speed trap and flashing headlights

paul_c said

We're not talking about withholding information though?

No, 'we're' not!

I never flash anyone to warn them of an oncoming speed trap.

I've got that fed up of following people in a 60 limit who are doing 45 and then reach a 30 limit only to see them heading off in the distance still doing their 45mph,  completely oblivious to their surrounds that if a child ran out in front of them would stand no chance.

Next time you flash someone to warn them - you just might be saving one of these a*rseholes' license!

Yomp said

I never flash anyone to warn them of an oncoming speed trap. I've got that fed up of following people in a 60 limit who are doing 45 and then reach a 30 limit only to see them heading off in the distance still doing their 45mph, completely oblivious to their surrounds that if a child ran out in front of them would stand no chance. Next time you flash someone to warn them - you just might be saving one of these a*rseholes' license!

but the question is if you are flashed have you slowed down in the past if you just happened to be doing a shade over the limit at that time? :wink: you do have a point but it would be better if the police had the speed traps where the children tend to be ie outside a school or in a village centre, not like the cops in Lancashire who have the speed traps in a 50mph zone in the middle of the countryside where the only thing being protected by the positioning of the speed vans are sheep and pheasant's I have yet to see a trap nr the school or village centre which are at either ends of the 50mph zone, can you hear that? sounds like a till.."kashing" but then again the majority of drivers do tend to slow down when the kids are about near a school so wouldn't catch many I have a motorbike as you know and in the 50 zone i do sometimes go a shade over the limit but what always surprises me when I'm following other bikers when they get to the village even if the schools not on they all slow down to 30ish its like an unwritten code we follow, give us a national speed limit area in the countryside ie open road and yes we will speed as I always say "time and a place"..

Lancs call the enforcement Fatal 4.

There are more serious injury accidents in the rural areas - mostly involving bikers - because they open up on the clearer roads. £60 or whatever it is now to save a life is small chips to me. The positioning tends to be accident black spots, I remember a traffic attachment I did in 2000 and was told all about the areas where they happen. Later that month a biker overtook us in an unmarked car… Words were had.

I said exactly the same thing to the cop in 1998 when I was caught by the Fire Service training centre in Euxton on a 40mph road. Wide clear road, lunchtime, sunny and dry and out he popped from behind a tree without a reflective!! I gave him some advice too…. Especially when he say in my car and left mud all over my carpet mats!!!!

Damned if the cops do enforcement, damned are the families if they don't cause someone WILL end up dead.  :cry:

Tricky one really.
I see two arguments here the legal aspect of committing an offense by light flashing (as a warning speed trap ahead) or the general idea that the exercise is for raising money.

I believe we all want to live in safer world so certain things are necessary for that to happen.

It's only when Authorities see a way of cashing in to use the rules as a fund raising exercise. (not meaning the Police Per se) But local authorities that fail to sign up areas properly and generally flout the rules. Take Tony's Parking Dilemma, only after he appealed and the highways agency made recommendations did they mark out and line the area.

My understanding is that revenue raised by this method is sent to central government and not kept by the Police force themselves. Can you imagine how well funded the Forces would be if they had the Revenue to keep. No cuts in numbers better facilities etc etc. If that's not correct please inform me..

Many years ago we lived near the top of a steep hill and the ex wife used to floor the car to get the momentum to get her up the hill, one day an Officer was hiding behind a van and as we came just over the brow, which he was hidden on top off, literally jumped out between the parked Van (not a Police van) and other cars, using a hand held speed gun. Now I am not sure if he was new at this, but he was in the middle of the single width road. My misses hit the brakes and still knocked him over. Only mucked his trousers up. He went ape. I explained he was reckless and hiding and jumping into the road like that is an attempt to endanger life, also that he wasn't wearing any hi vis vest etc, also the fact that majority of folks would be exceeding the speed limit there as your coming to the descent of the brow. What if my misses swerved to miss him and hit a house or wall, what if my kids had been in the car. The consequences don't bear thinking about.
We were all okay apart from the shock.
I threatened to report him to the Chief Constable and the fact that his reading on the gun would be unreliable as he whacked it good and proper as he hit the deck.
Nothing more was said or done.

chortle said

Tricky one really. I see two arguments here the legal aspect of committing an offense by light flashing (as a warning speed trap ahead) .

