Roads Chief proposes tougher stance on speeding

Anthony Bangham is the NPPC officer with national responsibility for roads policing, and is proposing a tougher stance on speeding.

He spoke at a recent conference and is basically calling for an end to the discretionary 10% above the limit (inconsistently applied around the country) and favours prosecution at just 1mph over the limit.

He also wants to withdraw the speed awareness course for those more then 2mph over the limit and go into fine, points, court etc.

RPU function has been decimated during Tory cuts but speed cameras including smart motorways are on the increase so if his plans come to fruition there will be less tolerance in the future

I cant see this being positive and think his plans will backfire, as more motorists focus on their speedos instead of the surroundings, and more otherwise reasonable people get caught up in the net instead of focussing on the idiots.

My personal thoughts are that like so many of the national police chief leads, it is clear this guy hasn't been operational for some time...

As I understand it, he’s calling for this because there’s increasing deaths on the roads. Does he have evidence that “marginal” speeding (ie what he wants to clamp down upon) is the cause of this? After all, deaths on the roads have been generally steadily declining year-on-year with these margins in place. I guess what I’m asking is what’s changed? After all, there are far more average speed cameras in place than ever before.

I would agree- ok it is a limit rather than a target but it seems a bit OTT and that’s coming from someone whose nickname was the Rottweiler when it came to enforcing the law So it’s an absolute offence, but Cameras aside I hope the boots on the ground still use a bit of discretion when dealing with the marginal ones

Two points, one is that the limits are set at arbitrary numbers, why are they 30, 40, 50etc other than they are round numbers. Had we ever metricated the 30 limit would change to 50kph which is 31mph, for example. On that basis his 1mph over would be the new limit which shows a lack of something specific. Limits are too vague to say they are related to something that is safe vs 1mph not being. Any reasonably competent driver should recognise that.

Second point, do the police ever make mistakes? Working on the philosophy this guy has if any member of the police makes a mistake, however slight, they should lose their job and any pension entitlement that goes with it. Bet he wouldn't support that.

There is a lot more but for the sake of my blood pressure I'll stop there.

Am told by someone who shall remain nameless that his thoughts on this bit didn’t go down that well...I think the quot was the sooner he goes back to his office the better lol

You have to smile don't you....

Well in fairness I give him 10/10 for honesty.

The first thing he mentions- safety? protection? bring death rates down? Nope. Fines.

The second point he wants to make?....drivers "should be punished".

There you go-in a nut shell - that's what this is all about.

Even if you ignore the advance in car design, (crumple zones, airbags, ASB, collapsible steering wheels etc) Tyre design, the reduced speed limits in place on UK roads compared to abroad, speed/safety/constant speed cameras, speed vans, unmarked police cars and the introduction of mandatory seat belts-the current speed limits were introduced a very long time ago and even the most rabid speed campaigners don't call for people travelling 1mph over to be targeted like this.

To my mind - the 10% buffer +2 seemed a logical way of dealing with law abiding motorists maybe unintentionally going faster then they thought. And Police who surely have more important things to do. like catching the joy riders driving at 150mph...

But that's not really what he wants. He wants to target motorists- and make sure they know who is in charge.

I don't like what he said. Research has shown doing away with white lines in the roads drops speed and lowers accidents. But wheres the money in that?

Hats off to him for being honest about the police attitude to speeding.

Just feel its v sad.

MM

TBH although he is NPCC his views on this one are not shared particularly by those doing the enforcing, and I think they will quickly be shown to be both unenforceable and unreasonable

Anybody would think that he is an avid athlete runner, perhaps using the main roads as his private running track. And therefore conceivably developing a psychotic hatred towards other persons using his 'running track' even if they have a greater right.

Of course............. I have absolutely no idea if he is an avid runner.......nor do I know what his compatriots think of him, and his 'historical' career progression, generally.


Examples
Speeds... a '40' is a '40', a '30' is a '30' etc. This Country has set speed steps in 10mph increments (generally).

The reason that its a '30' (for this example road) , is because its been deemed too hazardous to give it a '40'.
However... whats to say that the calculator could have actually OK'd the road at, say, 39mph ?

So the comparative road speed limit for that road, if the career officer demands his 1 mph crime to be set, should be 39mph.

Can you imagine ALL the roads in this Country being signposted for speeds in 1mph increments to go alongside this eejits aspirations for prosecution ???.

Well, it looks like Mr Bangham now realises his ridiculous plans would never work. There was a massive backlash to his silly ideas, not just from the public but also from those he would expect to enforce the changes. So no change, no change.

before I joined the Police I thought it was just the RAF that promoted people up the chain to get them out of the way...

ah the fccuk up - go up strategy.

A good point, well presented .

Upwards, onwards, and then out. With pension.

Say no more, it says it all !!!!.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

There- it’s a scientific fact