Flashing your headlights to warn of cops

**Zedder** · 13th May 2017, 19:40

Originally Posted by FJRider

Superman wears a Red and Blue uniform. Police just wear the one shade of Blue. So ... Police are not Supermen. If they make the difficult decisions and get it wrong ... they end up in court (jail ??) just like every other human. They make those decisions daily. Only the one's that go pear shaped and feature in news articles ... do you ever hear about.

Those that think they'd be better at the job than most of those currently sworn in ... join the Police. They're recruiting ...

Way off the point there FJRider, but 500 out of 800 crashes in a 12 month period is a lot of "Only the one's that go pear shaped and feature in news articles ...etc". Are they hazards? Based on that article, yes, they certainly appear to be.

**RDJ** · 13th May 2017, 19:53

Originally Posted by Zedder

Way off the point there FJRider, but 500 out of 800 crashes in a 12 month period is a lot of "Only the one's that go pear shaped and feature in news articles ...etc". Are they hazards? Based on that article, yes, they certainly appear to be.

Yes. When they assume a lot of power over us - they need to accept a lot of responsibility for their actions.

They do not.

**Owl** · 13th May 2017, 20:40

I find I get plenty of warnings and return the favour.

**FJRider** · 13th May 2017, 22:23

Originally Posted by Zedder

Way off the point there FJRider, but 500 out of 800 crashes in a 12 month period is a lot of "Only the one's that go pear shaped and feature in news articles ...etc". Are they hazards? Based on that article, yes, they certainly appear to be.

If they're a hazard ... with their distinctive paint jobs ... (not to mention the red and blue's) ... you'd need to be blind or stupid to miss them. Especially when EVERYBODY driving anywhere ... are LOOKING out for them.

I doubt if any of those crashes were on the casual cruise looking for speeders. Numbers are just statistics. Do you always believe what statistics claim to prove as well .. ???

Reading the article ... 469 of the crashes were incidents that were recorded as "damage only" to the police cars involved. NO mention of ANY other vehicles ... other than Police vehicles involved. Until you know the details of all those crashes ... you're hardly in a position to comment on them being a hazard.

**Zedder** · 13th May 2017, 22:54

Originally Posted by FJRider

If they're a hazard ... with their distinctive paint jobs ... (not to mention the red and blue's) ... you'd need to be blind or stupid to miss them. Especially when EVERYBODY driving anywhere ... are LOOKING out for them.

I doubt if any of those crashes were on the casual cruise looking for speeders. Numbers are just statistics. Do you always believe what statistics claim to prove as well .. ???

Reading the article ... 469 of the crashes were incidents that were recorded as "damage only" to the police cars involved. NO mention of ANY other vehicles ... other than Police vehicles involved. Until you know the details of all those crashes ... you're hardly in a position to comment on them being a hazard.

It's not about them being visible though, it's about them crashing into things which they did many times according to the article.

There's no need to mention the other vehicles because if you take away the 469 (damage only) from the actual figure of 810 crashes, the remainder is 341. Ipso facto, that's the other vehicle or thing they crashed into.

**FJRider** · 13th May 2017, 23:22

Originally Posted by Zedder

It's not about them being visible though, it's about them crashing into things which they did many times according to the article.

You claim they are a hazard. Police vehicles are all about being visible. Hence the reflective panels ...

Things ... ??? so ... no other vehicles involved .. ???

Originally Posted by Zedder

There's no need to mention the other vehicles because if you take away the 469 (damage only) from the actual figure of 810 crashes, the remainder is 341. Ipso facto, that's the other vehicle or thing they crashed into.

Do you have any idea of the number of vehicles ... the entire New Zealand Police fleet consists of .. ???

Other vehicle ... OR (???) thing ... you actually don't know for sure. Trying to turn assumptions into fact. That's a katman trick. seldom works for him either ...

Ipso facto ...The only "facts" you have are uncorroborated numbers ... quoted by a radio station. But no quoted source. Yet you claim as FACT.

**Zedder** · 13th May 2017, 23:35

Originally Posted by FJRider

You claim they are a hazard. Police vehicles are all about being visible. Hence the reflective panels ...

Things ... ??? so ... no other vehicles involved .. ???

Do you have any idea of the number of vehicles ... the entire New Zealand Police fleet consists of .. ???

Other vehicle ... OR (???) thing ... you actually don't know for sure. Trying to turn assumptions into fact. That's a katman trick. seldom works for him either ...

Ipso facto ...The only "facts" you have are uncorroborated numbers ... quoted by a radio station. But no quoted source. Yet you claim as FACT.

Berries was the one who used the word hazard initially. So if they didn't crash into any other vehicle or thing (which I was only using to illustrate the other part of the equation) What did they crash into? Thin air? You're deliberately making this nebulous, but I should have known you would.

**FJRider** · 14th May 2017, 00:06

Originally Posted by Zedder

Berries was the one who used the word hazard initially.

I quoted you ... (and you obviously agreed they were a hazard) ... and you didn't seem to agree with my post ..

