Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Arm waving not obstruction.

[Ains.]

Handy bit of information. Mind you it's easier to do what the French do with regard to traffic velocity safety equipment.

Ains.

Lorry driver cleared of speed camera warning
By Richard Savill
(Filed: 10/05/2006)

A lorry driver accused of waving his arm out of his window to warn other motorists that they were approaching a speed camera has won a two-year fight to clear his name.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has been refused permission to appeal to the House of Lords against the acquittal of Charles Glendinning who claimed he was alerting other drivers that he was slowing after a warning light flashed in his cab.

Mr Glendinning, 56, a milk tanker driver from Yeovil, Somerset, was found guilty of obstructing police in December on the A303.

In March, a crown court upheld his appeal on the grounds that the prosecution could not prove any speeding motorists had slowed down as a result of his actions.

[philthy]

Surely the whole purpose of speed cameras and radar traps is to encourage motorists to pay attention and reduce their speed? The lorry driver has therefore performed a service to the local community.

Presumably the Police logic by prosecuting him is the same as me seeing someone about to commit a crime and having a word with them, thus preventing a criminal act being committed. If a Police officer saw me do that would he then arrest me for obstruction??

North Wales Police advertise in local newspapers informing the public of when and where speed camera vans are due to be sited. Can I therefore report the Chief Constable for obstruction of the Police Officers manning these vehicles and demand that he be prosecuted?

By the way I think the Police do a great and difficult job but sometimes common sense seems to go out of the window these days.

[Edited on 10-5-2006 by philthy]

[Monty]

There was a similar threat of prosecution a few years back when someone put up a sign alerting motorist's to a speed trap............which the police are required to do anyway. If the camera partnership has to put up a sign warning motorist's of a camera and it gets motorist's to slow down they have done their job, if I put up a sign to warn motorist's I am 'obstructing justice'............go figure.
By the way this is not a rant aimed at the police or even at scamera partnerships-just at the bloody stupid way the law is enforced in this police state of dear Tony's.

John

[andyb]

As he is such a good citizen perhaps he should wave his arm to warn oncoming motorists about every hazard thats around the corner..............maybe it would get them to raise their level of observation, which would reduce their speed, which would reduce the casualties, which would reduce the cameras............which would reduce the moans.

[Chaz]

Which would reduce the income for the police.

[Monty]

Originally posted by chass
Which would reduce the income for the police.

Wrong there-camera income doesn't go to the police, neither does the money from any other motoring offences-it goes to Gordon Brown. The apothocation policy where money from scamera fines could be used to fund more scameras has I believe been stopped-any surplus money is now used for other road safety improvements-I believe.
Mind you I'm with Andy on this one, if we keep our eyes open the only things we have to worry about are camera vans since they tend to hide these and they can pick off a car at 800 yards-don't ask me how I know this............Fixed camera's there is no excuse for being caught by.

John

[Chaz]

Wrong the police get a share.