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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Schoolgirl hit by police car in Newcastle dies

Schoolgirl hit by police car in Newcastle dies

In my view, a single police officer driving whilst looking at a in-car computer screen is as dangerous as anybody else using a mobile phone to text whilst driving.

UPDATE: Speaking of which I have just been out for 5 minutes and was almost knocked down by a driver of a Land Rover who was too busy on his mobile phone to pay attention to me. He was turning right off Beverley Road and going into the car park outside the Dorchester Hotel. It meant he had to go onto Pearson Avenue as the entrance is right on the corner. The driveway also cuts across the pavement I was walking on. I dialled 999 to report the incident, and was asked if he had run into me. I replied that he had not and they lost interest. The point is, had he hit me I doubt if I would have been in any fit state to dial 999! I suppose they are too busy knocking over people themselves to be bothered about any civilian trying to knock down another civilian!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it illegal to have a video screen in a motor vehicle within the field of vision of the driver?

Had it been a member of the public in control of a moving vehicle who had caused a fatality whilst distracted by operating/watching an in car video screen I imagine it would, legally speaking, be a pretty cut and dried case. I hope this is treated no differently.

By the way, if a police officer assaulted a member of the public, I wonder what would happen if that person were to tazer the police officer?

jailhouselawyer said...

richard: Usually the computer screen is watched by a police officer in the passenger seat.

I suspect the armed response team would shoot whoever tazered a cop!

Jemmy Hope said...

The inquest will find that the girl was wholly to blame. I'll put money on it.