The Top 5 Signs Someone Is Driving A Company Car

We've all seen them. BMW. Mercedes. Audi. Volkswagen. Ford. Vauxhall. Renault. Nissan. Whatever marque there is, someone, somewhere, right now, out there, is driving a company car.

You know, you've gotta love the irony of it. They're the ones that are brining in £50k+ per year. They're rolling in it. And what does the boss say to them? "Hey, why don't I buy you a car? I'll tax it, insure - I'll even fuel it for you."

Wait a minute. So us who work at the bottom of the corporate ladder - the ones that are scrimping and scrounging, counting the pennies - not only do we have to BUY our own car - but we have to tax it, insure it, and fuel it too - whereas the top dogs, earning the big bucks, get their's paid for! Cheesh!

And then there's the way they drive their cars. You see, we know that our car costs money to run. We bump it, we pay for it. We scratch it, we've got to get it sorted. Them? Nah. Tell the boss the car needs a service, get it done.

Well here's the top five signs somebody is driving a company car:

1. Road Humps

I don't know about where you live, but 'traffic calming measures' seem to be getting more and more extreme. Personally, I like the chicanes. You're forced to slow down for them, reducing your speed. However, the council seems to prefer abnormally angled road humps. Maybe they're in league with the local car mechanics... You can either slow to a stop, then crawl over them (increasing wear and tear on brakes, clutch and gearbox), or you can take them at full speed and fracture your suspension. Well guess what company car drivers do? Well, who is gonna pay for that suspension? Certainly not them. So they cruise along, quite happily sticking to the speed limit, quite happily blasting over the speed humps, quite happily destroying their company car's suspension.

2. It's Dirty

Now, we may take pride in our vehicle. It's cost a massive chunk of our own personal cash, and we intend to make it look good. Not so with company car drivers. No, why should they waste time and money on something that they're not even paying for? The car will get cleaned when it rains. Or the garage will clean it when it's due for a service. Washing the car? That's for those low lifes that buy their own car!

3. They Fill The Tank

So you're waiting patiently at the petrol station behind the BMW X5. The bloke at the pump isn't even watching the guage - he's casually looking around to see how many people are watching him. After an inordinate amount of time, the guage clicks - the tank is full. The guy saunters over to the cash desk, pays up, and leaves. You drive to the pump that he was at, and your eye register disbelief. £78.25. That's the bill that he just paid to fill his beast. Well, that's not technically true. Let me restate that last line. That's the bill that HIS BOSS HAS just paid to fill his beast. As you start to fill your car, you carefully watch the guage, and stop it when it hits £20. That's all you can afford until payday...

4. They Drive Like Maniacs

It's not their car. Who cares if they bump it? Roundabouts, junctions, traffic lights - they don't care. If it results in a bump, it'll go to the garage. They'll get a courtesy car. Then their one will come back nice and shiney and new. Oh, that's right - it's been washed and waxed. And it's probably got a full tank too...

5. It's Brand New

So here I am driving my 2004 Fiesta. I've just got it. I didn't break the bank to get it, but I must admit I would have like to be driven something newer, better, faster, sportier. And just yesterday someone behind me was in a brand spanking new Audi S3. Black paintwork gleaming under the midday sun. Probably just driven off of the forecourt. With only 2.0 miles on the clock. Probably didn't pay a penny for it.

So remember, next time you see a brand new, but slightly dirty, and maybe even slightly damaged car getting it's tank filled at the petrol station, don't envy the guy or gal at the pump. It's not even their car.

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Death of a Motorcycle Rider in 1.42 Seconds

We all know that a small vehicle generally has a significant disadvantage during most accident situations. Lack of mass and compact physical dimensions often account for serious injuries under conditions where, had they been in a larger vehicle, the injuries would not have been so significant.

What About the Poor Motorcyclist?
He operates in a stream of traffic with hazards far more extreme than those confronting the occupants of a small vehicle. He has minimal structural vehicle protection and often comes into direct physical contact with the opposing vehicle. Unlike the motorist, who is enveloped in the protective shield of his passenger
compartment, it is the motorcyclist's body that serves as the energy absorbing structure. His fate so often depends on the nature of the impacted structure and the chance orientation of his body as it strikes the vehicle/object.

