Clearly not if the facts on this weeks Kent on Sunday are to be trusted, amazingly Kent police were involved no less than 510 accidents of which they apparently were mainly at fault.
I confess that my driving skills are nothing to write home about and to be honest I,m currently waiting to find out whether those flashes I noticed, a week or so back were paparazzi or safety cameras.
Despite my limited skills I have, noticed over the years some police drivers, have been nothing less than, breath taking in their ignorance of the law, particularly in London , were they seem to think they have special rights to ignore other traffic, I have had police cars pull out in front of me, more than any other class of driver, and this favourite, on the dual carriage way between Westgate and Birchington a police car travelling at around 50mph switch on the blue lights for the camera and then turn them off, I'm probably wrong but since it was early morning I assume they were in a hurry book off after a night shift.
Make your own mind up and read, the front page story in the Kent on Sunday. Incidentally I always flash poor drivers even the police, although there's a slight delay until I've gone through the mental check list MOT TAX and Insurance.
I see driving as a privilege earned perhaps Mike Fuller could make one of his public pronouncements and inform his minions. Of all public sector workers, the police have the most dangerous of jobs, so they really ought to hone their skills, so for that reason maybe Kent police could spend more money on training and less on spy planes, setting up gift shops and PR
"Collisons"??
ReplyDeleteIs this some sort of intestinal disease?
Freudian arising from an instinct for self preservation.
ReplyDeleteThink once think twice and keep an eye out for Kent Police drivers.
Of course most of the time these police drivers are involved in collisions they are in pursuit of some law breakers. There fore they are driving in conditions that most of us would regard as extreme. It would be interesting to compare the stats re 'ordinary' drivers collision rate per mile driven, and the police rate. In addition I would speculate that the average motorist would have a spectacular accident record if driving under 'blue light' conditions
ReplyDeleteIt used to be the case that accidents occurred predominantly amongst Panda Car drivers (IE those fantasising about being traffic high speed pursuit drivers)
ReplyDeleteIf accidents occur to police in pursuit of SUSPECTED lawbreakers and not to the pursued then who is the better driver Ken ?
Research in USA I think shew that police deaths, from being shot, occurred mostly in incidents in which police initiated the firefight (not the villain) but the villain turned out to be more expert with firearms !
Perhaps we need to know the breakdown of Panda Car type accidents (unskilled police drivers with delusions of being Starsky and Hutch) and Traffic Car accidents (Officers who have done police driving courses).
Then we need to know the number of off duty accidents police have in their own cars(and whether their insurance claim forms, before being sent to Jasper Carrot, also claim to have been in pursuit of a suspect an excuse they can always use when in a police car ?)
but ambulance and fire service drivers are magnificent.
ReplyDeleteEach time I drive I am defending a 41 year safe driving record. And each time I wonder if the record will be ended. Now finding reversing the van using mirrors a challenge (all those creaky noises from the old neck as I keep checking the mirrors)
ReplyDelete