speed limits? you will soon me moaning about how long it took them to get to you next.

Due to it being the Police people want heads to be cut off. What is the difference between this driver to a lorry driver? - Nothing as they both ■■■■ and ■■■■ the same and both make mistakes

appear a second’s inattentiveness on behalf of the officer through fatigue

Was 04:45am which shows it was a night shift. You cannot tell me that no driver on thie forum never been tired whilst doing there job?

Two Months ago, one of my colleagues finished work at 00:30 after a nine hour shift. as he was negotiating the roundabout just outside the depot, an unmarked police car overtook him and cut across to exit the roundabout, in the process sideswiped my colleagues car and wrote it off. The police prounounced the blame to be 50/50. Even though the officer had been on duty fourteen hours. My colleague only had third party fire and theft insurance so his insurance company weren’t interested in arguing the toss, so my mate was without a car and had to buy another one.
Not only that, the police went through his car with a fine tooth comb to try and shift the blame onto him.
Anyone who thinks we’re not living in a police state, think again.

You telling me you have never done a 15 hour day?

22

Derf:

Own Account Driver:
Virtually no-one you meet that isn’t either a lorry driver or directly related to someone that is ever has anything good to say about them and it’s things like this that really rub the public up the wrong way. This is one of many like hurtling downhill at 70mph on the public highway before you even start on the blocking 2 lanes for 5 or 6 miles while overtaking and swerving innocent people off the road either to the point of severe injury or death.

Oh, but, ‘they have a difficult job to do’. Well fine, leave then.

Ammended that to show another public perception :wink:

Yes, and that perception exists because too large a number of lorry drivers have behaved or continue to behave in a way that has caused it.

23

Own Account Driver:

Derf:

Own Account Driver:
Virtually no-one you meet that isn’t either a lorry driver or directly related to someone that is ever has anything good to say about them and it’s things like this that really rub the public up the wrong way. This is one of many like hurtling downhill at 70mph on the public highway before you even start on the blocking 2 lanes for 5 or 6 miles while overtaking and swerving innocent people off the road either to the point of severe injury or death.

Oh, but, ‘they have a difficult job to do’. Well fine, leave then.

Ammended that to show another public perception :wink:

Yes, and that perception exists because too large a number of lorry drivers have behaved or continue to behave in a way that has caused it.

…and a lot of the ill though out comments on here do nothing to dispell that myth

24

Derf:

Own Account Driver:

Derf:

Own Account Driver:
Virtually no-one you meet that isn’t either a lorry driver or directly related to someone that is ever has anything good to say about them and it’s things like this that really rub the public up the wrong way. This is one of many like hurtling downhill at 70mph on the public highway before you even start on the blocking 2 lanes for 5 or 6 miles while overtaking and swerving innocent people off the road either to the point of severe injury or death.

Oh, but, ‘they have a difficult job to do’. Well fine, leave then.

Ammended that to show another public perception :wink:

Yes, and that perception exists because too large a number of lorry drivers have behaved or continue to behave in a way that has caused it.

…and a lot of the ill though out comments on here do nothing to dispell that myth

I’m not sure how having some big lorry driver love in for the filth would help our perception with the public. As I say, they mostly all hate the filth as well.

25

The point I’m trying to make is not a pro or anti-police one, more over one of constructive arguement and fairness. The original point was one that truck drivers wouldn’t be able to get ‘off’ with something similar and that the police have. I have given some first hand examples plus anecdotal evidence that that is not the case. I also stated how confident I am that all those that have fallen ‘victim’ to the police in their professional capacity as a HGV driver have also not been caught or prosecuted for many more offences. On balance, does that give then reason to complain?

Lorry drivers like to moan and feel hard done by, just look at the threads devoted to the bilge spouted in RDC waiting rooms / drivers restaraunts. The fact the police are doing their jobs and occasionally catch you doing something that perhaps you know you shouldn’t be doing, seems to be lost. I have also made the point that people on here seem to make sweeping brash statements without including any facts or evidence to back it up (Pimpdaddy’s comment above is a prime example) while I am not condoning free speech (in fact I will defend the right for free speech with my last) It would make for a much more interesting forum if people would back up their sweeping generalisations, not to mention improve the public perception of lorry drivers for anyone chancing by or dipping into this forum.

26

The thing you can guarantee is that if a police vehicle is involved in an accident, then they will do everything in their power to shift the blame for the accident on the other driver.

In this case I would say that if that driver in the video had not been a police officer then the book would have been thrown at them. The evidence would have been enough that IF it had been referred to the CPS they would have said that there was enough evidence against the driver to prosecute for driving (at least) without due care and attention, quite frankly he was lucky that he didn’t kill someone.

In the cases we have had involving deaths caused by the police, by law, the officers involved are allowed time to discuss what happened and get their stories straight before being interviewed, imagine if everyone was given this right. No wonder there are no prosecutions of police officers for murder depite them being found guilty of causing death by misconduct in a civil court.

