Speeding Superintendent
Discussion
NZ Herald said:
Speeding cop claims he was working
Superintendent Ted Cox told the officer who pulled him over that he was following a vehicle of 'operational interest'. File photo / Richard Robinson
Superintendent Ted Cox told the officer who pulled him over that he was following a vehicle of 'operational interest'. File photo / Richard Robinson
A top Auckland policeman caught speeding yesterday told the officer who stopped him he was tracking a vehicle of "operational interest" at the time.
Superintendent Ted Cox was handed an infringement notice after he was clocked driving at 120km/h on Auckland's Southern Motorway.
Police national headquarters spokesman Rob Lee said Mr Cox was off duty driving an unmarked police car he used in a personal and professional capacity when he was stopped on the motorway between the Princes St and Highbrook Road exits in the Otahuhu-Otara area about 2.40pm.
"He told the officer he was catching up to a vehicle he believed was of operational interest to his work," Mr Lee told NZPA.
"He was served with an infringement notice and an infringement of that type generally incurs a $120 fine and 20 demerit points."
He said the officer who stopped Mr Cox acted in the right way as did Mr Cox.
"Mr Cox now has the opportunity to challenge that notice if he has a lawful defence."
Mr Lee said Mr Cox's car did not have the flashing lights activated when it was stopped.
Though Mr Cox was off duty at the time, Mr Lee said police staff were generally "still police officers 24 hours a day".
Mr Cox was stopped during a crackdown on speeding that aims to cut the number of deaths on New Zealand roads.
I am surprised he managed to survive, I thought 120 was enough to kill you instantly. Drove about 1200km between the 26th and the 2nd, and barely saw any cops out and about, and only 2 speed camera vans. Then I got back onto the motorway at the Bombays and there were 4 police cars up on a bridge nabbing people for doing 115 down the wide, safe motorway. Superintendent Ted Cox told the officer who pulled him over that he was following a vehicle of 'operational interest'. File photo / Richard Robinson
Superintendent Ted Cox told the officer who pulled him over that he was following a vehicle of 'operational interest'. File photo / Richard Robinson
A top Auckland policeman caught speeding yesterday told the officer who stopped him he was tracking a vehicle of "operational interest" at the time.
Superintendent Ted Cox was handed an infringement notice after he was clocked driving at 120km/h on Auckland's Southern Motorway.
Police national headquarters spokesman Rob Lee said Mr Cox was off duty driving an unmarked police car he used in a personal and professional capacity when he was stopped on the motorway between the Princes St and Highbrook Road exits in the Otahuhu-Otara area about 2.40pm.
"He told the officer he was catching up to a vehicle he believed was of operational interest to his work," Mr Lee told NZPA.
"He was served with an infringement notice and an infringement of that type generally incurs a $120 fine and 20 demerit points."
He said the officer who stopped Mr Cox acted in the right way as did Mr Cox.
"Mr Cox now has the opportunity to challenge that notice if he has a lawful defence."
Mr Lee said Mr Cox's car did not have the flashing lights activated when it was stopped.
Though Mr Cox was off duty at the time, Mr Lee said police staff were generally "still police officers 24 hours a day".
Mr Cox was stopped during a crackdown on speeding that aims to cut the number of deaths on New Zealand roads.
Front page headline in Northern Advocate: "German tourist clocked at 140km/h" It went on to say his license was suspended and rental car towed away. Photo of two cops looking like gangsters with shaved heads and dark glasses busy with radar gun and writing out book of tickets. On same page another headline urging motorists to dob in "dangerous" drivers. Not really the type of country I want to live in let alone visit as a tourist.
This boils my piss.
People are dying because the government concentrate solely on speeding rather than a straightforward, cost effective regime of driving education. The government can be blamed for many road deaths because it remains more important for them to fill the coffers than teach better driving practice. There is no 'Road Safety Campaign' there's simply a 'Road Speeding Campaign'. Legislation is easy - it's a number - exceed it and suffer. Education takes thought.
Mindless, day dreaming, puritanical twonts dallying along with no skill, little awareness and zero anticipation are the true issue yet they go about their dangerous daily journeys almost totally unchecked.
I see dozens of near misses and poor driving choices everyday, just about all of them under the posted speed limit, and I haven't seen any of them pulled over by police - ever.
I do however, regularly see police cars parked half way along long empty straights waiting for those unfortunate enough to venture beyond the posted limit.
People are dying because the government concentrate solely on speeding rather than a straightforward, cost effective regime of driving education. The government can be blamed for many road deaths because it remains more important for them to fill the coffers than teach better driving practice. There is no 'Road Safety Campaign' there's simply a 'Road Speeding Campaign'. Legislation is easy - it's a number - exceed it and suffer. Education takes thought.
