Pedestrian hit at B&Q crossing on Lichfield Rd - Tue 29th Nov 2011

staff4ord

Well-Known Forumite
Is there any thing wrong with naming and shaming the boy racers or the muppets who put us all at risk.

Get the vehicles on here and the regs if you know them

Admin is there any issues with this?????
 

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
staff4ord said:
Is there any thing wrong with naming and shaming the boy racers or the muppets who put us all at risk.

Get the vehicles on here and the regs if you know them

Admin is there any issues with this?????
I am not a lawyer, or qualified in law in any capacity, so can't really advise. However, you would not be allowed to post a person's name and accuse them of something without evidence.

In the same way that the papers (or, indeed, any of us) are not allowed to say* "John Terry is a racist," as it has not been proven as fact; they resort to saying "John Terry is alleged to have made racist comments."




* Current news headline completely chosen at random from the first news site I found.
 

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
phildo said:
Seems to be a couple of websites where you can name and shame bad drivers

http://www.driversrevenge.com/

http://www.myroadrage.com/
In which case I would ask that, if anyone feels so inclined, please use the above websites, and don't publish specific information here, just to be on the safe side! :)

There already is a Bad drivers thread if you wish to discuss poor driving that you have witnessed around Stafford, so feel free to make use of it, though. :)
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Having posted that link above from Staffordshire Police, I suddenly had a flash of potential recognition. The Police appeal for witnesses describes the injured party as "an 82-year-old local man", which exactly fits a friend of mine who lives just by those lights and frequently crosses there to catch a bus into town. I managed to track him down last night and found that it's not him - this time.
 

henryscat

Well-Known Forumite
United57 said:
Over the years I have noticed that residents in Stafford often cross roads when the ( Pelican ) crossing is on red for padestrains.
Because pedestrian crossings are biased too far in favour of traffic. A pedestrian crossing on red man does not mean you can't cross the road. Drivers need to be looking out for pedestrians, crossing or not, and be prepared to slow down if necessary. If safe to do so I always try to stop to let pedestrians cross if the traffic is really busy.

I've noticed its generally the one outside of the train station and Sainsburys.

Sainsbury, people crossing tend to run from the side to try and get over.
These are two crossings which have really long wait times - favouring traffic over pedestrians.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I also make an effort to let people across, but you really do need to be aware of the possibility of somebody whizzing round you from behind and mowing them down.

I haven't used it for a long while, but the crossing at the bottom of Radford Bank was best approached in possession of a packed lunch. Even if it hadn't been used for ages, it would still require you to stand there for a completely inordinate period of time.
 

grumpystaffordguy

Well-Known Forumite
Hang on why is everyone assuming that it was a maniac boy racer driver that ran the old chap down?
From what I heard he may have stumbled and fell in to the road. In which case it could be that the driver was paying attention and well within the speed limit if they managed to slow down enough not to kill him. Worth thinking about anyway....
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
grumpystaffordguy said:
Hang on why is everyone assuming that it was a maniac boy racer driver that ran the old chap down?
I confess to not being very knowledgeable when it comes to cars, but i'm fairly sure the Rover 25 is seldom, if ever, the car of choice of the 'maniac boy racer'.
 

staff4ord

Well-Known Forumite
"Because pedestrian crossings are biased too far in favour of traffic."

What a stupid thing to say. The passage of traffic safely round the road network needs to be balanced, so a crossing letting more cars through than pedestrians is better than having a massive tailback round the town.
 

henryscat

Well-Known Forumite
staff4ord said:
The passage of traffic safely round the road network needs to be balanced, so a crossing letting more cars through than pedestrians is better than having a massive tailback round the town.
Why is a car driver's journey more important than a pedestrian's? At most lights or crossings, the pedestrian has to wait longer than a car would to get green. The balance is too far in favour of cars. If we favoured pedestrians and cyclists more, then it might go some way to reducing the numbers of cars on the road in the first place.
 

grumpystaffordguy

Well-Known Forumite
henryscat said:
Why is a car driver's journey more important than a pedestrian's?
Its not really, but you could argue the car driver has paid to use the road more than a pedestrian has... Its a balance really isn't it which is quite hard to get right.
I agree more people should walk though. We try and walk to town even though it takes about 30mins. Saves money and is healthier. I always think its daft that people who live on our road drive a few hundred yards to the shop. No worse than the school run Mum's who drive a 2 minute drive and risk the safety of the children by parking in all sorts of silly places by the school.
 

