The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

I saw this on SVR and thought I'd share it here.

It's a long read which shows you can never be sure just what sort of f*ck*ng maniac you might encounter on the roads during an everyday, routine journey: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-43716912

TL;DR - guy on a CB500 heading home to his family from working a shift on Christmas Day 2015 overtook a Mini on a virtually deserted M4. In response to being overtaken, the Mini's driver accelerated aggressively and started hounding the rider for several minutes before clipping the bike, causing it to crash into the central reservation, which killed the rider at the scene.

The driver at first denied seeing or being involved in any incident, but was eventually convicted thanks to painstaking detective work.

He was given 7 years for death by dangerous driving, and another year for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Personally, I feel the sentence should have been much longer, especially as the sentencing guidelines allow for up to 14 years.

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

Why are the sentences for death by dangerous / distracted driving so much less than for murder / manslaughter ? The result is the same, but the weapon is a vehicle rather than a gun or knife. Some truly shockingly lenient sentences handed out these days for deaths caused by vehicles.

I think judges are told not to send people to jail because of overcrowding, well build some more then :confused:

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

That is a really awful and heart-breaking tale.

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

Intent.

You happy to pay more tax to fund them?
Or would you prefer to be locked up wthout trial to work as slave labour to fund them?
Because that is exactly what's happening in the USA.
25% of the world's prison population is behind bars in the USA and 95% of them are there without ever having gone to trial.

https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80091741

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

I am happy to pay more tax to see murdering scumbags behind bars, far too many wandering the streets, let out early because of insufficient sentences being handed down, jailed for 15 years and then out in 6 years, a good criminal is more than a match for soft hearted psychologists and shrinks employed by our 'justice' system, truth is we have way too many laws and nowhere near enough justice.

As for intent, someone is still dead because of road rage, and a vehicle is weapon of choice for terrorists these days.

We are talking about UK not USA..............

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

Stop looking at MSM and life is much better.

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

Prison is not just about locking up and throwing away keys. They are about retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation.

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

Seems to me there was plenty of intent in this case.

Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

My friend's dad, a kind, intelligent man I know and like, momentarily passed out at the wheel. He was with his wife in the car on the way back from a hospital appointment where they'd just received the diagnosis that she had a terminal illness.

In that brief moment, caused by stress, he veered into the opposite lane and killed a biker. He served time in prison. For a while after he came out, knowing I too ride a Suzuki, he found it hard to even talk to me until I went up to him, gave him a hug and told him that he never set out to hurt anyone that day.

He didn't use his car maliciously, it was a tragic accident. He no more wanted to hurt or kill a biker than he would kill his own son.

However the courts said he'd driven carelessly so he had to spend time in prison. I would have disagreed.

This case is so different. This man knew he had an eyesight problem and should never have even been driving. He used his car as a weapon. He lied, tried to cover up his crime and showed no remorse and he had numerous previous form for various misdemeanors. They should have locked him up for a lot longer and he'll probably come out and do exactly the same thing again.

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Re: The Crash Detectives - a sobering story
 

OK, lots of emotional language both on here and in the article, including the words use to summarise at the end. Lets look at reality shall we? Once upon a time many many years ago if you offended someone they were considered quite within their rights to call you out to a duel and this sometimes led to one, or both, of you being killed. Fortunately as a society we evolved a bit and this practice became frowned upon, and eventually made illegal, and today fortunately it only happens now and again, usually between drunken louts outside the kebab shop on a Saturday night.

Unfortunately human nature hasn't actually kept up with the expectations of society and people are still inclined to completely lose all sense of reason and perspective when they feel insulted, and this may well be a case in point.....

Take one motorcyclist riding up the motorway quite quickly (his average was over the speed limit, work out for yourself what he was probably doing) and he comes up behind a car on an otherwise quiet motorway pooling along in the centre lane (the photo) or the fast lane (the drivers admission) and it doesn't take a huge amount of imagination to suspect there is every likelihood he felt the need to communicate his displeasure towards the driver. Maybe he just passed a bit close, perhaps he cut across in front of him, perhaps he used that well known hand signal suggesting the driver should be in lane one, I don't know, but I'd be very surprised if he did nothing, especially given what then went on to happen.

I'm not making any excuses for the car driver, and I'm certainly not suggesting what he did is anything other than an outrageous act for which he most certainly should be locked up, but I am offering an explanation as to why what went on probably did, something which seems to have been completely overlooked in the article. It may also go a long way to help understand the sentence dished out. This wasn't a premeditated act (in that the driver didn't set out to kill the rider that day), it is an act of violence that happened when an otherwise mundane and innocent event was allowed by both parties to escalate out of hand.

Personally as an ex copper and an active motorcyclist I see people driving like complete idiots on a daily basis but I'm pragmatic enough about it to recognise that my responsibility now is towards myself and my family. Some may consider that selfish, tough, I've done my bit, now i just want to stay alive and getting involved in any kind of argy bargy against anything with more wheels than you is only going to end one way.