Mindless, day dreaming, puritanical twonts dallying along with no skill, little awareness and zero anticipation are the true issue yet they go about their dangerous daily journeys almost totally unchecked.
I see dozens of near misses and poor driving choices everyday, just about all of them under the posted speed limit, and I haven't seen any of them pulled over by police - ever.
I do however, regularly see police cars parked half way along long empty straights waiting for those unfortunate enough to venture beyond the posted limit.
Nail on the head stuff there ched.
Speeding and alcohol are easy targets because they're easy metrics. They're concrete, and easy to portray (and distort) with statistics.
The actual issue is far more nebulus.
I myself fell foul of the Police over the holidays... long story short, I told the officer to f
k off and stop wasting my time.... which he did.
Speeding and alcohol are easy targets because they're easy metrics. They're concrete, and easy to portray (and distort) with statistics.
The actual issue is far more nebulus.
I myself fell foul of the Police over the holidays... long story short, I told the officer to f
k off and stop wasting my time.... which he did.wagonman said:
Front page headline in Northern Advocate: "German tourist clocked at 140km/h" It went on to say his license was suspended and rental car towed away. Photo of two cops looking like gangsters with shaved heads and dark glasses busy with radar gun and writing out book of tickets. On same page another headline urging motorists to dob in "dangerous" drivers. Not really the type of country I want to live in let alone visit as a tourist.
And the tourist was 19.....He was never in a position to give me a ticket, he was just trying to bully me into admitting guilt so I told him to fk off unless he had evidence that would stand up in court, especially in light of the dangerous manner the car he was in was driving in order to catch up to me to get my licence plate number.
k off unless he had evidence that would stand up in court, especially in light of the dangerous manner the car he was in was driving in order to catch up to me to get my licence plate number.Esprit said:
He was never in a position to give me a ticket, he was just trying to bully me into admitting guilt so I told him to fk off unless he had evidence that would stand up in court, especially in light of the dangerous manner the car he was in was driving in order to catch up to me to get my licence plate number.
You swore at a dibble and he didn't book you? k off unless he had evidence that would stand up in court, especially in light of the dangerous manner the car he was in was driving in order to catch up to me to get my licence plate number.
Wouldn't be so bad if the revenue was ploughed back directly into the crappy roading system (which is the main cause of accidents) or some decent driver education. Personally I'm sick of the negative, crass, TV adverts that usually consist of some yokel dropping over a bank. I can still remember the information films they used to show in the 70s in the UK and I was only a nipper then - they were positive messages with catchy phrases. We just don't get that now.
Speaking of plod - going home on the southern just before Xmas I was going past the new Manukau interchange (another absolute f*cking joke of road design - traffic-lighted slip roads that start with 2 lanes and go down to 1 after 50m!) when this dick of a cop tailgating someone onto the motorway goes across three lanes and cuts me up a treat. I gave him a good flash of my lights but it didn't stop him tailgating the car in front for several exits. When the cops drive like this what chance do you have?
Speaking of plod - going home on the southern just before Xmas I was going past the new Manukau interchange (another absolute f*cking joke of road design - traffic-lighted slip roads that start with 2 lanes and go down to 1 after 50m!) when this dick of a cop tailgating someone onto the motorway goes across three lanes and cuts me up a treat. I gave him a good flash of my lights but it didn't stop him tailgating the car in front for several exits. When the cops drive like this what chance do you have?
cheddar said:
This boils my piss.
.... police cars parked half way along long empty straights waiting for those unfortunate enough to venture beyond the posted limit.
One of those nearly got me just before Christmas on South Island. Luckily, a white car parked on a grass verge in the absolute middle of nowhere on a mile long straight tends to catch your attention. Is NZ so crime-free there really was nothing more useful he could have been doing?.... police cars parked half way along long empty straights waiting for those unfortunate enough to venture beyond the posted limit.
driverrob said:
cheddar said:
This boils my piss.
.... police cars parked half way along long empty straights waiting for those unfortunate enough to venture beyond the posted limit.
One of those nearly got me just before Christmas on South Island. Luckily, a white car parked on a grass verge in the absolute middle of nowhere on a mile long straight tends to catch your attention. Is NZ so crime-free there really was nothing more useful he could have been doing?.... police cars parked half way along long empty straights waiting for those unfortunate enough to venture beyond the posted limit.
About 3 years ago the police realised they were alienating average driving joe with their covert speeding observation and capture techniques.
An edict was bought into play - simply put, traffic cops were told to be 'overt' open and observable, not hidden, not 'covert'.
What you've just experienced backs this up and because of it you slowed down - I am assuming you were travelling at around 200kph of course - you were not captured by hidden police radar, you don't face prosecution, confiscation of vehicle or a lengthy ban.
