Going Topless...

penfold944 · May 5, 2006

So who got their top down yesterday ???

I'm over visiting some friends in cambridgeshire at the moment and decided to drive. Went for a wander on Thursday to Oxford (and stopping to pester salesmen in OPC Silverstone on the way). 180 glorious miles with the hood stowed away.

Thankfully I got the sun screen on in time ! [

]

Oh, and while I think of it - you lucky lucky gits... we dont get super unleaded in Ireland.... It changes the whole character of the car. The amount of times I came off a roundabout on the A14 or the A34 at about 20 pr 30 - and just opened the taps up to about 80ish... I never heard my car sound like that before... I must look into using octane boosters when i get back....

Think I waved at a lot of speed camera's too... the joys of a foreign car in a foreign land with a foreign licence.... Not that I abused it of course [

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JCB.. · May 5, 2006

Think I waved at a lot of speed camera's too... the joys of a foreign car in a foreign land with a foreign licence.... Not that I abused it of course []

As you are in the EU you'd best hope they didn't have a film in! [&:]

penfold944 · May 5, 2006

And of course you are assuming I was speeding... Trust me, when you've been followed home by the cops on more than one occasion - it an automatic thing to check the speed when you see BIG signs saying speed cameras ahead. We dont have those either - just sneaky cops hiding in ditches with radar guns. And of course, radar detectors are illegal...

Whats the EU got to do with it ? There is no agreement for point or fines between countries. I cannot be prosecuted in Ireland for a motoring offence in the uk. Nor are they likely to extradite me...

Interestingly enough, in Northern Ireland, if a foreign motorist is caught being bold, if they cant produce a postal address in the UK, they are immediately arrested and driven to an ATM where they have to produce bail money - or stay in a cell until the next court sitting. A bit extreme in fairness....

JCB.. · May 5, 2006

ORIGINAL: penfold944

And of course you are assuming I was speeding... Trust me, when you've been followed home by the cops on more than one occasion - it an automatic thing to check the speed when you see BIG signs saying speed cameras ahead. We dont have those either - just sneaky cops hiding in ditches with radar guns. And of course, radar detectors are illegal...

Whats the EU got to do with it ? There is no agreement for point or fines between countries. I cannot be prosecuted in Ireland for a motoring offence in the uk. Nor are they likely to extradite me...

Interestingly enough, in Northern Ireland, if a foreign motorist is caught being bold, if they cant produce a postal address in the UK, they are immediately arrested and driven to an ATM where they have to produce bail money - or stay in a cell until the next court sitting. A bit extreme in fairness....

Alan

Life has taught me to assume nothing - from my reading of your post it intimated that you felt you had nothing to fear from our little, yellow boxed guardians. As you point out driving within the speed limit should cause no one any concern.

As more serious motoring offences in the UK may result in custodial sentences are you sure that immunity is across the board?

Julian are you there?

daro911 · May 5, 2006

ORIGINAL: JCB..

Julian are you there?

JCB you will find him in the chatroom

Put a posting up on the forum game all can play and J will respond accordingly [

] We need some more players anyway

juliany27 · May 5, 2006

Hi folks, recently returned from a Crown Court and raring to give advice.

All sorts of problems with giving information about fines to an external body for collection outsifde the UK. Something to do with the Data Protection Act and the fact that fine collection is an activity of the State and not commercial companies abroad.

However, I am not an expert on this part of EU law. I am aware that the EU want to haev reciprocal arrangements for collection of fines and penalties and see, for example the new European Arrest Warrant for the way in which protections have been eroded, but note the principle involved.

Of course, really serious motoring offending can result in an application for a European Arrest Warrant; I am thinking of such offences as theft, dangerous driving, causing death by dangerous driving etc.

For speeding fines etc. I suspect that inaction is the order of the day until the police are given the powers to collect fines or confiscate cars/suspend licences for [foreign] offenders pending payment and/or resolution of the issues of guilt etc.

More power to them, less for those presumed innocent.

Now where have I ranted about this before.....?

penfold944 · May 5, 2006

Yeah John, guess I was poking a bit of fun at it and to be honest, it was more a reference to the sheer number of speed camera's that seem to be on UK A roads... On that note though, I dont speed and to be quite honest, 70 on a dual carriageway or a motorway with the top down is more than enough for me at least... Not saying that it didnt creep up on occasion to near the 80 mark....

Of course I dont feel I have immunity across the board - but as camera's etc cant be enforced, its the old rule of 'thou shalt not get stopped'. And nor do I subscribe to that last sentence as expressed to me by an Irish 993TT driver..

However, one thing I was shocked at was the amount of speeding that does actually go on in the UK. Cars flying by my on A roads and the motorways at speeds well in excess of my 70ish mph.. The amount of time I was cut up by trucks and cars just because I left a comfortable gap was quite unsettling....

And having been on the receiving end of the RUC/PSNI its a bit of a sore point. I was cuffed and placed in a police car until I managed to produce a UK address. All this was for being in the outside lane of a dual carriageway when there was a lane closure up ahead - 1 mile away ! all for a 30 quid fine. Totally over the top. I counted 6 irish cars pulled in for the same thing - and they all got the same treatment. Obviously discretion and a quiet word wasnt on the agenda for the police that day.

