It's a long way from Z-Cars!

[KevM]

I'm not sure what Bert Lynch and Fancy Smith would have made of this - 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds :shock:

A SUPER fast car parked up at Haynes Motor Museum on Sunday to raise awareness of a motorbike road safety campaign.

An Ariel Atom, one of the world’s fastest production cars, supported the free Safer Rider event at Haynes Motor Museum.

The campaign hopes to reduce the number of motorcyclists involved in road accidents. Around 20 per cent die on UK roads every year – most of these being men aged between 35 and 55. In Somerset, seven motorcyclists have died on roads so far this year, an increase of nearly 30 per cent for the same period in 2013.

Andy Parsons, a roads policing sergeant with the Tri Force Specialist Operations Collaboration, heads up the campaign.

He said: “Motorcyclists make up just one per cent of total road traffic but account for nearly 20 per cent of all road user deaths. They are roughly 35 times more likely to be killed in a road traffic collision than someone in a car and we really want to see these numbers reduced.

“Modern motorcycles are capable of extraordinary performance, with supercar levels of acceleration, braking and cornering. Unfortunately with this level of performance comes an increased risk of death or serious injury as a result of inexperience, lack of training and rider error.”

The Ariel Atom, which is manufactured in Somerset, has been called the closest thing to a motorbike with four wheels. Holder of BBC’s Top Gear lap record for nearly two years, the Atom has also beaten super bikes in races around a track.

The car used by Avon and Somerset Constabulary is based on the latest Atom 3.5R fitted with a supercharged 350bhp Honda engine, sequential gearbox and has a 0- 60mph time of 2.5 seconds.

Simon Saunders, director of Ariel, said: “Our business is driving very fast, but there is a time and a place. The Atom is designed to be driven to a race track, where you can drive to your limits in safety and in a professional environment designed for the purpose. The road really isn’t the place to explore your or your vehicle’s limits.

“We’re just about to launch an all new Ariel motorcycle and we want our bikes and customers to be as safe as they possibly can be as well, so this message is important to us. There’s always one certain loser in a motorcycle collision and that’s the motorcyclist.”

From: http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Haynes- ... z34iHLMTU2

Some better pictures here: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/this ... 2014-06-03

 

[KevM]

I saw my local Police tractor at a local event the other day, not quite as pacey as the Avon & Somerset Atom, but horses for courses and all that!

http://www.dorset.police.uk/default.aspx?page=5518

Dorset Police has unveiled its latest tool to tackle rural crime – a 3.5 tonne tractor.

The tractor – complete with flashing blue lights – has been loaned to Dorset Police at no cost to the taxpayer.
As part of Operation Countryside, the tractor – an 85 horsepower Zetor Proxima – will be used as a display to raise awareness of rural crime across the county at upcoming shows and events, including the Dorset County Show in Dorchester on Saturday 3 September 2011.
As part of Operation Countryside, Dorset Police has unveiled its latest tool to tackle rural crime – a 3.5 tonne tractor, complete with flashing blue lights.The tractor was loaned to Dorset Police free of charge by Zetor UK.
Operation Countryside has been supported by the National Farmers Union (NFU), M J Fry Agricultural Engineering, Zetor UK, NFU Mutual, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and Porter Dodson Solicitors & Advisors.
Dorchester and Sherborne Neighbourhood Inspector Les Fry said: “This tractor will be used as a demonstration tool to raise awareness of rural crime in Dorset.
“The tractor has been supplied to us for free, with no costs to Dorset Police or the tax payer.
“We will be displaying it at shows and events in Dorset where we aim to engage with rural communities to make sure they do everything possible to reduce crime and make themselves less likely to become victims of rural crime.
“We hope this partnership will bring to the community’s attention the increasing cost of rural crime.
“We want the support of rural communities to help combat criminals in their areas. Crimes such as theft of lead, scrap metal, heating oil and diesel are on the increase as fuel prices rise.
“Through Operation Countryside, we hope to encourage people to take all the crime prevention steps that they can, such as asset marking and using tracking devices.
“People should also consider installing CCTV where appropriate and sign up to initiatives such as Stop That Thief and Stop That Oil.
“We also want to encourage people to consider calling the police should they see any suspicious activity.
“I am grateful for the support of Zetor UK, the NFU, the NFU Mutual, CLA, M J Fry and Porter Dodson for their support.
“We hope that by working together we can reduce rural crime and make our communities safer and feel safer.”