I still have to be convinced by anywhere were it says its an "offence" and what that offence is and why its illegal, as we have said there are many reasons why drivers flash their lights the highway code which we must remember is mainly a code of conduct for the road and NOT a rule book it does contain some legally binding rules we have to follow but its not a legal document 100% as it states you flash your lights to warn others of your presence when the horn may not be heard so to take that to its legal extreme does it imply that you flash every motorist if you feel they wouldn't hear your horn just to tell them you are there? obviously you don't as that even though advised in the book would be stupid.
so lets have it someone in the legal know how where and what does it say about flashing head lights to warn drivers of anything including speed traps that its illegal and prosecutable as i have yet to see it. we must all remember the police are there to uphold the laws of this land which are set by the governments past and present and NOT to make the laws I have a great respect for our police force and will help them anytime i can and yes I have been caught speeding in the past and to be fair i have never moaned as it a fair cop simple as that…

Yomp said

I never flash anyone to warn them of an oncoming speed trap.

I've got that fed up of following people in a 60 limit who are doing 45 and then reach a 30 limit only to see them heading off in the distance still doing their 45mph,  completely oblivious to their surrounds that if a child ran out in front of them would stand no chance.

Next time you flash someone to warn them - you just might be saving one of these a*rseholes' license!

with you on this one matey

rsdub said

Yomp said

I never flash anyone to warn them of an oncoming speed trap.

I've got that fed up of following people in a 60 limit who are doing 45 and then reach a 30 limit only to see them heading off in the distance still doing their 45mph,  completely oblivious to their surrounds that if a child ran out in front of them would stand no chance.

Next time you flash someone to warn them - you just might be saving one of these a*rseholes' license!

with you on this one matey

I Agree to an extent but the argument here is whether Flashing headlights to warn drivers of a speed trap is against the law?

I have been informed by a source that there isn't an offence code for this and consequently the tickets handed out are not enforceable and no prosecutions can be made.

now if the government wish to pass a law to make it illegal to flash headlight to warn of speed traps than I would support it 100%.
but they haven't and thus the police in this case where not acting within the laws they are supposed to uphold, which was the whole point of this thread..

i was always under the impression that by warning a "speeding" driver of an upcoming speed trap was perverting the course of justice, however that could only be proved if they were speeding in the first place, and how the hell do i know what speed they are doing accurately, i dont.  
But the police would only position a speed trap in an area known to be an accident black spot (wouldn't they?) so im warning other drivers of dangerous piece of road, that fact being that the police have positioned a camera there proves it to be unsafe.
If you drove past a broken down car on the other side of the road round a blind bend would you flash your lights to warn other road users of a possible accident?

Needed to pull out of a junction today in my truck (Scania) tractor unit with a low loader trailer.
The said junction is a bit of a sod as its quite a busy road so not much opportunity to pull out, but hey I got flashed out by a police car. Umm should I have jumped out and done a citizens arrest?

racer said

 
If you drove past a broken down car on the other side of the road round a blind bend would you flash your lights to warn other road users of a possible accident?

Yes to answer your question I would and have  also to warn of animals in the road etc

I've been flashed before by other motorists to warn of speed cameras and it's saved my bacon a few times.

I got caught once doing 35 in a 30 zone (3 lane wide road) and was made to pay a fine and got 3 points, just the hassle of having to declare it on your insurance, knowing that your premium is going to rise just because you're a few MPH over the limit really does get to you.

So I have no problem flashing other road users to warn them of speed cameras.

Racer, I'm not sure how the Course of Justice can be perverted if no crime has even been committed.

A5OPY said

……The argument here is whether Flashing headlights to warn drivers of a speed trap is against the law?

I think the fact that nobody has been able to answer this point, is the crux of the issue.