Discussion
was with a friend the other night ( 9 or 10pm) in a chimaera, following a sierra cosworth rs500, went onto dual carriageway .. couple of other cars on there but nothing too bad .. cosworth floors it, flames on every gearchange (looked great btw), friend floors it .. cossie leaves us for dead .. speed builds - flat in 5th maybe 130 ish uphill slightly - cossie still pulling away then slows ahead so we pull alongside, drop into 4th, wave to cossie driver and floor it and carry on. looking back from a quarter mile further on and cossie is on hard shoulder with dark car behind it with blue lights flashing in the grille .. oops. trust one of the few other cars there to be unmarked fuzzy one. anyway how do these (vascar??) police thingies work? can they only get one car at once? can they "do" the other car on the basis that it was doing almost the same speed and happened to be in the same area at the same time as the car actually caught? anyone come across this before where the other car gets pulled .. did you get anything in the post later on? any advice much appreciated ..
cheerz all
Joolz.
cheerz all
Joolz.
The Vascar is a tad more sophisticated than has been described. Yes it is simply a time/distance recorder, but it also has a memory so several cheks can be made. I have used it in a road race situation and 'potted' both cars, it is just a case of doing two separate checks, one on each car, it would however be permisible to do both cars on one reading if you could say that both cars remained a constant distance apart durring the check (I have used that on a laser check of two speeding cars). Just a cautionary note re having a bit of a race, that in itself is an offence, but a couple of years back I dealt with a fatal RTA which had started as a traffic light grand prix, but ended when one of the cars clipped a kerb and crashed killing the rear seat passenger (no contact with the other vehicle) both drivers were convicted of death X dangerous and got 4yrs a piece.
Back to the VASCAR though, we do not have to park up to do the check, it can be used when we are following a car, ie time on when the target passes a fixed point distance on when we pass it, time off when the target passes a second fixed point, distance off when we pass it. Another variation is to switch both time and distance on together and just follow at a steady distance then switch off after at least .125 of a mile. There are also a few other methods.
PS in theory we don't have to stop you we could send out an NIP, although it is not our normal practice it does get used on occasions
>> Edited by john robson on Wednesday 22 May 00:57
Back to the VASCAR though, we do not have to park up to do the check, it can be used when we are following a car, ie time on when the target passes a fixed point distance on when we pass it, time off when the target passes a second fixed point, distance off when we pass it. Another variation is to switch both time and distance on together and just follow at a steady distance then switch off after at least .125 of a mile. There are also a few other methods.
PS in theory we don't have to stop you we could send out an NIP, although it is not our normal practice it does get used on occasions
>> Edited by john robson on Wednesday 22 May 00:57
quote:I seem to remember the offense is something like "racing on Her Majesty's Highway" or such-like. Probably recently changed to "racing on a public highway" I should imagine.
Just a cautionary note re having a bit of a race, that in itself is an offence
Added:
Thanks to Google, it would appear that it is indeed an offense under the Road Traffic Act. It carries a penalty of between 3 and 11 points (MS50)
URLs:
www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880052_en_1.htm
www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/endorsem.htm
>> Edited by JonRB on Wednesday 22 May 09:55
quote:
Also, if it's considered racing, your insurance won't cover you if something goes wrong.
So you would be directly liable for any damage - or compensation - claims made against you - anyone fancy £1m?
>> Edited by Neil Menzies on Wednesday 22 May 10:32
Are you sure that's right Neil? I thought the InsCO would always pay up for 3rd party damage, no matter how much of a knob you'd been! (But you're on your own for any claim relating to your own property/injury.)
IAMFI
sounds like breathing sigh of relief isn't on the cards just yet then, probably best bit of news is that the two cars weern't very close together due to the vastly superior acceleration of the cossie so they couldn't really say the two cars were close enough to be doing the same speed, they could rightly justify the fact that both were "having a go" though ..
ridiculous. Racing is very hard to prove if there is no "prize". Why do we have to put up with this incessant obsessive belief that a coppers word is gospel? (in court that is). Everyone in the world lies, and the sooner judges realise this, and demand PROOF, the better. Either that, or cops should be more forgiving of drivers, and harsher on real criminals.
C.
C.
As far as I know it is possible to get both cars, as last year I got done while following an MX5 at 84.6 in a 60. He pulled and booked both of us. Did think it was a bit dodgy doing both of us, but didn't want to push my luck as it was quite a bit over the limit. Three points and £60, never mind.
Gavin and 350i.