Consider the Effects of a 40mph Impact into the Side of an Emerging Car:
As the motorcycle contacts the front door of the car the inertia of the front wheel is such that it penetrates 6 inches into the door

15ms (milliseconds):
The wheel contacts its engine. The rider starts to slide forwards on the seat.

25ms:
The motorcycle frame experiences a deceleration of 39g. The front wheel continues to crush further into the door of the car and it collapses as the engine starts to penetrate the side plane of the car.

63ms:
The maximum penetration reaches 34 inches. The motorcyclist's knees are buried into the side of the car whilst he is still in a seat posture after sliding forward onto the fuel tank.

55ms:
His legs sustain a deceleration of 71g. The pivotal action of the knee contact rotates the rider to a standing position bringing his chest forcibly against the 'A' pillar.

80ms:
He experiences a deceleration of 109g. The sudden deceleration of the chest flails the head forwards over the top of the car; the helmet strap stretches.

105ms:
The face strikes the roof at 105g. Following this the helmet latch disengages depriving the rider of head protection during any subsequent collision with the car or road surface. The motorcycle and rider fall motionless to the road.

TIME ELAPSED - 1.42 seconds

REMEMBER: SPEED KILLS. DON’T TAKE THE CHANCE

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Death of a Car Driver in 7/10ths of a Second

I’ve blogged a couple of articles over the last day or so on driving, speeding, getting tickets, evading tickets – even evading getting stopped in the first place. But now I just want to stop and point out a chilling reality – speed kills:

"John Collins, 38, of 210 Hill Place, was instantly killed last night when his car struck a tree on the main road, two miles east... "

Daily newspapers carry thousands of new items similar to this every year. It is a tragically common form of death, but one of which very little is known.

Distinguished medical experts have written detailed post-mortem reports on crash victims. The primary reason for these reports was to reduce fatalities by making cars safer, more ‘crash proof’. Out of it have come recommendations for safety belts, different types of steering wheel etc. But out of the report has also come something else; the terrifying picture of what happens to steel and glass, to flesh and blood, in those last split seconds when a human being is hurled into eternity.

This is a slow motion, split second reconstruction of what happens when a car travelling at 55 mph crashes into a solid, immovable tree:

1/10th OF A SECOND:
The front bumper and chromium radiator grille collapse. Slivers of steel penetrate the tree to depths of one and a half inches and more.

2/10th’s OF A SECOND:
The bonnet crumples as it rises, smashing into the windscreen. Spinning rear wheels leave the ground. The radiator disintegrates. The wings come into contact with the tree, forcing the rear pads to splay out over the front door.

In the same second tenth of a second:
The heavy structural members of the car begin to act as a brake on the terrific forward momentum of the body, but the driver’s body continues to move forward at the vehicles original speed. This means of force of 10 times gravity his body weight 3200. His legs, ramrod-straight, snap at the knee joint.

3/10th’s OF A SECOND:
The driver's body is now off the seat, torso upright, broken knees pressing against the dashboard. The plastic and steel frame of the steering wheel begins to bend under his terrible death grip. His head is now near the sun visor, his chest above the steering column.

4/10th’s OF A SECOND:
The cars front 24 inches have been completely demolished, but the rear end is still travelling at an estimated speed of 35 miles per hour. The driver's body is still travelling at 55mph. The engine block crushes into the tree. The rear of the car, like a bucking horse, rises high enough to scrape bark of low branches.

5/10th’s OF A SECOND:
The driver's fear frozen hands bend the steering column into an almost vertical position. The force of gravity impales him on the steering column. Jagged steel punctures lungs and arteries. Blood spurts into the lung.

6/10th’s OF A SECOND:
So great is the force of impact that the driver's feet are ripped from his tightly laced shoes. The brake pedal sheers at the floorboards. The chassis bends in the middle. The driver's head smashes into the windscreen. The rear of the car begins its downward fall, with spinning wheels digging into the ground.

7/10th’s OF A SECOND:
The entire, writhing body of the car is forced out of shape. Hinges tear. Doors spring open. In one last convulsion the seat rams forward, pinning the driver against the cruel steel of the steering column. Blood leaps from his mouth. Shock has frozen his heart. He is now dead.

