observer Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Finally, the Gov seem to have realised, that allowing the Police to issue on the spot fines for driving offences, will save time and energy in our courts system. But will coppers be vigilant and observant enough to meet the challenge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 No, To much power to the Police, Do not agree with them being Judge, Jury and executioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I think they will, especially on the motorways. Just a question. If you are in a queue in the outside lane, is that tailgating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I thought the police could already issue on the spot fines for driving offences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francine Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Police can on spot fine but do not seem to bother. I am not sure about this new £100 fine for motoring offences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 What I'd like to know is when did the advice about the use of the middle lane become a law punishable with a fine? and at what distance or speed does following the car in front become a fin-able offence? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Bill, it isn't an offence to drive in the middle lane even if the inside lane is empty. I don't do it personally but I have had cause to in the past when the inside lane is very rutted by trucks and there is heavy rain. Keeping to the middle lanes lessens the chance of aquaplaning so if I was pulled I would certainly argue that one in court! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 It is in the Highway code, to keep in the left hand lane on a Motorway. You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past. Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking. You MUST NOT drive on the hard shoulder except in an emergency or if directed to do so by the police, HA traffic officers in uniform or by signs. Laws MT(E&W)R regs 5, 9 & 16(1)(a), MT(S)R regs 4, 8 & 14(1)(a), and RTA 1988, sects 35 & 186, as amended by TMA 2004 sect 6 https://www.gov.uk/motorways-253-to-273/lane-discipline-264-to-266 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 If we are starting on the spot fines for idiot drivers, most of them will need to take out a second mortgage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Most have always been offences covered by 'Driving without due care and attention', the police can interpret that offence whatever way they choose, then it's up to the driver to challenge it in court if they so wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Well if there’s no official way to determine something and it comes down to someone’s opinion then that’s asking for problems. I was once threatened with prosecution for failure to stop. I told the officer it wasn’t safe to stop where he’d indicated so I used the lay-by a couple of hundred yards down the road. He argued he was the one that determines where it’s safe to stop so I told him to take me to court because when it comes to the safety of my family I make those decisions, not him. Needless to say he didn’t take me up on it. As for the middle lane, yes I’m more often than not in that lane because I don’t like playing Russian roulette with the lorries. Plus with wide tyres and highly geared steering, the ruts from the lorries makes driving in a straight line almost impossible for me. The problem as I see it is that while we all see some crazy driving at times, it’s almost impossible to draw a clear line between what’s close and what’s dangerous. Then factor in the changes in our cars and roads over the years since the Highway Code was written and it gets even more difficult. How many times have you heard the old saying there’s no such thing as the fast lane? Utter rubbish, there’s a slow lane full of lorries, a middle lane for people going faster than lorries (also full of lorries) and a fast lane for people who want to get somewhere quicker than the other two lanes. That’s reality. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Several years ago a figure of £1000 was talked about for using a phone while driving ,what happened to that ? I believe the recommendation for distance between vehicles is one yard for every mph of speed which would give traffic queues from John O'Groats to Lands End . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I believe the recommendation for distance between vehicles is one yard for every mph of speed which would give traffic queues from John O'Groats to Lands End . But wouldn't that be reduced to - John O'Groats to Sheffield' if you were in a queue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Kije Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Found this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22784983 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted June 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 As I inferred in my first post - I'm not sure the Police will actually police this anyway. Having watched them on many occasions drive past a series of minor road offences (the main one being drivers using a mobile phone), maybe actually enforcing the law brings too much paper work?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asperity Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 The people who seem to cause most problems are those that stick to the middle lane but at less than the limit giving you the choice of moving from the inside lane across to the outside lane and back to the inside lane, or breaking the law by undertaking. Incidentally these same people subsequently speed up and overtake you again before slowing down to below the limit again once passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Good article with some interesting observations. Seems to me though that this is little more than an attempt to gain some easy public support without spending any money. It'll never work and as several others mentioned, it may well lead to more accidents as people fearful of a potential fine, start to change lanes more often. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted June 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Q. is M/Way driving part of the practical driving test? Should it be? As I understand it, HGVs are restricted to 60mph, and tend to occupy the inside lane, unless overtaking. Thus, if maintaining 70mph in a car, the middle lane would tend to be the obvious choice for a car, unless you want to keep swinging out to pass HGVs. Which then leaves the outside lane for cars to overtake, BUT that may involve exceeding the speed limit - wouldn't it? ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Well the Plod certainly aren't policing the 20mph limits that are springing up everywhere so this is a total non-starter.....Like a Corsair on a cold morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Obs... you can't actually drive on a motorway until you have passed your driving test as it is illegal (meaning you CAN drive on the motorway after passing your test regardless of the fact that you have never been on a motorway during your lessons so have no concept on what it is physically like other than what you have read). You can have 'pass plus' type lessons where an instructor will take you out after passing your test which covers motorway driving at additional cost. That's the bit I don't get though is that if everyone sticks to the inside lane like they are supposed to (other than for overtaking) then wont it just cause one huge line of traffic in one lane with the other lanes pretty much empty so slowing down the actual flow of overall movement ? If there are two miles of traffic with each car being the 'sensible' required distance from each other all using the inside lane so they don't get fines and you want to overtake.... will you have to overtake for two miles and hence be accused of lane hogging ? Saying that motorways scare the life out of me with all the stupid drivers, lorries, signs and sudden lane swapping by idiots so none of it will make any difference to me anyway as I still wont use them... so I wont be caught out either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Well the Plod certainly aren't policing the 20mph limits that are springing up everywhere so this is a total non-starter.....Like a Corsair on a cold morning! Probably because they have more important things to be doing Baz such as catching attackers, arsonists, burglars, drunk drivers, car/petrol theft scum bags and god knows what else. Someone doing 30 in a 20 sort of seems low in the grand scale of everything else that goes on in Warrington and there are only so many police officers to oversee it all. PS... Its warm and sunny again tomorrow so you should be ok to start and go out in your Corsair. Keep to the speed limit though as you will be noticeable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevofaz25 Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 The issue here is the morons that tootle along the middle lane at 60mph whilst the inside lane is empty. The news that seat belt use is being targeted should be interesting to see policed- I was crossing Bridge Foot today and in 10 seconds counted 3 drivers with no seat belt- thing is that there are CCTV cameras on that junction but nobody ever gets caught? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davy51 Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 As we all know motorways can be horrible places & can be probably the most dangerous place that anyone can be in on a daily basis.It is easy to make a car go, or any other vehicle for that matter, but it is something else to stop the same vehicle safely in an emergency which can occur at any time on any motorway.Using 60 mph as an illustration can alternatively produce 1 mile of standing traffic in 1 minute in an emergency stop situation & if some drivers are unable to cope with the situation then the result can be lots of twisted metal & worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 There are lots of technically "illegal" things that most of us probably do on a weekly basis; go slightly over the speed limit etc.... but if the plod start targeting all of the minor offences just to generate revenue; they will lose the miniscule amount of public respect they have left....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted June 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 "Let them hate us, as long as they fear us" !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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