Have you noticed?

[devonwoody]

An accident on our roads these days seems to involve the complete shutdown of a carriageway. (even a motorcyclist who had a minor accident into a brickwall recently shut the road for a couple of hours in our locality)
This never used to happen, the police seemed to have created a job profile in some cases IMHO which is unjustified.

I hope my thread is not deleted, but I am going to send a letter to my MP because I think the facts above are not being dealt with that serves all the general public that use our roads.

Anyone else prepared to stir?

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi DW

I hope my thread is not deleted

As long as you have a grown-up conversation, which doesn't break the no-politics rule, it won't be a problem.

Anyone else prepared to stir?

If you want to start a political thread then you're most definitely in the wrong place. There are hundreds of sites that will be happy to accomodate political ranting but this, however, is not one of them.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks above, not wanting to make the thread political but perhaps bringing to notice something that seems to be happening with growing momentum these days?

 

[woodbutcher]

hi DW i think the police believe that if they close the road because of an accident then they will not get the rubber neckers and so no further accidents.


by the way happy birthday for yesterday! ccasion4: ccasion4:


woodbutcher

 

[wizer]

I think generally the standard of forensic science at road crashes is probably the most advanced in that area. If a drunk coach driver crashed with my son/daughter/missus/family/etc/etc on board then personally i'd want them to be as thorough as humanly possible. So your late home? Life goes on.

 

[devonwoody]

Yeah but some people want to get to a destination at a certain time, like weddings funerals, airports etc.etc. and whilst a road should be closed for emergency details like ambulances etc. The police also seem to like to create a work scene and all that then can follow on and again have no regard to the travelling public but get their own work created program.


Thanks for the salutation, every day is now a bonus

 

[devonwoody]

Wizer if the driver is drunk a breatherlizer takes only a few seconds :wink:
But the emergency help situation is necessary I agree.
In the old days they might close off two lanes and allow traffic to use a third, but now they usually seem to shut off even six lanes.

 

[NeilO]

Wizer, why does it have to be a Coach/Bus driver?????..
Anyone drunk in charge of ANY vehicle should be treated the same way, and have the full might of the law thrown at them...
this should also include Mobile Phones.... Mr car driver gets caught(haha) he/she gets £30 fine and possibly 3 points, ...bus/coach/HGV driver gets caught he gets £2,500 fine AND loses he license....

sorry for the rant, but you guessed it...Im one of the above..

and DW, I see this everyday, recently a cyclist was sideswiped by a car, lucky more a bruised ego, than anything else, but the police closed the road for almost 45 mins :shock: the outcome was a stern warning for the driver, from the police (possibly a caution) and on your way...

 

[StevieB]

Sorry DW, I think you are seeing a problem where none exists. Given the strains on the police force at the moment I really cannot see them shutting off a road to give them something to do and make themselves look busy.

Relax, don't go out and spend more time in the workshop!

Steve.

 

[Argee]

I think generally the standard of forensic science at road crashes is probably the most advanced in that area. If a drunk coach driver crashed with my son/daughter/missus/family/etc/etc on board then personally i'd want them to be as thorough as humanly possible. So your late home? Life goes on.

Forensic science has made significant advances in the past decade, especially with the inclusion of DNA evidence. The searching of crime scenes for evidence has always been a time-consuming and painstaking job, but necessary because the suspect must be proved guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. The suspect only needs to show that what he/she says is true on a balance of probabilities, so the scales are already weighted in favour of the suspect.

I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with the system, but as techniques advance, the smallest thing may prove/disprove a case and evidence-gathering is for both purposes, not just to convict.

Where the crime scene is confined to a house and garden, or part of a field, etc. no-one notices because they are not inconvenienced, but as soon as the crime scene - because that is what it is - involves a road, then other motorists are going to be affected. If only a cursory job was done in order to speed up the traffic flow and that cursory job leads to either no conviction or a wrong conviction, there would be an outcry. It's not the investigators' fault that motorists cannot, or will not, drive responsibly and it's not in their interest to impede traffic flow, because that leads to more frustration and poor driving. No-win situation, as I can attest.

