Phil

iTrader: (1)

There has been a court case today involving a local lad who was 'racing' another car on a dual carrigeway "at speeds of around 100mph" when the other car lost control and hit a tree killing the driver and passenger. The investigation revelaed the car had a severely under inflated tyre which caused it to lose control.

The strange bit is, lad who was driving the car that didn't crash was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and given a 5 year sentance!

This case could mean that if you floor it alongside someone who also puts their foot down, and they crash, you could do a long time inside!

Full story here:
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk...entPK=12780326

Phil

iTrader: (1)

And to think the guy who got sent down told all his friends/posted on a local forum after the event that he merely saw the accident happen and was not racing at the time (the article in the paper even says he never even tried to overtake the bog standard Fiesta (1.1 I think?) in his 200SX, how the hell is that a race?!), but a statement from a taxi driver who saw them go past together earlier down the road was enough to convict him of racing!

CraigN

read somethign similar a while back with a porsche and a motorbike. Bike rider died and porsche driver got time

queer way of doing things

Phil

iTrader: (1)

I remember that Craig.

In my view causing death by dangerous driving should be used in the following scenarios:

Crashing into another car CAUSING loss of control/death
Driving wrecklessly in a way that DIRECTLY CAUSES another car to crash, i.e. you lose control and another car loses control whilst taking evasive action, or you cut someone up etc.
Crashing your own car whilst driving dangerously CAUSING death of passenger

Leaning into the other car and pressing his accelerator pedal to the floor by use of a big stick therefore forcing him to go fast?

But I can't for the life of me see how following someone who then crashes is CAUSING death by dangerous driving?! Surely the driver who died had a choice whether to maintian his car properly, and certainly only he had the choice to drive at 100mph before losing control!

St3V3_C

So are all police drivers now going to get charged with dangerous driving if they are chasing someone and they (the one they are chasing) bin it?



No, I thought not

MWF

It's a shame, Jacko seemed like a nice lad. The investigation has reported the Fiesta driver was either drunk or on drugs too.

I can understand banning him for speeding, but prison... there has to be more to it or he had a very bad lawyer.

B19-TRB

Thats wrong!!!!!!!

R4N SS

iTrader: (6)

Rocco

very harsh

Poom

This has happened to me before!

I was going some down the bypass and the other geeza lost it on the roundabout!

I stopped to see if he was ok etc but he got out and ran! Poilice came and it turned out it was a stolen car, wish the coont had died now!

It is quite harsh, especially if he wasn't racing him! Hope he can appeal orsomething with a decent brief and get it sorted!

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

typical british justice system, good eh...

Stavros

Thats EXACTLY what NEARLY happened to me!

When a lorry crashed into the side of my old R5GTT killing my firend these 5 old granny witnesses claimed I was racing a Supra at mad speeds right up his arse when the accident happened---
I honestly thought I was gonna get the blame for it cause of what those mad old biddies said

BUT luckily the police did their checks and it turned out I was doing a MAXIMUM on 56mph in the 70limit zone, more likely far less (It was well busy you see...)

Witnesses should NEVER be used as a base of a conviction in my eyes as they can EASILY get it VERY VERY wrong

Cant belive the kid was sent down!

B19-TRB

thing is though if the car has a zorst on ppl who aint got a clue think just cause its loud its goin some!

where as we all now therer many nova's out there louder than 1000hp skylines with as much performance as a skinned tomato!

MWF

Something to note is he pleaded guilty. Extactly what he pleaded guilty to I arent sure. But from what I gather all the 'evidence' was stacked up against him and he was facing a longer sentance if he'd pleaded innocent.

The really sick thing is it's his 999 call about the accident which may have put him in jail as the police used that time of the call with some CCTV footage to estimate his average speed.

Poom

Agreed! Especially with modded cars with exhausts, they sound like they are going a lot faster than they are!

I think I remember somebody from ft.com had some old granny report him for speeding and he was taken to court based on her saying he was driving too fast! Not sure what came of it though!

Dan

My thoughts exactly Steve, well said mate!

Stavros

Well funnily enough il never forget a few days before the accident I was driving it to the MOT place doing around 15-20mph down a residential bit and some woman walking her dog on the green opposite swang her metal dog lead at me and screamed...
I was doing no more than 20mph in a 30...

RobL

i work with the uncle of one of the lads killed in this accident

he was a nice lad

B19-TRB

i used to get tjhat all the time in the escort steve! man that thing sounded awesome!

Dan

Pensioner's shouldn't be used to give evidence like this anyway, I know its harsh but as Steve's clearly pointed out half of 'em aint got the foggiest about things these days!

Escy

i was behind a scooby on some country lane and we were driving briskly (although i wasn't really racing him, i was keeping up without really trying). he comes up to a dodgy corner and i slow down with ages of space but he just flew around the corner, don't think he braked untill he was half way around. he lost it and ended up on the roof in some tree's.

i stopped and rang the emergancy services. thankfully, him and his missus were okay other than cuts and bruises.

when the Police got there, they were asking me questions about how fast he was going, etc. it probably didn't look good since it was 2 modified cars but they never suggested i was at fault, or even that we were racing.

it makes you think that prehaps if a car crashes and it could be seen as a race that you are best off just driving on as you could be letting yourself in for a whole world of trouble. i know its a terrible way to think, but if story's like that become regular i can see it becoming the norm.

Anonymous

Typical example of british justice.

Some lads die, someone has to pay, pick on the easy target, some bloke who was nearby.

Truth is if the idiot driving it (I dont care if he is a nice lad, i just mean that behind the wheel he was clearly an idiot) was prepared to do those speeds in those circumstances it was just a matter of time till this happened, not the other drivers fault at all.

B19-TRB

john

Unfortunaley a few years ago a little lad ran out in front of me. Fookin 3 year old and his mother left him on his own on the other side of the road while she was in a shop.

Anyway stooped did all the usuals, first copper on scent your getting fooked for this his very words we have reports of you racing down here of speeds upto 60 mph in a 30.

Traffic investigator turned up did all the checks on the road, tyre marks etc and confirmed i was doin the spped limit or less, even let me follow him to the compound to check my car over. Had a few choice words with other wanker copper after

All that because some busy body said my exhaust was raging and my car kept hissing lol

Made the papers as well 19 year old in powerful ford cosworth puts lad in hospital.

Thankfully he made a full recovery.

His mother should have been strung up for that

frog

No one was pressing the loud pedal for him, had it been a passenger suing the driver, maybe, but the driver made his choices here

I'm gonna go sue someone today cos I had nutella on toast this morning and it's going to make me fat