Gavin and 350i.
quote:
ridiculous. Racing is very hard to prove if there is no "prize". Why do we have to put up with this incessant obsessive belief that a coppers word is gospel? (in court that is). Everyone in the world lies, and the sooner judges realise this, and demand PROOF, the better. Either that, or cops should be more forgiving of drivers, and harsher on real criminals.
C.
You obviously haven't been to court recently. If anything, the system is weighted heavily towards the defendant.
quote:
quote:
ridiculous. Racing is very hard to prove if there is no "prize". Why do we have to put up with this incessant obsessive belief that a coppers word is gospel? (in court that is). Everyone in the world lies, and the sooner judges realise this, and demand PROOF, the better. Either that, or cops should be more forgiving of drivers, and harsher on real criminals.
C.
You obviously haven't been to court recently. If anything, the system is weighted heavily towards the defendant.
bolocks. Most local magistraits courts are as bent as a 3 pound note.
pull the other one its got bells on it
quote:Oooh, that brings back painful memories. I clipped the kerb at 85mph once on a bike, street racing (RD250 vs 250X7). Went down like a sack of spuds as the bike went from under me. I came off the pavement, flipped onto a side road, flipped back over the kerb the other side. I slid about 50 yds, the bike a bit further. My knees have never been the same since (5 hour op, 3 weeks unable to move legs at all, 6 months on crutches).
clipped the kerb
Kids eh!
quote:
ridiculous. Racing is very hard to prove if there is no "prize". Why do we have to put up with this incessant obsessive belief that a coppers word is gospel? (in court that is). Everyone in the world lies, and the sooner judges realise this, and demand PROOF, the better. Either that, or cops should be more forgiving of drivers, and harsher on real criminals.
C.
How about this then hertsbiker. You see two motors, cars or bikes stationary at a red light. Engines revving, drivers looking at each other, lights change, wheels spin, smoke over road,screaming engines, one motor trying to pull in front of the other.
Question 1: Are they going to the local chip shop because they are hungry?
Answer: Are they hell!!
Question 2: Does it need a cop to lie about what happened?
Answer: No. He/she just states the above
Question 3: Is there a prize?
Answer: Yes Its called ego!!
Question 4: Does it need a highly trained legal expert to determine they were racing?
Answer: No. Even someone from the lower gene pools can work that out!
Thanks to the devout and well publicised work of the West Midlands Crime Squad a few years ago, Courts are very careful about what Police Officers say and the defendant always gets the benefit of any doubt.
Most traffic cars these days have AutoVision fitted in conjunction with the VASCAR system. What more proof than glorious technicolour do you want?
The more serious Road traffic offences are classed as crimes.
If you are convicted of a serious driving offence including any Alcohol/drugs offence in charge or whilst driving, you will become criminally known,
given a criminal record number and placed on the Police National computer having had your DNA sample taken for future use.
Be warned that if it goes really pear shaped for you when you are having 'fun' These are the possible consequences you may have to live with.
No Cop will say don't have fun. Just be very careful where and when you do it.
If you get caught then you have to take it on the chin or find an expensive lawyer to try and throw doubt on something.
>> Edited by Madcop on Thursday 23 May 21:29
>> Edited by Madcop on Thursday 23 May 21:32
>> Edited by Madcop on Thursday 23 May 21:33
>> Edited by Madcop on Thursday 23 May 21:35
quote:
... having had your DNA sample taken for future use.
>> Edited by Madcop on Thursday 23 May 21:29
Didn't realise you did this, makes sense of course. Do you still do fingerprints?
Incidentally ... there was a carefully worded thing on the news recently about two men having deliberately "contaminated a crime scene by putting their DNA there"
Uh-huh, I hope you guys have slightly more sophisticated methods!
quote:
quote:
... having had your DNA sample taken for future use.
>> Edited by Madcop on Thursday 23 May 21:29
Didn't realise you did this, makes sense of course. Do you still do fingerprints?
Incidentally ... there was a carefully worded thing on the news recently about two men having deliberately "contaminated a crime scene by putting their DNA there"
Uh-huh, I hope you guys have slightly more sophisticated methods!
they cant finger print you by force unless you have been charged
and even then finger prints that are taken by force are ushally useless to them anyway.
and if you want a crack dont let em take you photo
they can not do it by force weather you are charged or not
one whatch em try to follow you round the station with a cam
but ushall they wont bother trying to get a shot of you hand over your face.
>> Edited by outlaw on Thursday 23 May 21:47
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