Ray.

 

[ike]

Have to agree DW. The emergency services seem to massively overreact to many run of the mill incidents compared to years ago.

E.g Next doors had a domestic the other week. I called 999 and a pair of coppers duly turned up PDQ. But then another patrol car, then afterwards a riot van. So that's 6 coppers to deal with one little scroat, and the street lit up like a disco . I was beginning to wish I hadn't called. :roll:

Ike

 

[ByronBlack]

it really doesn't bother me that much. Traffic reports tell you ahead of time what roads are closed unless you are unlucky enough to be there at the time.

I think in a lot of situations it's a good thing. You only have to look recently at the biker who got shot on his way home from the bulldog bash, they got a lot of evidence by closing the road, if that leads to the conviction then the small annoyance of making a few people late is worth it.

If you're going on a Journey, listen to the radio, look at the BBC traffic update, or get some Sat Nav - most problems on the roads can be avoided.

 

[devonwoody]

How about tho, when the forensic team have done there stint (shall we say 6 hours) and some of the motorists then decide they want to request forensic team goes in on their behalf so that that their evidence can be used for a defence.
Another six hours road closed, some of the other injured motorist also a bit concerned call in experts.

What I am thinking is that there should be guide lines for all concerned and respect for other road users.

 

[Anonymous]

DW

The most important thing is that everything is dealt with safely and competently, not how quickly it is dealt with. Where a crime has been commited or a serious injury occurs, it must be fully investigated.

Surely, you making a detour or waiting in your car for a while is nothing to some poor person trapped and bleeding in a mass of wreckage - or to the family of someone kiiled by a jerk using their mobile phone whilst driving.

Would you rather someone get's away with drunken driving? death by dangerous driving? Turning a coach over recklessly whilst under the influenceof alcohol? (yesterday) etc. etc. if it means you get home in time for your favourite TV program?????

Show a little more tolerance and think of other people eh?


As for it not taking so long in the past? Rose tinted spectacles on please :lol:

(last time I was invovled in a bad motorcycle accident, the road was closed all day - 27 years ago now )

 

[Gary]

It's due to the introduction of a little book called the Road Death Investigation Manual. :wink:

 

[devonwoody]

Tony agreed, its unpleasant when you get home late for a TV show and I would also say that was a bit of bad luck happening.

But you might also be going for a job interview and not arrive until shall we say 6pm for a 2pm appointment and you did not get your promotion or job because it had been given to another more fortunate person. You might be feeling a little disposed to what can also happen in situations above when everyone is lapping up overtime and looking forward to buying a new BMW.

 

[Argee]

..... when everyone is lapping up overtime and looking forward to buying a new BMW.

This disappointing, insulting and thoughtless comment shows a complete ignorance of modern emergency service budgeting and procedure. Not impressed.

 

[devonwoody]

Argee, I truly have heard some in blue droll over overtime.

but now with regard to emergency duties (of course)

 

[woodbloke]

Interestingly on this one, when I was teaching some years ago now I and another colleague taught a 8 week module on road safety and driving techniques etc to yr 11 students...one of the things that we discussed was the financal cost of an average RTA to the public purse (police, fire, hospital, etc) and as I recollect (memory is getting a bit dimmer with time) 10 years ago was about £250,000+ per accident :shock: . Bearing this in mind, I think the public services involved would want to get any traffic/accident situation under control and get things moving as quickly as possible. That said, it's my view that the police and other services do a cracking job, and if there's a delay involved because of an incident....c'est la guerre :wink:

 

[wizer]

Neil my comments where purely an example based on today news events. You are right it coulld be any silly person who has put me or my family/friends in danger/death. Its the silly person that caused the crash who would make me angry, not the meticulous work of the emergency services. How can you ever say that an emergency service has OVER-reacted??