Originally Posted by Zedder

So if they didn't crash into any other vehicle or thing (which I was only using to illustrate the other part of the equation) What did they crash into? Thin air?

You tell me ... you're the one that's telling the story. You quoted numbers but no reliable quoted facts to back them up. Are you katman .. ???

Originally Posted by Zedder

You're deliberately making this nebulous, but I should have known you would.

Yep ...

**Berries** · 14th May 2017, 09:08

Originally Posted by Zedder

Police being at fault in 500 out of 800 crashes doesn't look very non hazardous:http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/nation...ce-car-crashes

I had never thought of numbers so considering the size of their fleet and the type of work they do I don't know whether to be surprised or not. Based on my experience they still don't rate on the 'what is around the next bend' risk matrix, they would be well below Old MacDonald in his Fendt, a hawk taking flight from a dead possum, cow shit, stationary tourist taking photos of sheep, rental BMWs doing stupid overtakes etc etc.

Perhaps my opinion is tainted by there being so few cops on the road down here. Have been to Queenstown, Invercargill, Te Anau and Milford Sound in the last couple of weeks on three separate trips and to be honest I am struggling to remember seeing a cop anywhere apart from one known fishing spot.

**Zedder** · 14th May 2017, 09:40

Originally Posted by FJRider

You tell me ... you're the one that's telling the story. You quoted numbers but no reliable quoted facts to back them up. Are you katman .. ???

Yep ...

1:You clearly didn't read the article properly but that's not unusual for you. It was written by Carla Penman, the Police Reporter for Radio New Zealand (a Crown Entity) who obtained the official documents i.e. the figures in the article, plus the quotes from Greg O'Connor the Police Association president at the time, and a statement from National Police Headquarters on the topic.

2:How sad that you do what you do and admit it.

**Zedder** · 14th May 2017, 09:43

Originally Posted by Berries

I had never thought of numbers so considering the size of their fleet and the type of work they do I don't know whether to be surprised or not. Based on my experience they still don't rate on the 'what is around the next bend' risk matrix, they would be well below Old MacDonald in his Fendt, a hawk taking flight from a dead possum, cow shit, stationary tourist taking photos of sheep, rental BMWs doing stupid overtakes etc etc.

Perhaps my opinion is tainted by there being so few cops on the road down here. Have been to Queenstown, Invercargill, Te Anau and Milford Sound in the last couple of weeks on three separate trips and to be honest I am struggling to remember seeing a cop anywhere apart from one known fishing spot.

Fair enough. Thank you for the sensible post.

**veldthui** · 14th May 2017, 19:48

Coming back from the TT2000 I was warned of a officer by a bike coming the other way. My radar detector had already gone off so I knew he was there and I was only doing 107 anyway. I slowed to 105 anyway and he did the good old fashioned U-turn behind me with no indication. He then followed me for about 30km as I passed a few cars doing about 90kph and also a truck. Just after Turakina I passed a truck and a car and then going down the other side of the hill I saw he had his lights on. I pulled over to let him past but he wanted me so I pulled over and waited for his reason. He said I was speeding (which I was at 105kph) and that he clocked me at 134kph. He then said he was surprised as he thought I had "made" him. I told him I knew he was there for ages and that I never went over 108kph according to my speedo and GPS. He said he didnt believe in GPS as they where not accurate. I said I would be taking the data out and checking because I did not believe his speed was correct.
He then told me I did nothing wrong but was just going a little fast. He had taken my details and sent me on my way. No ticket ever arrived and I am 99.999% sure the 134 on his radar was from the person he pulled up just before I arrived on the scene. I did check my GPS log and it never showed a speed over 108. He must have known he was caught out when I said I had the GPS log so bailed.

**rastuscat** · 15th May 2017, 08:36

Originally Posted by F5 Dave

People now believe that speed equals crashes cause the TV said so.

You're right, but it's sad.

Speed causes some crashes. It could prevent others.

But whatever the case, the outcome is proportional to the kinetic energy imparted.

**rastuscat** · 15th May 2017, 08:39

Originally Posted by Berries

Perhaps my opinion is tainted by there being so few cops on the road down here. Have been to Queenstown, Invercargill, Te Anau and Milford Sound in the last couple of weeks on three separate trips and to be honest I am struggling to remember seeing a cop anywhere apart from one known fishing spot.

Now that the Five Rivers Donut Shop is closed the cops have taken up chocolate-fishing.

**george formby** · 15th May 2017, 17:22

Originally Posted by cassina

So true and for all those on here that get excited about the 2 dogs I have hit when they ran out if I had been going a little faster or slower I may have missed them. Many others on here could have just missed being getting tangled in an accident just by the sheer luck of the speed they were going either higher or lower at the time a hazard pops out too. There was a accident a few years ago where both the party at fault and inoccent party were not exceeding the speed limit but if one of them had been they may not have crashed.

A sound track for such speculation. Catchy, too. "Better watch out, better beware"