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Dangerous driving

Dangerous driving and penalties for drivers are, rightly, a recurring topic on this site. It was the lead item (the coveted 8.10am interview) on the Today Programme on Radio 4.

The interviews with family members (one cyclist, one pedestrain) were heartbreaking. Glad the issue of dangerous driving and the sentences handed out are getting national attention. 

I'll add a link to the interview when it's up. Think everyone should listen to it.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

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kil0ran | 8 years ago
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I'm trained in mass casualty disaster management and one of the concepts covered is that what happens after the event is more important to the future well-being of the victim's loved ones than what actually killed them. As is so often said in impact statements nothing can be done to bring them back and this is something eventually those left behind can come to terms with. What makes it harder (often impossibe)  is if there is any sense of injustice or cover up or blame-shifting or victim-blaming. Take a look at the Thomas Cook carbon monoxide poisoning as an example of how it shouldn't be done. On a larger scale, look at Hillsborough. Even on an individual level it can have an impact - people will destroy their mental and physical health (and finances) pursuing justice. Whilst my training is mainly around avoiding the civil litigation aspects of a death in a criminal case it falls upon the police/CPS/judge/jury (and even defendent) to ensure that the family feels justice has been served.

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Yorkshie Whippet replied to kil0ran | 8 years ago
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kil0ran wrote:

I'm trained in mass casualty disaster management and one of the concepts covered is that what happens after the event is more important to the future well-being of the victim's loved ones than what actually killed them. As is so often said in impact statements nothing can be done to bring them back and this is something eventually those left behind can come to terms with. What makes it harder (often impossibe)  is if there is any sense of injustice or cover up or blame-shifting or victim-blaming. Take a look at the Thomas Cook carbon monoxide poisoning as an example of how it shouldn't be done. On a larger scale, look at Hillsborough. Even on an individual level it can have an impact - people will destroy their mental and physical health (and finances) pursuing justice. Whilst my training is mainly around avoiding the civil litigation aspects of a death in a criminal case it falls upon the police/CPS/judge/jury (and even defendent) to ensure that the family feels justice has been served.

I think in the last sentence you exposed the major flaw. Whilst some families may walk away thinking "Shit happens, wrong place at wrong time." Others will, quite right so, think that the defendant should be strung up by the short and curly and made t o suffer. Whilst other families (being very cynical) will look at it as an way of screwing large amounts of cash out of someone.

So what is justice?

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tritecommentbot | 8 years ago
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Nice cheers! 

 

Have a dangerous driver to report from yesterday, was a G4S van (MX41 LCS) carrying prisoners I think. Actually tried to run me off the road when the other lane was clear ahead. Did it slow too, definitely intentional. Need to think who to report it to, prison service, G4S, etc. No point going to the poice, no video evidence, just a waste of their time. 

 

 

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Daveyraveygravey replied to tritecommentbot | 8 years ago
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unconstituted wrote:

Nice cheers! 

 

Have a dangerous driver to report from yesterday, was a G4S van (MX41 LCS) carrying prisoners I think. Actually tried to run me off the road when the other lane was clear ahead. Did it slow too, definitely intentional. Need to think who to report it to, prison service, G4S, etc. No point going to the poice, no video evidence, just a waste of their time. 

 

 

 

I think you have to report it to the police and G4S.  I got run off the road near Wembley about 20 years ago, and the police told me they would go and have a word with the driver. I had no video evidence or witness statements, and it isn't much, but I felt much better for it.  Hopefully the driver learned his lesson.

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multimodal replied to Daveyraveygravey | 8 years ago
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Daveyraveygravey wrote:

I got run off the road near Wembley about 20 years ago

 

20 years ago? You are brave. I wouldn't cycle near Wembley now!

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multimodal | 8 years ago
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Link here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07syyrf (scroll through to 2h10m). There's also an intevriew with Dominic Grieve about sentencing for dangerous driving at c. 2h30m.

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