Cops sitting around waiting for the '112 kphers' isn't perfect but it sure beats cops hiding and waiting for you.
driverrob said:
One of those nearly got me just before Christmas on South Island. Luckily, a white car parked on a grass verge in the absolute middle of nowhere on a mile long straight tends to catch your attention.
I got done that way, 150 on the west coast. I just got back from 5 weeks over there on Saturday, had a Falcon XR6 and Commodore SV6, only crept over a few times (apart from on Cook Flat Road when I wanted to see what the Falcon could do in "Performance Mode" 
) so am awaiting speeding tickets in the post ...cottonfoo said:
I got done that way, 150 on the west coast. I just got back from 5 weeks over there on Saturday, had a Falcon XR6 and Commodore SV6, only crept over a few times (apart from on Cook Flat Road when I wanted to see what the Falcon could do in "Performance Mode") so am awaiting speeding tickets in the post ...
Well, what did she do mister???) so am awaiting speeding tickets in the post ...cottonfoo said:
I got done that way, 150 on the west coast.
Unlucky, there aren't many cops on the coast!Some prime speed camera locations to watch out for in the lower South are...
- The straights just out of Omarama, before the Lindis Pass.
- Hiding behind the 'Central Otago' sign halfway through the Lindis.
- The rest area at the bottom of Kilmog hill north of Dunedin.
- Either side of Lake Dunstan.
- Near Five Rivers on the main road south from Queenstown.
cheddar said:
Well, what did she do mister???
I backed off at *mumble mumble* because there's a small farm or something half way up the road. Lots lots more than the speed limit though, wasn't a bad car really. Bit plasticky inside.GravelBen said:
Unlucky, there aren't many cops on the coast!
It was a hidden camera I think, I never saw any police cars. I did wonder why there was a rusty old estate car parked in the arse-end of nowhere on a massive long straight with nobody around but you know what us crazy tourists are like.Second ticket was just inside Darfield two years ago, I'd only been in the car half an hour. Slowing from an 80 to a 60 I got done at 70.
I can understand why though. Most of the driving I saw, especially the overtaking maneuvers, I can only class as absolutely bloody shocking
Why tailgate for a mile on a long straight then decide to overtake on a blind crest and bend? We saw a car freshly on its roof with 15-20 people standing around. Makes you wonder who's coming on your side of the road on every bend.Another thing, impatient people overtaking one car at a time in a train of cars. They cut right in front of you then brake, which forces you to hit the brakes since they're only 1-2 feet away, and don't understand why you act pissed off. Bonkers.
Still love the place though, but you can see why there are so many driving-related signs at the side of the roads.
cottonfoo said:
It was a hidden camera I think, I never saw any police cars. I did wonder why there was a rusty old estate car parked in the arse-end of nowhere on a massive long straight with nobody around but you know what us crazy tourists are like.
Second ticket was just inside Darfield two years ago, I'd only been in the car half an hour. Slowing from an 80 to a 60 I got done at 70.
I can understand why though. Most of the driving I saw, especially the overtaking maneuvers, I can only class as absolutely bloody shocking Why tailgate for a mile on a long straight then decide to overtake on a blind crest and bend? We saw a car freshly on its roof with 15-20 people standing around. Makes you wonder who's coming on your side of the road on every bend.
Another thing, impatient people overtaking one car at a time in a train of cars. They cut right in front of you then brake, which forces you to hit the brakes since they're only 1-2 feet away, and don't understand why you act pissed off. Bonkers.
Still love the place though, but you can see why there are so many driving-related signs at the side of the roads.
Couldn't have put it better myself. I've experienced exactly what you've just explained many times.Second ticket was just inside Darfield two years ago, I'd only been in the car half an hour. Slowing from an 80 to a 60 I got done at 70.
I can understand why though. Most of the driving I saw, especially the overtaking maneuvers, I can only class as absolutely bloody shocking
Why tailgate for a mile on a long straight then decide to overtake on a blind crest and bend? We saw a car freshly on its roof with 15-20 people standing around. Makes you wonder who's coming on your side of the road on every bend.Another thing, impatient people overtaking one car at a time in a train of cars. They cut right in front of you then brake, which forces you to hit the brakes since they're only 1-2 feet away, and don't understand why you act pissed off. Bonkers.
Still love the place though, but you can see why there are so many driving-related signs at the side of the roads.
I used to own an old Jeep that only liked doing 80kph, I did my absolute best to keep far left, not hinder following traffic and allow anyone to overtake at at every clear opportunity. I was often tailgated on arrow straight roads for 5+kms only to be passed at the blind bend the end of the straight.
That car on it's roof with all the people around it? Highway one, in a field between Christchurch and Ashburton around Jan 13th?
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