Driver issued Redlight Ticket making way for 999 van

Border_Collie · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:51 pm Post subject:

Quote from the IAM. (Note paragraph 6).

Steveee · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:36 pm Post subject:

The good news is that Mr Lilley has been let off following the intervention of Tameside Advertiser. Very Happy

dsouter

Similar thing happened to my son a few years back in Bristol. Fire engine came up behind him so he rightly went through a red light and then pulled in to allow fire engine passed (the other road covered by the lights was closed for major roadworks. Police then followed, stopped and charged him. The Magistrate did commend son for doing what he did and slated Police.
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Nigbo · Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:35 am Post subject:

I see lycra louts daily on pushbikes with all the racing gear on jumping red lights with impunity - never seen one taken to task yet or snapped by a camera - but then he has no number plate - so traceability is nil (& methinks police interest also). I have a similar beef about the cretins who will insist on riding pushbikes on the pavement - I have never seen police stop and admonish them for this - & when i remonstrated with one young guy in his 20s recently who was attempting to force me off the pavement while he rode his bike on it, i was threatend with violence if I did not move out of his way - so i didn't - and asked him just what he thought he could do against a 6' , 16 stone ex biker / rugby player. He got the message !

Steveee · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:09 am Post subject:

Just had a response from Essex police

BigPerk · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:15 am Post subject:

I agree that drivers must use their judgement and not act unsafely, but the reply you got still seems right in principle and law. I guess you have a specific case in mind but it's not clear.

As this thread shows though, discretion and common sense CAN be shown by either the issuing office or the magistrate.

There is also an interesting post on here today giving ACPO guidelines, one of which states that even if an emergency (exempted) vehicle does go through red lights they MUST do so not causing any danger or inconvenience to other traffic and that they CAN also still be held accountable if they act irresponsibly.
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David
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Steveee · Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:08 am Post subject:

David, the situation I am thinking about is where a ticket is issued as a result of a redlight camera. The camera office issues tickets automatically and unless you dispute it in court, you pay the fine and accept the points.

The court process can be stressful and is not perfect. A friend ended up in court as a result of a redlight camera. As she never received the letter (the court admitted it was sent to the wrong address) she had to appear in court. She asked to see the evidence and it was waved to her from the front of the court, i.e. it was inferred that she was wasting the courts time. She was fined and received 3 points without seeing the evidence.

Strangely, later she received a letter from DVLA and the points were removed and fine returned. The court process is far from perfect, so I would not be willing to trust the court to see sense.
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pennyandchris · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 44

Just to add a bit of info, when I was trained years ago in driving a (Red Cross not NHS) ambulance on emergency calls, we were told to 'treat red lights as give way lines' - sensible advice, but probably not so sound with the proliferation of cameras about

can40swuk · Lifetime Member Joined: Apr 11, 2006 Posts: 1

Hi,

First time posting here.

I read recently that if you are caught by a serving officer, Gatso or Mobile unit here in the UK, the relavent police authority have 2 weeks maximum to inform you officially in writing of the offence and their intention to proceed with prosecution. This law is in place to allow the driver adequate time to investigate and gather evidence and information surrounding the alledged incident.
Is this timescale also the same for Redlight infringements?

Your answers would be most appreciated.

C.

Steveee · Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 8:25 pm Post subject:

Yes, it is a legal requirement that a Notification of Intended Prosecution should be received by the registered keeper within 14 days of an alleged offence. One exception is where the registered keeper is not the driver. For example, if the vehicle is registered to a car hire company or is a company car. In these circumstances the registered keeper is required to name the driver of the vehicle and there are no legal requirements stating that a notice must be sent to such a nominated driver within a certain time limit.

When you are stopped by the police fopr speeding, you know you will be prosecuted, but I actually believe that the 14 day notification period is more to do with reducing the risk of having to answer multiple prosecutions. If the police took a month you may have triggered 2 or more cameras and could even lose your licence. Many people are not aware they have set a camera off.
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theripper · Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:46 pm Post subject:

lundavra · Regular Visitor Joined: Mar 17, 2007 Posts: 73

The Daily Telegraph's motoring section had a similar case a few years ago. It turned out that the emergency vehicle was an unmarked police car from another force so the local police had no knowledge of it and its blue lights did not show on the Red Light Camera image (though there was no mention of it being booked?). He eventually managed to idnetify it and get charges dropped.

One suggestion was in such a case to report it to a police station as soon as possible get it logged that you did cross the white line for an emergency vehicle.

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