Jade-clothing

Well-Known Forumite
There was nearly another accident on Stone road when I was coming home from work. a pedestrian who wanted to catch the bus decided when he saw the bus arriving to run across the road outside Ashiana - 4 lanes of traffic! Very nearly was clipped by a car and then he proceeded to give a mouthful to the driver! He was only 2 minutes walk from the pedestrian crossing - ok he would have missed the bus but he could have lost his life for the sake of a 15 minute wait for the next bus!
 

gilbert grape

Well-Known Forumite
If motorists and pedestrians obeyed the green cross an highway codes there'd be less need for debate of rights and wrongs and also would be less accidents. Too many people from all walks of like treat life too cheaply. "Its all about me" really saddens me! Manners, courtesey and common sense go a long way to surving and looking out for each other. Until that happens we will carry on having these incidents. I say incidents rather than accidents as there is usually a party at fault.
 

Mrs Stafford Beast

Well-Known Forumite
Since I saw a person get mowed down in Stafford earlier this year, I have been much more aware and noticed that a lot of pedestrians don't seem to wait to make sure the cars are going to stop at crossings before stepping out into the road.

I'm not condoning drivers not stopping, but I personally never step out until I am 100% sure the cars have seen me and stopping - I never assume they will stop.

I agree with what gilbert grape said, it's a two way thing.
 

basil

don't mention the blinds
Road traffic accidents attract a lot of attention from plod if there is personal injury as it is potentially a Scene of Crime. Their investigation depends on the severity of injury. Their armoury includes; witness statements, weather, lighting, road surface, condition of vehicle (primarily brakes) speed of vehicle, breath testing, blood testing, mobile phone records (voice and text)..... "But the lights were on green guv" does not permit drivers to collide with other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians. I was told this by a law enforcement officer........
 

United57

Well-Known Forumite
basil said:
Road traffic accidents attract a lot of attention from plod if there is personal injury as it is potentially a Scene of Crime. Their investigation depends on the severity of injury. Their armoury includes; witness statements, weather, lighting, road surface, condition of vehicle (primarily brakes) speed of vehicle, breath testing, blood testing, mobile phone records (voice and text)..... "But the lights were on green guv" does not permit drivers to collide with other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians. I was told this by a law enforcement officer........
Sometime ago a young girl on a bike road out between 2 cars in front of me. I stopped and touched the handle bar. Got out of the car and the girl had run away. I knocked on doors to find her no answer. The police came. Luckily for me 2 people witnessed the event. Also the local shop keeper came out and told the policeman he had told the girl to stop riding her bike on the path and had even spoken to the girls father.

The police could not find her.

I received a letter from the local ambulance service a number of months later telling me I had to pay as I was an insured person.( car owner) I then had discussions with my insurance company and the knock on effect was complicated. Also my insurance would be a lot higher just in case of a claim?
 

gilbert grape

Well-Known Forumite
I wont apologise for labouring these points but, I've been out half the day driving round town on various errands, going to and fro and have witnessed the same old stupidity!

A bloke crossing the Newport Road near Tesco chose to cross by the end of the pedestrian barrier and straight through the traffic. He got to the other side and walked back towards the pedestrian crosiing that he should've used!

On leaving the Hough Retail park I then saw two young men run between moving traffic at the very same lights where there are 4 big yellow signs asking for witnesses to serious accidents!

Further on, on my trip, I was pulling through the junction in front of the Essence Of The Orient and there was a guy who had missed the turn and cut into the traffic heading into Chell Road form the roundabout so he turned it temporarily into 2 lanes. HE WAS ON A MOBILE PHONE!! And oddly enough the last 3 letters on his plate were JRK!

Back onto the Newport Road later and another Muppett, this time a young lady, decides to cross in the same point as the bloke earlier, wearing dark clothes and walks into the middle and makes an oncming car stop!

I find such behaviour an insult to the memory of those killed in road accidents and disrespectful to those who are abiding by the law.

I somehow feel we will have a few more threads on the new forum about the very same subject and more incidents as people are that blinkered they never learn, whateve mode of getting from A to B they use! :grr:
 
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