The removal of dedicated traffic officers has allowed the more aggressive element in motoring to take over the roads
Alpha males, aggressive yobs in large cars with tinted windows and Loud rap music, drugged up morons often much older than you would imagine and from a much higher social strata of society !
in my County we had nearly 200 officers on cars and bikes split into 3 shifts
they were always there
in the mornings staking out the various roads into the towns, and observing driving styles, pulling errant motorists over and taking a long long time to educate them, so that others passing observe, as well as moving with traffic and being visible
the knock on effect
then after a breakfast break they went through the towns, ticketing idle morons for parking on corners, roundabouts, footpaths etc
mothers in their chelsea tractors giving no consideration to other lesser road users ie poor people in small cars
then looking out for elderly people and often stopping them and giving a free eye test and honest and kind advice ( lots of people with poor eyesight wait until around 10.00 to drive)
one of the biggest problems now is drivers with Dementia still driving , I can understand they want to keep their freedom, but it comes at a high price, my elderly Father was admitted to Hospital after a recent head injury and was told to stop driving, I sold his car the same week, and he feels much happier, however the Doctor said that many do not take the advice and he sees that in the car park on a regular basis !
I had a near miss in my car last week , when an elderly man drove straight out in front of me, good brakes and being aware meant it was a near miss,( very bloody near) he was full of anger, but looked confused, and I could see his wife saying something to him about I told you so
no point in swearing or gesticulating, hopefully he learnt a good lesson
the video data will get forwarded to the Police anyway
then spotting stolen cars abandoned near the local social housing estates ( car thieves never like to walk very far )
and also watching out for overloaded HGVs and commercial vehicles
They pinched a workmate many years ago for failing to stop at a set of traffic lights ( a grade A idiot)
his excuse
his brakes didnt work
given advice to either scrap it or get the brakes fixed, I know the copper concerned and it was very funny when he told us, said workmate was lazy and cared little for others, imagine the joy a month later when he ran another set of lights and got taken out by a van !
no brakes
ooops
he had to get a bank loan to pay for the damage to the van, a bit more expensive than getting the bike fixed or a new bike ?
plus the court costs and the fine and his name in the papers and the piss taking!!
the knock on effect
drunk drivers, well they knew most of them and could spot them, A camera cannot do that !
but what usually happened was some one got pulled up, got a ticket, and then complained to his/her family and friends,workmates , who all agreed how hard done by he or she was ( not me I took the piss) and then made sure they toed the line and didnt get nicked for the same thing
the knock on effect
Bald tyres, very easy to spot from a police motorcycle as you meander through traffic, then a tug and a chat, and the usual excuses
the knock on effect
and so on
however most of their work was advice, as my mate said the paperwork was a PIA
worst bit he said was fatals
dealing with it
the coroners court
the knock on the door
SO when a traffic cop pulls one of our local estate yobs and they got a bit gobby, a dark cloud came down and they learnt to STFU, and suddenly found that they were provided with a full and free motor vehicle inspection
then some idiot in government cut the numbers and the money
now coppers rush around trying to put out fires
no Beat officers
our local police stations are all closed and sold off to developers who have made vast profits
and you rarely see a cop
In my County we used to get perhaps 2 fatals a month usually DUI or just plain old cocky males driving too fast
1 or 2 a week are the norm
Birdlip Hill
I used to drive up there about 40 to 50 mph, still do
ride the bike up there about 60
now Large German cars tank up there touching 100 to 120 ( been clocked at that)
my present car, the batmobile is equipped with real time tracking ( in case its nicked) which in the case of an accident proves that I am driving sensibly, also when I was last involved in an accident ( hit by a Vulgar 4X4 ) I could not recall where it had happened, as it was well away from my normal area, the tracking data pinged it to within 2 square metres
the car is also fitted with front and rear batcams
again due to the density or morons driving Large German cars aggressively
as the Batmobile already has a long history behind it ( think Blues mobile)
I dont worry too much, and when faced with morons talking on the phone coming towards me, or large 4X4s trying to shove me out of the way, I dont give an inch
having nearly written of my last car care of a Moron texting, who then failed to stop, its ay way of making life difficult for them
hopefully a motorcyclist Will be spared
In motorcycling I am much more cautious than before, and treat all car-drivers as Morons
I keep nice and calm and dont get upset
heres a thought
I used to work for a Large National Company
I could walk through the yard and pick out a car with bald tyres every week , I dont mean on the wear limit I mean bald, speaking to the driver the usual reply was how did that happen ??
one senior person ended up losing his job after I dropped him in it big time for driving a works commercial with steel banding exposed on all four wheels ( I had refused, and told the small man in the big chair to get it uplifted to a garage, and tell the person who drove it there 120 miles he was a Stupid **** of the first order) Yes I know I am not PC
with larger service intervals on cars, and motorists treating them as white goods, its a major problem
again no traffic officers to deal with it
recently I reported a car driver with four bald tyres to the police by email, their reply oh if we spot it we will speak to the driver ??
I spoke to the driver a stupid morbidly obese woman, her excuses ?
oh its going in for an MOT this anyway
So that makes it allright then
her MOT had expired 4 months before? ( I checked online)
the roads of full of these morons
So thats why the batmobile , had the technology installed at great cost
and why my guzzi has loud horns and I treat all car drivers as *****
leave lots of room
watch our for Audis
and go a little slower
ps I did a motorcycle awareness course even after 35 year on the road ( ten years ago) I learnt lots
been riding and driving both here and abroad for 45 years now
the same idiots are about, its just they go faster, much faster