27

Yes, Mickeyblue, I have had my share of 15 hour shifts, but I don’t drive like a smartarse bulldozing the only other vehicle in the vicinity off the road in my haste to get home. And yes, I have made mistakes in the past, but, I’m only a thick lorry driver, and, I’m not knocking the police in general, so no need to be so touchy. You seem to be very thin skinned for a cop.
Must be the truncheon meat in your standard issue sandwiches. :laughing:

28

schrodingers cat:
The thing you can guarantee is that if a police vehicle is involved in an accident, then they will do everything in their power to shift the blame for the accident on the other driver.

In this case I would say that if that driver in the video had not been a police officer then the book would have been thrown at them. The evidence would have been enough that IF it had been referred to the CPS they would have said that there was enough evidence against the driver to prosecute for driving (at least) without due care and attention, quite frankly he was lucky that he didn’t kill someone.

In the cases we have had involving deaths caused by the police, by law, the officers involved are allowed time to discuss what happened and get their stories straight before being interviewed, imagine if everyone was given this right. No wonder there are no prosecutions of police officers for murder depite them being found guilty of causing death by misconduct in a civil court.

Wasn’t a detective sentenced to life for the murder of his missus only last week?
Anyone has time to discuss whatever they want with whoever they want prior to arrest, are you telling me Rose and Fred never discussed things before they were nicked?

29

DieselDemon:
Yes, Mickeyblue, I have had my share of 15 hour shifts, but I don’t drive like a smartarse bulldozing the only other vehicle in the vicinity off the road in my haste to get home. And yes, I have made mistakes in the past, but, I’m only a thick lorry driver, and, I’m not knocking the police in general, so no need to be so touchy. You seem to be very thin skinned for a cop.
Must be the truncheon meat in your standard issue sandwiches. :laughing:

I think i got my reply across in the wrong way sorry mate.

Just looking outside the box if you get what i mean

30

mickyblue:

DieselDemon:
Yes, Mickeyblue, I have had my share of 15 hour shifts, but I don’t drive like a smartarse bulldozing the only other vehicle in the vicinity off the road in my haste to get home. And yes, I have made mistakes in the past, but, I’m only a thick lorry driver, and, I’m not knocking the police in general, so no need to be so touchy. You seem to be very thin skinned for a cop.
Must be the truncheon meat in your standard issue sandwiches. :laughing:

I think i got my reply across in the wrong way sorry mate.

Just looking outside the box if you get what i mean

OK, mate, no worries. BTW, I have had more good experiences with the police than bad ones. Been pretty lucky over the years.

31

Derf:

schrodingers cat:
The thing you can guarantee is that if a police vehicle is involved in an accident, then they will do everything in their power to shift the blame for the accident on the other driver.

In this case I would say that if that driver in the video had not been a police officer then the book would have been thrown at them. The evidence would have been enough that IF it had been referred to the CPS they would have said that there was enough evidence against the driver to prosecute for driving (at least) without due care and attention, quite frankly he was lucky that he didn’t kill someone.

In the cases we have had involving deaths caused by the police, by law, the officers involved are allowed time to discuss what happened and get their stories straight before being interviewed, imagine if everyone was given this right. No wonder there are no prosecutions of police officers for murder depite them being found guilty of causing death by misconduct in a civil court.

Wasn’t a detective sentenced to life for the murder of his missus only last week?
Anyone has time to discuss whatever they want with whoever they want prior to arrest, are you telling me Rose and Fred never discussed things before they were nicked?

Sorry should have mentioned that if they cause death WHILST ON DUTY, they are given time to discuss what to say after the fact, this right would not have been given to Rose and Fred West after arrest.
As for the wife murderer I would bet that he was given more leeway than you or I would have been given before it became so obvious that he had to be arrested.

32

dar1976:
shows the officer driving (IMO) far too fast for the corner which he was approaching. Generally careless driving.

Obviously the pictures dont do this area justice.

That piece of road, if it werent governed by speed limits, could easily be negotiated at 50mph.

From just behind the car, it is a slight curve to the right, then a slight curve to the left (he hit the bollards on the inside of the curve), over the bridge and a slight curve to the right.

At the time of day it happened I would be surprised if anyone was walking in the road but its possible that he swerved to miss somebody/thing.

