Posted on 06/06/2004 9:52:21 AM PDT by UnklGene
MAN PENALISED FOR WARNING OF SPEED TRAP -
Thursday 3rd June
Pensioner banned from driving for reminding motorists not to speed
A 71 year old man has been banned from driving for warning other motorists of a speed trap up the road - even though he wasn't in his car at the time! He was also ordered to pay £364 in costs.
Stuart Harding stood on the A325 near Farnborough with a sign saying "Speed Trap - 300 yards ahead". He had stood there on previous occasions warning motorists to slow down because of a car boot sale up the road which generated a lot of pedestrian traffic. Police however took exception when Harding warned of their speed trap.
The court was told that Sgt Sarah Cashman confiscated his sign and was told by the defendent - under caution - "I stop people speeding down here. I am only doing what I think is right ".
Harding pleaded not guilty when he appeared in front of magistrates in Aldershot. He said: "I have been convicted of breaking the law because I was trying to stop others from doing so. It is totally unjust ."
An appeal is to be lodged but the Magistrates passed up on the option to suspend his driving ban and implemented it immediately.
This is a terrible misuse of our justice system. Why this pensioner should lose his driving licence for this 'offence' is a bizarre anomoly in itself, but the concept that stopping people breaking the law is in some way an offence surely needs to be challenged?
It sends out a clear message that the police's main concern wasn't with safety that day, but with securing prosecutions.
Traffic law enforcement is only for gathering revenue, anyways.
"Serve and protect" has become "Observe and Collect".
-Eric
But the fact remains that he was ticketed anyway.
Perhaps I am incorrect, but my view is that speed traps generate a lot of money because of the heavy fines imposed.
The fines don't have to be particularly heavy if you make a lot of stops. The cops in Summersville, WV actually had a contest to see who could write the most tickets.
He's slowing down the speeders. I thought that was the goal. Silly me.
Gee, I thought it was all about safety. Money was not an issue. (^;
"But the fact remains that he was ticketed anyway."
As another FReeper has expressed: You might beat the rap, but you'll never beat the ride.
Yep. Sure was.
Know where?
In Maryland, the "legislature" passed a hefty hike in speeding violation fines this year solely to "raise revenue."
The police of today are little more than a combination of the standing army the Founders warned against and bureacratic tax collectors with guns.
There are still some good ones left, who truly "protect and serve", however, there numbers are decreasing.
Here in Florida, going 10 over in a "con-struction zone" will get you a $200 ticket.
It's all about revenue.
Will the EU fine him for having a non-metric sign?
Reminds me of the story of the kid that was holding a sign that said "Speed Trap Ahead"...about a block past the trap another kid was holding a bucket and a sign which said "Tip Here"
In fairness, one should not blame the cops on the beat for this situation. They are just doing what they are told. In fact, police officers who do not write a certain amount of tickets can suffer career repercussions.
I know a police officer and the last thing he wants to do is sit in speed traps and hand out tickets. He tells me that he'd rather be patrolling the roads so that he can pull over the jerks who tailgate, switch lanes repeatedly, and otherwise drive aggressively, presenting a danger to the public. But he is not allowed to direct his efforts this way. Instead, he is told to set up speed traps, in which he mostly ends up pulling over poor working stiffs who are not posing much of a threat at all to other motorists.
Even this cop tells me that it's all about collecting revenue.
You should be penalized for warning us about the man penalized for warning of the speed trap.
<|:)~
Cops hate when you try to legally curtail their revenue stream. Less donuts for them.
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