Flashing Driver Convicted

[Jrod 7]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-12115179

 

 

[SurGie 54]

He never restricted an officer doing their duty, he warned other drivers to slow down.

 

Where is the evidence he was doing that, they by the looks of it they had no concrete evidence.

Edited January 11, 2011 by SurGie

[large 33]

" whether a prosecution is in the public interest".

 

I think this is more to the point.

 

Also they have the audacity to call them safety cameras.

Edited January 11, 2011 by large

[Goliath 94]

This just proves that the police have no intention of slowing cars down by using these speed guns/safety cameras. If they were trying to slow down the traffic then this old chap should have been praised by the police for helping them achieve their goal.

 

Blooming joke!

[mickie 3]

This just proves that the police have no intention of slowing cars down by using these speed guns/safety cameras. If they were trying to slow down the traffic then this old chap should have been praised by the police for helping them achieve their goal.

 

Blooming joke!

well said

[Bigtimmy 1]

What a fantastic waste of my tax pounds.

 

Romanians driving without insurance or a license get less than he did.

 

And what's the £15 victims surcharge...who the hell is the victim in all this??

 

Our country is so arse about face its obscene.

 

I used to really like living here.

[GLPoomobile 958]

Most disappointing topic ever! I thought this was going to be about someone convicted for indecent exposure inside a moving car

 

It's not the first time this has happened. Personally I don't see what people hope to achieve when they do stuff like this. It's not obvious what someone is trying to tell you just by flashing their lights at you. But that aside, it's complete;y ridiculous that he was prsecuted for it. In the public's interest? I'm not interested in seeing anyone prosecuted for this, is anyone else?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I'm going to completely disagree with you lot, I don't see what the problem is with him being fined. It is against the law to warn other drivers of speed cameras and it is transparent that was what he was doing. The crap about him saying he believes cameras make people brake harshly is balls**t his lawer was feeding him.

 

I'll get my coat

[omega 82]

where does it state that flashing headlights is warning people of a speed trap?

dosnt the highway code say that flashing head lamps has no meaning?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

where does it state that flashing headlights is warning people of a speed trap?

dosnt the highway code say that flashing head lamps has no meaning?

 

one of my cousins is a police officer is south Devon and when they are running a speed camera operation in a certain area he can't even tell his wife about it. It is illegal to warn people about cameras.

[Goliath 94]

It is illegal to warn people about cameras.

 

Before I reply I just want to say I am not trying to cause an argument, nor am I questioning you etc etc.

 

If it is illegal to warn someone of a speed camera, where do speed camera warning signs come into it? Also whenever I have seen a mobile speed trap, if there are no fixed signs warning of possible speed cameras, then I have always seen temporary fold up signs placed warning of possible speed cameras, surely they wouldn't place these unless it was a legal requirement?

 

I genuinely don't know the laws on this so would be interested to hear what people think.

[dumbiron 0]

Derbyshire cameras this week

 

Camera sites

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Derbyshire cameras this week

 

Camera sites

 

I appreciate you can find the location of cameras but officers obviously can't go around telling people, nor can the public warn other motorists.

[dumbiron 0]

i have just warned you of the Derbyshire cameras this week, have i broken the law then ?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

i have just warned you of the Derbyshire cameras this week, have i broken the law then ?

 

humpf! You know what I mean, you can't flash people or wave your hands team amercia styly

[dumbiron 0]

My father once had an old-ish bloke flash at him to warn him of a mobile camera, shame my dad was in a fully marked up police riot van at the time

[swordfish210 20]

People get fined for this all the time, not sure why this case made it to the media, slow news day maybe It is illegal to flash your lights at oncoming motorists to warn them of speed cameras but i'm still going to do it everytime i see one and i hope people will show me the same courtesy regardless of wether i am speeding or not.

[mickie 3]

i'd class it as more of a misdemeanour, the act of the man flashing his lights wont do any harm to anyone..

 

if they have made this law, why ? in no way does the flashing of lights harm anyone apart from the wallets of the police and they're not supposed to be there to make money..

 

the government and police do everything they can to get people off the road but at the same time rely on motorists as an income, there is probably a nice big word for that but i dont know it.. its a police state, makes me feel sick.

[harryskid 193]

Keep flashing!

[foreigner 0]

i'd class it as more of a misdemeanour, the act of the man flashing his lights wont do any harm to anyone..

 

if they have made this law, why ? in no way does the flashing of lights harm anyone apart from the wallets of the police and they're not supposed to be there to make money..

 

the government and police do everything they can to get people off the road but at the same time rely on motorists as an income, there is probably a nice big word for that but i dont know it.. its a police state, makes me feel sick.

 

 

I don't think you are allowed to say this on this forum as lots of people had a go at me for saying "police state".

 

Or are you allowed ???? lol

[mickie 3]

if you look at how police go on with motorists, it is very police state, im not bothered if you're allowed to say it or not.

[mainline 2 1 Cars]

There has been a law against this for a very long time, I remember it being one of my case study questions while I was doing the Legal Practice Course back in the day. There is a very old case of a guy in a lorry doing the same thing to warn of a Police speed trap back in the 70s or 80s, we had to research that one to answer the question. So the Police and more importantly the CPS would have known they could secure a conviction no problem by just relying on that old case.

 

Whether it is in the public interest to prosecute someone for this is another matter. Most traffic offences, like speeding, are summary judgement cases, so its just a case of issuing a ticket, administering the fine and getting on with it. This would have been another type of case altogether. There would have been interviews under caution, solicitor in attendance, referred to the CPS for a charging decision, at least a couple of hearings in the Magistrates Court, and of course the poor old fella would have had legal aid throughout in all likelihood.

 

Total costs I would estimate at about £3-5000, possibly more, and for what?

 

Crap country, crap justice system, stupid overly officious tossers!

[C_W 3 1 Cars]

If the police had set up an inspection area for tax-dodgers/no insurance/dangerous vehicles etc, then warning people of that I could agree that it would be obstructing an officer, but the police "apparently" go on about wanting people to slow down yet when they are "helped" they convict that person I know this has been said about 4 times already but thought I would say it as well

[Cameron 16]

Agreed! They have no interest in getting people to slow down, their only interest is to catch people. They would prefer it if people continued to speed, as it generates revenue and looks good in their crime stats.

 

If this driver got prosecuted for obstructing justice or whatever it was, surely they should also be able to prosecute drivers who regularly speed yet slow down for cameras of their own accord. If they were speeding before the camera, saw it and slowed down, aren't they obstructing the course of justice too? I bet the prosecutor for this case would try to argue that if he / she could!

Edited January 12, 2011 by Cameron

[shalmaneser 26]

I do this, and know it's strictly speaking illegal, but if questioned why didn't he just say he was saying hello to his mate going the other way?

 

Try and prove he wasn't!