Who's the tosser running from the cops on TV3? (10 November)

[spudchucka]

We all know that a burglar has no chance of getting caught unless he is speeding from the scene.

None of them were speeding when I found their fingerprints though??

Don't forget that the law "requires" you to stop for the police, by running you make yourself a legitimate target that needs to be apprehended.

[Sanx]

but of course, if you have a suggestion to stop people crashing/speeding/failing to follow road rules then by all mean say so.

maybe mandatory engine immobilisers? while it would stop theifs, it still wouldn't entirely work cause it's largely the same people without wofs, regos or licences that do the runners in the first place. (kinda like microchipping dogs - it's the illegal ones that won't get chipped and cause the majority of problems, not that a chip will stop a dog attacking an intruder)

Oh - I've got plenty of solutions. I've got one that'd decrease the road toll down to next to nothing (one, max) whilst eliminating congestion.

Unfortunately, banning everyone from the road other than me might prove a little unworkable.

[vifferman]

As has been said about a zillion times: how is the cop to know the guy is only running from 'just' the $80 ticket and not something more serious? Like he's in a stolen car?

Eggs Zachary.
It's not normal for someone to "go for it" when they see a cop, so it's understandable for the cop to go, "WTF? Summat's up here!" Stolen car? Drugs in the glovebox? Proceeds of a robbery in the boot?

It's a pretty dumb thing to do, and I suspect some runners are just like their lesser cousins, the red light runners: it's premeditated. I nearly got taken out by a car at the end of our street on the weekend. One came through from the left, just before the light went green, and the other from the right, just after it went green. Both obviously had decided they were going, even if the light changed, and made no effort to stop. Luckily for me, I was in the car, turning left, and I took off slowly as I had it in neutral. If I was on the bike, I would've been turning right, and been quicker off the line. I usually check before I take off, but if I hadn't, I would've been in a bad way, as the car coming from the right was doing around 60-65km/h.

So I suspect most 'runners' premeditate it too. When I posted a few weeks ago about getting a ticket a couple of blocks from home, and said, "I should've done a runner", it was just venting. I did consider ducking down a side street or opening the throttle, but at that stage I wasn't 100% sure if I'd actually been speeding, and if I was, there was still a slim chance of not being ticketed. I dismissed the option when my imagination kicked in and I thought about hiding down a side street and the police finding me there. Not a good look. And about opening up till I saw them in my mirrors then buttoning off again: what if I hadn't been pinged for speeding, and they pinged me before I braked?

Of course, none of this would've even been a remote possibility of an option, if the crusade against speeding (and the punishments meted out) hadn't served to criminalise what is actually an extremely commonplace thing that almost everyone does: not adhering strictly to the speed limits. Even the cop I spoke to this morning (a GSXR1000 owner) admitted he speeds on his bike, and was worried about getting pinged one day.

Don't forget that the law "requires" you to stop for the police, by running you make yourself a legitimate target that needs to be apprehended.

Yeah.
And I have it on good authority that being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed is not very pleasant.

[davereid]

I have it on good authority that being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed is not very pleasant.

Dunno... I don't stop to find out

[Patrick]

is it worth always chasing on the off-chance they've done something more than go 10kph over the limit?

Why would we pursue anyone doing more than 10k over the limit? If they choose to floor it, it is not 10k over anymore, is it?

Isn't it reasonable to assume that if their only crime is 10kph over the limit they would stop anyway, thus it is in all likelihood something worse that has induced them to run?

Reasonable indeed!!!

We all know that a burglar has no chance of getting caught unless he is speeding from the scene. Please don't take this slim chance from us.

Yeah.... we NEVER catch burglars unless they are speeding at over 10kmph over the limit...

[judecatmad]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4290472a10.html

**sigh**

The Police simply can't win - they get criticised for pursuing and now you can guarantee they'll be blamed for this jerkwad's attitude......

[motorbyclist]

so basically, the little shit crashed even after the cops stopped chasing

it's episodes like that where a fatal crash (for the runner) is almost desirable

[vifferman]

Dunno... I don't stop to find out

You may not have a choice about that.

[Max Preload]

Here's some of those professional drivers in action.

[spudchucka]

Here's some of those professional drivers in action.

One of them. Don't drag the other 7999 of them into it.

[RT527]

Yeah why is it that when a cop makes a mistake...Alledgedly, its a heinous crime, yet a camper van takes out 3 motorcyclists yet its just an accident?.

You guys need to pull ya heads in a little and remember that ''there go I but for the Grace of God''!!!!

[Boob Johnson]

Yeah why is it that when a cop makes a mistake...Alledgedly, its a heinous crime, yet a camper van takes out 3 motorcyclists yet its just an accident?.

You guys need to pull ya heads in a little and remember that ''there go I but for the Grace of God''!!!!

Reckon! Police are humans too. People are quick to mouth off about them, you need a good kick in the backside if you ask me

[JimO]

Yeah why is it that when a cop makes a mistake...Alledgedly, its a heinous crime, yet a camper van takes out 3 motorcyclists yet its just an accident?.

You guys need to pull ya heads in a little and remember that ''there go I but for the Grace of God''!!!!

did the camper van take them out or was it the other way round??

[Max Preload]

One of them. Don't drag the other 7999 of them into it.

The point is the sort of dangerous manouvres that are pulled in the interest of issuing a invoice for a victimless and very minor infringement. I've nearly been collected by a cop car pulling a u-turn and last year had one fail to give way when I was turning into my street into my street etc. so I'd suggest shit driving from cops is not as uncommon as you'd have us believe.

A couple of months back I was approaching a T-junction with a green light and had a marked Police car run his red light, no lights, no siren and TALKING ON A BLOODY CELLPHONE! He went around the wrong side of the island to turn left. I was so stunned I forgot to get the registration. Not that it'd have made any difference. I mean, who you gonna call? Might as well be f'n Ghostbusters for all the good it'd do!

[RT527]

did the camper van take them out or was it the other way round??

yup granted that not knowing what happened and not being there I prolly shouldnt have commented , yet Was only using it as an example...it happens all the time on this site everything else is always an accident , except when the police are involved, or its always the police`s fault no matter that someone is usually or possible in the wrong to start with!,...that sir was my point.


And after watching the news and looking at the marks on the road it looks to me as if the camper has run off the shoulder and hes hauled on the steering to get it back thus unbalancing the camper and causing it to rollonto its side in an arc into the path of the other vehicles.


Only an observation tho and not a true reflection on what may have happened!.