Budget cuts for Action Buses and I dare you to tell him he was in the wrong.

My sister in law today said she saw a police car that had run up the back of someone. I suspect it is the same car…

Even more intriguing is the photo of the bus stop. It is one of those rare moments in time and society and yet, we appear not to give a dam. Yet !!!!!, we are easily willing to find fault and point fingers over something that each and every single one of us DO…

Hmmmmm……….

So…. I post a piccy of a bunged up cop car just to prove that they are not infallible and that they like us, do make mistakes.

Now we have a full on debate about us and them breaking speed limits. Why are we even having this debate ????. The fact simply is, we dont obey speed limits wether we are the public or the law. It’s just simply a matter of wether we get caught or not and wether we are willing to wear the consequences. The willingness to wear those consequences is what separates us from each other.

Cheers,
Myself.

Mash said :

(2) Subrule (1) (b) does not apply to the driver if, in the circumstances, it is reasonable:

(a) not to display the light or sound the alarm, or

(b) for the vehicle not to be fitted or equipped with a blue or red flashing light or an alarm

In the circumstances is the key phrase here. If they are tracking a dangerous criminal and need to speed but don’t want to tip them off with the sirens, that would be legal according to that provision in the legislation. However, it would not be considered reasonable to simply exceed the speed limit for no reason and to keep the lights off where stealth is not reasonably required.

I should also mention the case of Norman v Spiers where a police officer who was driving at over 100 in an 80 zone hit another car causing injury. He was speeding and was doing so to get to a petrol station quicker to refuel. He was found negligent and liable, despite his official capacity, with the ruling saying “the driver of an exempt vehicle cannot ignore the risk of the method of driving”.

Basically, legislation allows them to speed when reasonably necessary. But they obviously speed often when it isn’t, and we the taxpayers will hand over the compo each time they his something or someone.

Shutterbug,

Please read below (from the Australian Road Rules), paying particular attention to section 2:

305 Exemption for drivers of police vehicles

(1) A provision of the Australian Road Rules does not apply to the driver of a police vehicle if:

(a) in the circumstances:

(i) the driver is taking reasonable care, and

(ii) it is reasonable that the provision should not apply, and

(b) if the vehicle is a motor vehicle that is moving—the vehicle is displaying a blue or red flashing light or sounding an alarm.

Note: “Motor vehicle” and “police vehicle” are defined in the dictionary.

(2) Subrule (1) (b) does not apply to the driver if, in the circumstances, it is reasonable:

(a) not to display the light or sound the alarm, or

(b) for the vehicle not to be fitted or equipped with a blue or red flashing light or an alarm

DJ said :

Myself said :

In response to Killers post, even the police can have a momentary lapse of concentration. The other vehicle had a laugh and drove off…..

Who says the Police vehicle was even moving? It looks fairly low speed…

As for other driving – if you don’t have the facts of what they are doing and how then your comments are worth a whole lot less —-> shutterbug. I wont explain it to you, you figure it out but I can see you jumping to the wrong conclusions…

It doesn’t look like the car was going that slow, though it is hard to tell from because it’s of the opposite side of the vehicle.

arescarti42 said :

p1 said :

I like it when they are doing 120km/h on the parkway, as I just pull in behind and match their speed…

Ha, now I like that strategy.

I’m always happy to see a police car go past me, at least they’re not pulling me over. Though the claim that they were speeding could be debatable, the speedos on police cars are normally callibrated exactly, unlike a normal car that speedos are normally set to slower than they’re actually travelling.

Speaking of speeding police cars, I’m hoping to see one of their newest “pursuit cars” in action, though it might need a long extension cord. ACT Policing recently acquired a Toyota Prius decked out in full livery (yes i know they don’t run on mains power). It lives in the cage at the City station. I have a photo but it’s a pretty dodgy one.

TP 3000 said :

shutterbug said :

What’s your point? You seem to be arguing that the police have a right to exceed the speed limit even when not responding to an emergency.

The Police speed so that they can catch the speeders ahead.

Then they are required by regulations to activate their lights and sirens. And if that cop car goes all the way to Tuggers police station without picking someone up, they weren’t trying to catch anyone.

p1 said :

I like it when they are doing 120km/h on the parkway, as I just pull in behind and match their speed…

Ha, now I like that strategy.

shutterbug said :

What’s your point? You seem to be arguing that the police have a right to exceed the speed limit even when not responding to an emergency.

The Police speed so that they can catch the speeders ahead. As if everyone sees a cop car doing the speed limit, they follow suite. But if you are doing 120k’s on Tuggeranong Parkway & they are doing 130k’s, then they will catch you from behind. I’ll then be behind them doing what is the safest speed.

Bahaha, the bus stop.

Myself said :

In response to Killers post, even the police can have a momentary lapse of concentration. The other vehicle had a laugh and drove off…..

Who says the Police vehicle was even moving? It looks fairly low speed…

As for other driving – if you don’t have the facts of what they are doing and how then your comments are worth a whole lot less —-> shutterbug. I wont explain it to you, you figure it out but I can see you jumping to the wrong conclusions…

I like it when they are doing 120km/h on the parkway, as I just pull in behind and match their speed…

Shutterbug, getting to Krispy Kreme IS an emergency.

shutterbug said :

speeding past me at 120 on the parkway so they can get to Krispy Kreme quicker, that’s not okay.

I think they frequent Donut King, shutterbug

S4anta said :

shutterbug said :

Smashed up cop car is not that surprising, I see the police speeding on an almost daily basis (including doing about 80 in a roadwork zone posted for 40) and overtaking me on the parkway, never with sirens on.

Which would you prefer? The police cruising past you, or on your clacker with their lights on, pulling you over because you are a whinging oxygen thief?

What’s your point? You seem to be arguing that the police have a right to exceed the speed limit even when not responding to an emergency.
If they are legitimately in a hurry to an emergency, regulations require their sirens and lights be activated and in such cases, their use of speed is justified. If they are simply doing 80 in a 40 zone with roadworkers close by or speeding past me at 120 on the parkway so they can get to Krispy Kreme quicker, that’s not okay.

unfortunate

Absolutely Myself, but that means it’s still the drivers fault so they would be in the wrong.

In response to Killers post, even the police can have a momentary lapse of concentration. The other vehicle had a laugh and drove off…..

There is no excuse for rear-ending some one plain and simple, but that’s not to say that the damage we see here was caused by such a collision.

shutterbug said :

Smashed up cop car is not that surprising, I see the police speeding on an almost daily basis (including doing about 80 in a roadwork zone posted for 40) and overtaking me on the parkway, never with sirens on.

Which would you prefer? The police cruising past you, or on your clacker with their lights on, pulling you over because you are a whinging oxygen thief?

Smashed up cop car is not that surprising, I see the police speeding on an almost daily basis (including doing about 80 in a roadwork zone posted for 40) and overtaking me on the parkway, never with sirens on.