On a lighter note, Since Tuesday, I have covered over 800 miles in the UK, almost all of it with the top down. The car never missed a beat but I think its sulking with me as I never let it near any B roads. Then again, we have the Sally Gap and the Wicklow Gap over here for that [

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Sorry if I got your back up John, not my intention - just a bit of light humour...

JCB.. · May 6, 2006

ORIGINAL: penfold944

Yeah John, guess I was poking a bit of fun at it and to be honest, it was more a reference to the sheer number of speed camera's that seem to be on UK A roads... On that note though, I dont speed and to be quite honest, 70 on a dual carriageway or a motorway with the top down is more than enough for me at least... Not saying that it didnt creep up on occasion to near the 80 mark....

Of course I dont feel I have immunity across the board - but as camera's etc cant be enforced, its the old rule of 'thou shalt not get stopped'. And nor do I subscribe to that last sentence as expressed to me by an Irish 993TT driver..

However, one thing I was shocked at was the amount of speeding that does actually go on in the UK. Cars flying by my on A roads and the motorways at speeds well in excess of my 70ish mph.. The amount of time I was cut up by trucks and cars just because I left a comfortable gap was quite unsettling....

And having been on the receiving end of the RUC/PSNI its a bit of a sore point. I was cuffed and placed in a police car until I managed to produce a UK address. All this was for being in the outside lane of a dual carriageway when there was a lane closure up ahead - 1 mile away ! all for a 30 quid fine. Totally over the top. I counted 6 irish cars pulled in for the same thing - and they all got the same treatment. Obviously discretion and a quiet word wasnt on the agenda for the police that day.

On a lighter note, Since Tuesday, I have covered over 800 miles in the UK, almost all of it with the top down. The car never missed a beat but I think its sulking with me as I never let it near any B roads. Then again, we have the Sally Gap and the Wicklow Gap over here for that []

Sorry if I got your back up John, not my intention - just a bit of light humour...

Alan no offence taken - just stirring up some debate. [

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Guest · May 6, 2006

ORIGINAL: penfold944

And having been on the receiving end of the RUC/PSNI its a bit of a sore point. I was cuffed and placed in a police car until I managed to produce a UK address. All this was for being in the outside lane of a dual carriageway when there was a lane closure up ahead - 1 mile away ! all for a 30 quid fine. Totally over the top. I counted 6 irish cars pulled in for the same thing - and they all got the same treatment. Obviously discretion and a quiet word wasnt on the agenda for the police that day.

I'm a Police officer in the uk and the above seems like it's a little unfair. As an advanced driver i would advocate drivers to use all lanes then at the point of the closure or restriction filter in turn. People who block motorists from using the outside lane by staggering the broken white lines annoy me. They are obstructing the highway. Some soon see the error of their ways when the blue lights come on behind them in grill of an unmarked car. P.S my own personal view on speed camera's would not be allowed to be printed. If burglary's were investigated with such technology and vigour then the UK would be a better place.

John you did say you wanted to stir up some debate!!!!

Ivor · May 7, 2006

ORIGINAL: matt1563

ORIGINAL: penfold944

And having been on the receiving end of the RUC/PSNI its a bit of a sore point. I was cuffed and placed in a police car until I managed to produce a UK address. All this was for being in the outside lane of a dual carriageway when there was a lane closure up ahead - 1 mile away ! all for a 30 quid fine. Totally over the top. I counted 6 irish cars pulled in for the same thing - and they all got the same treatment. Obviously discretion and a quiet word wasnt on the agenda for the police that day.

Click to expand...

I'm a Police officer in the uk and the above seems like it's a little unfair. As an advanced driver i would advocate drivers to use all lanes then at the point of the closure or restriction filter in turn. People who block motorists from using the outside lane by staggering the broken white lines annoy me. They are obstructing the highway. Some soon see the error of their ways when the blue lights come on behind them in grill of an unmarked car. P.S my own personal view on speed camera's would not be allowed to be printed. If burglary's were investigated with such technology and vigour then the UK would be a better place.

John you did say you wanted to stir up some debate!!!!

Now that's a refreshing view on speed cameras!

juliany27 · May 8, 2006

Matt

How pleasant to have a breath of fresh air into the speed camera debate.

We all know that US spy satellites can 'see' a tank in the desert from miles in the sky and yet UK cctv technology cannot produce anything other than poor low definition pictures unless, of course, a private company is dealing with shop lifters. In my professional experience the images produced by cameras in M&S, Tescos, Selfrides' etc. is vastly superior to those produced by the City of Westminster, Network Rail and other local authorities.

Now, if the 'scarce' resources were used to improve security and cctv images - thyen Matts' point would be more valid and I might have less work [

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daro911 · May 8, 2006

ORIGINAL: juliany27

We all know that US spy satellites can 'see' a tank in the desert from miles in the sky and yet UK cctv technology cannot produce anything other than poor low definition pictures unless, of course, a private company is dealing with shop lifters.

Julian don't forget that these same US spy sats saw WMD, mobile WMD launchers and a whole load of other stuff that convinced our honest and caring PM to go to war so he could protect all our futures [

][

] Now that is a scary use of such sats