33

Derf:
Makes me laugh… I’m not a rich man, but I’d bet my pension that all those moaning they’re victimised by VOSA, police, TC etc, have got away with far more ‘indescretions’ than they have ever been hauled up / prosecuted for, yet they still feel victims of a totalitarian state! Seems odd how they are allowed to get away in the main for things they’ve done, yet the police (for the sole reason they are the police) should be prosecuted, crucified, disembowled then burnt for anything.
Smells of hypocracy from a bunch of moaners to me.
As for some of the narrow minded, ignorant, ill though out comments you find on here sometimes, they just prove the public perception that lorry drivers are thick bullys without 2 brain cells to rub together. (This is after all a public foum that the great unwashed car-driver or journalist can openly read)

Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the lamp post. Seems to me the copper in the video was the dog in this instance (no more than you or I have been the dog most times we’ve done something that perhaps we shouldn’t) there again, that doesn’t make good conversation in an RDC waiting room or drivers restaraunt on a ferry and doesn’t make out the poor hard done by lorry driver eeking out a meagre crust, to be a victim…

What a load of complete bloody twaddle. The police in whichever country you live and work in are a bunch of two faced corrupt scrotes. They will happily do you over for the slightest, as you put it “indiscretion” yet cover their own tracks and ignore the law they are supposed to be there to uphold. There are countless examples on youtube, in the press and on tv of police who seem to think they can do what the hell they like, and they do, more ansd more. personally I wouldnt ■■■■ on a copper if he caught fire - conos the bloody lot of them.

34

Hombre, like I said, I’m not necarssarily pro or anti police, merely fed up with ignorant, ill thought out comments. I’d summise for every youtube clip showing the police in bad light, I can find you one showing a truck / truck driver in an equally bad way. Does that make every lorry driver a bullying dangerous menace on the road? By your reasoning it does, therefore that would only justify the police’s reasons for targeting trucks. :wink:

35

Hombre for cono read [ZB] :wink: poliite(ish) in Espanol but def not in Ingles.

36

Mounting the pavement at a speed to do that much damage to them posts and some of you think if it were us we’d be let off with a slapped wrist, ■■■■ off!

37

I agree that the in allot of cases mentioned the drivers should have tougher punishment but it isnt just the police that get off lightly hundreds of drivers cause horrific accidents every week and are let off with no charge so its hardly suprising that police have teh same rules, a mat of mine was killed by a van driver a couple of years back who was texting whilst overtaking a truck and he was never charged with anything more then a few hundred quid

38

Saaamon:
Mounting the pavement at a speed to do that much damage to them posts and some of you think if it were us we’d be let off with a slapped wrist, ■■■■ off!

Come on I bet well over half the members on this forum have had some sort of car crash in the past and ever had it go further than an insurance claim.
I know of at least one member on here who put an artic in a ditch, didn’t see him charged with careless driving, surly it’s the same what about all the drivers who roll artics can’t see all of them getting banned

39

I’m not going to get into cop bashing, but their position in society, and the powers granted to them by warrant, mean that they have to act to a higher standard and be more accountable than the general public fact. They knew this would cause embarrement at the very least, which is why they didnt want to release this report. Simple test for the cops is if you think your actions after an incident involving an officer may be difficult to justify, And if you are to forced to release the report, then you’ve probably handled it in the wrong way.

I may agree that an ordinary motorist with a clean license and good insurance record, may possibly been let off with a bill for the clean up, and nothing else. but I garentee that if any of us as LGV license holders, classed as profesional drivers had done that we would be getting points fact.

The Police take great pains to inform anyone who cares to listen that their drivers undertake extensive driver training of a standard far higher than anyone else on the road, and I’m glad of that, I want a copper to make fast progress to an incident as the first responce, and knowing how much ground norfolk cops have to cover on nights, speed is of the essence, but what good is all that trainig and speed if the responder to my needs ends up impaled on street furniture.

This Officers judgement is questionable, his training should have told him he was unfit to drive,and to take a break, this is what you would be told if you were driving whilst at work and claimning fatigue as mitigation. if he was being presured or coerced into working whilst unfit, then there would need to be questions asked off his line manager, and further up the tree including chief constable.

Alternatively he just drove badly and used the first excuse his fed rep could come up with. either way, norfolk police shouldve released the report, shouldve stated that the officer is under taking further training, and that his record would show this incident as an offical warning as to further conduct.

I know of at least one member on here who put an artic in a ditch, didn’t see him charged with careless driving, surly it’s the same what about all the drivers who roll artics can’t see all of them getting banned

And why should he be banned. But if he was working for a company of a similar size and sructure of even norfolk police, then I bet he had to explain further than just filling out the insurance forns, and if he was to have another moving vehicle incident within a given time period, they may even at the companies expence send him for driver training, and too many incidents within a given time period would see him out the door. And thats what the police should be doing

40

eddie snax:
I

I know of at least one member on here who put an artic in a ditch, didn’t see him charged with careless driving, surly it’s the same what about all the drivers who roll artics can’t see all of them getting banned

And why should he be banned. But if he was working for a company of a similar size and sructure of even norfolk police, then I bet he had to explain further than just filling out the insurance forns, and if he was to have another moving vehicle incident within a given time period, they may even at the companies expence send him for driver training, and too many incidents within a given time period would see him out the door. And thats what the police should be doing

Thats probably what the police are doing how said the officer in question had anything but a cleen record?

You also said that LGV licence holders would have points put on there licence we both no thats not true just from people on this forum who have had incidents and not been awarded any points