Or the guy who actually didn’t do anything but just got scared will slow down a bit
Heh. Only two days ago did I come around a corner at 50 at find someone toootling along on the wrong side of the road. Occupational hazard in this part of the world, and I’ve been in their place before. (But still, DRIVE ON THE FUCKING LEFT!!!)
(End result: Phoned the police, who responded with ‘well, it’s ten minutes to get a unit there, it’s five minutes till they get on the A14. Lets hope they get the right sliproad.’)
I think we should just outlaw cars altogether. Think about how many MORE lives would be saved. I saw an Allstate commercial where they say “every year, 6000 teens go out for a drive and never come back”. It shows a line of cars full of teens driving off into the distance. Chokes me right up, since I’m only a few days away from having a daughter. Driving is deadly, and high speed chases are only a tiny percentage of all the deaths caused by driving.
Barring that, I figure I’m way more likely to die by a drunk or sleeping driver than a driver running from the cops. So I’d rather take the risk and not let the bad guys get away. It’s just one of the many hazards of driving that I’m willing to accept.
Nuts, Professional means knowing the game. Cops have been doing high speed chases for a couple years now and they know how nasty the possible outcomes are. I can’t think of too many circumstances where “upping the ante” by engaging in a road duel that involves innocent bystanders is even appropriate.
I must agree, but then I am prejudiced. The First Mrs. Plant and I got between two North Little Rock Police Cars-the one behind us came charging up the access ramp onto the freeway behind us-who were either shooting at each other or shooting at someone ahead of us-which put us in, to plagiarize Mr. Montoya, an unpleasant position.
I’m still trying to picture this. I’ve seen a sedan ram THE REAR of a semi (that’s an 18-wheeler, right?), get crushed underneath, which decapitated both car and sedan driver, and the semi driver only felt a slight bump and didn’t even drop his CB mike. So that can’t be what you mean.
Does “do an England” mean the errant driver in the small car is ramming the semi head-on? [Emily Litella]That’s different.[/Emily Litella]
So instead of the figurative point I was making that forced mechanical controls on speed would be an oppressive thing for government to do, you thought I was literally talking about what kind of cars Hitler liked. “Duh” is right. I love how you went to the trouble to research your non-point and post a link, though.
In a free society, we tend to eschew “Big Brother” government. That’s why cars don’t cut off at 75 mph. It’s also why the engine doesn’t automatically shut off at red lights, and why we don’t have chips imbedded in our bodies to track our movements and prevent us from committing crimes.
With respect to car design??? Cars are ridiculously regulated in this country, from seat belt design, airbags, bumpers, emissions, tires, the list is endless. When your talking about safety, the government has no problem sticking its nose into your car’s design, and it has been doing so for decades, without our country turning into a fascist dictatorship. At least, I don’t think airbags had anything to do with it
Honestly, we should have had top speed regulators as standard equipment for a while now. Even set at 80mph, at least you can help prevent some insane driving by otherwise decent people. Yes, they can be disabled, but disabling it doesn’t have to be a minor offense, it is easily proven in court, and easily found during your periodic inspection.
Right. A while ago there was a high-speed chase on the DC beltway that ended when the police car hit an SUV, flipping it, and killing 2 of the people in it. The guy being chased got away and no one even got a plate number. I think the original offence the perp was being chased for was ‘aggressive driving.’ The offence just doesn’t seem worth the risk of pursuit considering how wrong it can go.
You don’t need a helicopter for every police force. You need an oversized RC flying model with a video camera.
Aggressive police can upgrade to a Hellfire-armed Predator.
Really, how far are we from having a dozen or so Global Hawks on constant surveilance? They probably have the altidude capacity and the camera power to track a verhicle from a couple hundred miles away. Christ, Homeland Security probably has some up now, and if they don’t they should. And why not use them for your average car chase between terrorist interdictions?
Stupid people do. And, it’s not against the Law to be stupid. (Although Darwin’s law will get you if you are *too *stupid).
Does anyone have a cite on how many HSC’s result in a violent felony conviction outside of the chase itself?
I don’t care how many bad check writers they nab on a warrant. Just about every Sheriff’s dept has tonnes of warrants for such minor crimes they have made only the feeblest effort to serve. So, they don’t need a NSC to nab Betty-the-bad-check writer, they could try- oh I don’t know- dropping by her last known address, *after *business hours? :rolleyes:
So, I want some cites- how many violent criminals are nabbed by a HCS where the cops had no idea they were chasing a felon to start with?
Does that number justify the number of innocent tax-paying citizens killed by HSCs?
I like the way you think. And “Altidude” is now part of my vocabulary. wevets, fuck. I go through this with my kids all the time (well, they don’t drive, the oldest is 11). If your sister whacks you on the bean with a mop handle and you need stitches to stanch the crimson gush, smacking her on the head with something jagged isn’t going to help your situation at all. In fact, you’re going to get in trouble AND have a broke noggin.
Someone runs a light and survives it, yeah, make an honest effort to make them pay their idiot tax. But when they change the game and turn it into a chase, use your dash cam to get the plate and then call the Predator drones in on 'em or whatever. But don’t go giving them cause to run some more lights when it’s clear they don’t want to talk about it.
Only three were produced. The transmission was designed to not allow the car to travel over 20 MPH, the speed limit of the day. There was a way to remove this restriction, however, and let the car reach a top speed of 26 MPH.
Freakin’ kids and their modifications…
Oh, and the Legalimit is the only Rolls-Royce model of which not one survives today.
Growing up in suburban Philly, the local PDs went through a series of problems with this topic. Unfortunately, from the persepective of the LEOs, it’s Damned If You Do, and Damned If You Don’t.
A segment of the population screams “soft on crime” when they don’t chase, and the equally vocal opposition points to every innocent injured or killed by the fleeing perp or pursuing officer. Most departments in that area have instituted a chase decision policy where the shift Sergeant or other ranking officer makes the call.
Spike strips are great, if you’re there with sufficient lead time to deploy them and not screw with innocent motorists. Equip every single PD with a helo? Holy shit-I know some PDs with a part-time Chief and 2 part time officers who turn policing over to PSP when they’re off duty.
Oh-forgot to mention, just the other day a police officer pursued a vehicle for a minor traffic violation. The car sped away and the officer pursued at speeds up to 100 MPH, before the fleeing vehicle wrecked. They apprehended a drunk 11 year old girl.
Sorry but I can’t go with the OP.
Helicopters? So what do you do the first time there are two speeders at opposite ends of the county? Dispatch the helo to one, and follow the other until the helo is free? What happens when asshole #2 hits a bystander before the helo gets there? :smack: What will you say if the asshole sees the copter and gets distracted and hits a bystander? :smack:
Get a plate number? yeah right. So the instant the asshole gets away, he goes home and phones the police and reports he just found out his car was stolen. A plate number gives you jack shit in the real world. It can prove that the car was speeding, but it does not prove who was driving. :smack:
FTR the LAPD and other LE agencies in So Cal have pursuit policies. I recall reading about a chase about a year or so ago, where the cops made the decision to discontinue the pursuit. The AIQ wrecked his car a few blocks later. he apparently did not get the memo that the chase had been discontinued. So whose falut was this one?
Getting back to the OP, there is one person responsible for the accident and the death of the truck driver. You get one guess as to who this person is. Hint: They do not wear a badge.
