Charged with Dangerous Driving - You got to be kiddin me?

[skelstar]

It makes me wonder that if you were doing 180km/h when he passed you, you didnt slow down because you were 'evading capture', you didnt see his brake lights in your rear-view mirror, AND he caught up with you?!?!?...how friggin fast did he have to travel to keep up?

Fuck me that would have to be fast! Esp if you didnt notice he was there until the last moment.

[R6_kid:Me]

that really fucks me off dude... on my way back from Thames on sunday i was following a copper that had been stickered up for the Targa Rally as a safety/scout car. I had 116-120 on my digital speedo the whole time, at one stage i was doing 130 and only just holding him (about 30m back).

Then as we get into town (auckland on the motorway) by the wellesley street offramp he floors it (and i chased him) saw 165 on my speedo in an 80kmh zone and he was making ground on me! This littled blat lasted around 10sec before he hit the anchors, changed across two lanes and went off to the western motorway at 75kmh.

Now this car was HP, stickered with slogans like 'street safe', 'protecting communities'...

YEH FUCKING RIGHT MATE!

[Beemer]

I can't see how you could be doing the speed he alleged you were doing on a winding road with other traffic if he could catch up with you within a short space of time, but even having said that, the likelihood of getting off all the charges is pretty slim. Unfortunately it always comes down to their word against yours, and theirs holds more weight.

As for the police complaints authority - I've found them a waste of time, they tend to come down on the side of the cops more often than not. I made a complaint about a cop ringing me up and harassing me and apart from interviewing me, nothing happened because he denied it. I'm not sure what I expected, but they didn't even check his phone records. And I thought they were cops anyway, despite being a separate entity?

As for that cop with the safety messages - I got overtaken by a woman in an ACC car covered in road safety messages recently. She was tailgating, speeding and overtaking in unsafe spots - the message was obviously "do as I say, not as I do!"

[R6_kid:Me]

It makes me wonder that if you were doing 180km/h when he passed you, you didnt slow down because you were 'evading capture', you didnt see his brake lights in your rear-view mirror, AND he caught up with you?!?!?...how friggin fast did he have to travel to keep up?

Fuck me that would have to be fast! Esp if you didnt notice he was there until the last moment.

tis a well known fact that most police patrol cars will take any oppurtunity to 'legally' speed... if that means waiting a minute or two before turning aroung to chase you, some of them will just so they can go a bit faster. Of course this doesnt go for all of them - there are some good cops out there too.

[ManDownUnder]

tis a well known fact that most police patrol cars will take any oppurtunity to 'legally' speed... if that means waiting a minute or two before turning aroung to chase you, some of them will just so they can go a bit faster. Of course this doesnt go for all of them - there are some good cops out there too.

But surely that would only apply if the roads were "fun"... just like the ones around Awakino....

[Funkyfly]

Well it turns out the owner of the Awakino service station saw this cop that was after me driving like a lunitic, he called 111 and made a complaint, they told him he had to put it in writing which he is going to do. He doesnt remember see a bike travelling at a speed which concerned him.

I also have a witness who saw the cop run me off the road.

Along with the witness who said there was 500 meters between the bike he saw and the cop car will hopefully provide the foundation for me to defend and lay a complaint.

I know there were a lot of bikers out Yesterday (Monday) so if you know anyone who might have been riding between New Plymouth and Tekuiti please let me know.

[Lou Girardin]

It'll cost you to defend it, but it's your only real choice. Definitely complain to the PCA, if only to create a shit load of paperwork.
Stories like this just make people more inclined to run.

[crashe]

Get the service station dude to keep a copy of his complaint and ask him if he could give you a copy of it as well.
Make sure that he dates the copies...

[ManDownUnder]

Well it turns out the owner of the Awakino service station saw this cop that was after me driving like a lunitic, he called 111 and made a complaint, they told him he had to put it in writing which he is going to do. He doesnt remember see a bike travelling at a speed which concerned him.

I also have a witness who saw the cop run me off the road.

Along with the witness who said there was 500 meters between the bike he saw and the cop car will hopefully provide the foundation for me to defend and lay a complaint.

I know there were a lot of bikers out Yesterday (Monday) so if you know anyone who might have been riding between New Plymouth and Tekuiti please let me know.

Make sure you have everything documented and in order before you start this thing off... get the name of the guy from the Awakino peytrol station, copy of the complaint yada yada yada.

Name and date it all, contact numbers all round... the more complete your case is, the more stupid the opther guys looks...

oh yeah - whenever possible, let the other guy - the cop - speak first (which is what he did in giving you a ticket). It's a tactical advantage to know what you need to refute...

... when you speak first, the cop in question has the option to elaborate on a particular point or not... and if you have witnessess they may well choose to keep quiet about bits of it.

Good luck chap

[Unit:Me]

Hope ya weren't referring to me

No hun, wasnt referring to you, your too stealth (word for the day) to be seen

[XP@]

good luck with the defense mate!

Suggest you get a good traffic lawer (Des Deacon in wellington is the best here)

going to suggest a big brother thing here, but if there were cameras in the cop cars you would probably not be in this situation...

[DemonWolf]

Definately good luck defending this dude.

[Patrick]

You have witnesses. You have their details. You saw 121 on the radar. He was probably doing 180 to catch you? You also have the PCA. The cops number will be on the ticket. (PM me on this if you want...) What you also have is the option of requesting a copy of the radio transmissions from this cop and the Communication Centre of the "pursuit." These are kept for one month only though (I believe) so make the PCA and demand a copy of this "transmission" and of the file under the Official Information Act. Verbal request is fine, don't need written (and if they argue this, point that out to them...any request must be acted on within 20 working days).

[DemonWolf]

Good stuff Patrick... =)

[Patrick]

... I firmly believe bikes (like trucks, but they are restricted to slower speeds) should have a different speed limit to adhere to, that is, one slightly faster, say 120kms on open highway.

HUH???? Does this mean V8 nitrous powered and boy racer types can also do 190 because they can do so easily???

What if farmer Joe pulls out of his slightly hidden drive with the tractor and bailer forks sticking out front because he "didn't see you" doing your 120???