TIME ELAPSED - SEVEN TENTHS OF ONE SECOND

SPEED KILLS. DON’T TAKE THE CHANCE

This afternoon – Death of a Motorcyclist in 1.42 Seconds

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Speeding: Caught on Camera and Your Court Appearance

If You Were Caught On A Radar Gun
Ask to have a look at the radar gun and check that the gun displays the speed that you were stopped for. If possible, get the make, model and serial number of the radar gun. Ask the officer to demonstrate that the radar gun is calibrated (he will probably not do this, if not assume it is not calibrated and use it as evidence). Do not regard self-diagnostics as accurate, Radar guns are calibrated with a pair of tuning forks, and only this external test may be considered accurate. If the officer refuses to demonstrate the calibration, ask him to prove that he has tuning forks in the car (he will probably not be too happy at this point, but he can not do anything, your requests are legitimate). If he doesn't, tell the judge because this
means (at least in your eyes) that that the gun is not calibrated.

If You Were Caught On A LIDAR Gun
Ask to have a look at the radar gun and check that the gun displays the speed that you were stopped for. If possible, get the make, model and serial number of the laser unit. Note the positioning of the unit in relation to the sun or any other bright red or white light. LIDAR uses infrared light and does not work as well when aimed into infrared light sources like the sun or high beam headlights. Ask when the unit was last calibrated. Ask to see a demonstration of the calibration. The same notes apply for the RADAR gun. These however, are not tuned by forks.

YOU MUST MAKE NOTES AT THE SCENE. The officer certainly will. In court you may be asked if the notes were made while the events were still fresh in your mind. If you want to use the notes, then the answer must be a yes. Note the following:

The answers to any questions you asked the officer.
Any items you noted above.
Positions of OTHER CARS. You may be able to claim that he metered someone else, but stopped you (particularly lorries, since radar is good at locking into a larger object).
The weather conditions.
The time and date.
Your direction of travel and the source and destination.
The lane you were in and the name of the road, also the area.
The officer's direction of travel and lane, or note if he was parked.
A brief physical description of the officer so you recognize him in court. (PHOTO if possible)
Take the officer's number, and the unit number on his car.
If you were caught on a Camera.

The police MUST send you a notice of intended prosecution within 14 days.
If they do not, the case is a non-starter.

Preparing For Trial
Examine the ticket a few times. Look for mistakes on the ticket such as a wrong name, time, date, or location. If there are any, you should tell them to the Magistrate. Gather evidence, you should write to the police and ask for at least the following items:

Full copy of the Instruction manual for the RADAR/LIDAR device used.
Copy (both sides) of the calibration certificate.
Details of the training (copy of certificate if there is one) given to the officer in the use of the PARTICULAR device.

It is also recommended that you return to the scene and take pictures of the area, including any signs, which indicate the law. Make sure that your pictures are clear. DO NOT use a digital camera, as it may not be admissible (because you may have Photoshopped it…)

If the Crown Requests an Adjournment
An Adjournment is a postponement of the original trial date. The prosecution may ask for an adjournment because the officer cannot appear on the trial date, which was set. If possible DO NOT agree to this, tell the judge that you had to take a day off work to appear or something (try not to lie.)
Make note of any irregularities in the procedure in your statement to the judge. Irregularities include things such as the wrong ticket number printed on the notice, a silly reason for requesting adjournment (such as a planned holiday, which the police should have known about before setting the date), or receipt of the adjournment notice too close to the trial date. It is possible that if you protest the adjournment, it will be denied. In this case (no pun intended) the charges should be dropped since you can't have a case without the officer’s presence.

In Court
Check in with the prosecutor and usher and make sure you are on the case list, and that he knows you have appeared for trial. This is just to make your presence known, and hope that may offer a plea bargain at this point, which you could consider. He may not look for the officer. If he doesn't appear, the charges should be dropped. This is where it is handy to reference the physical description you should have taken at the scene. If the officer does appear he may approach you and ask to talk to you before the trial. You don't have to, but it is polite to. Ask him to withdraw the charge. He won't likely do that. DO NOT indicate your strategy to him, or show him any notes or pictures. Keep this stuff in a manila envelope or briefcase so that it is out of view prior to the actual trial.

Cross Examining the Officer
This is your chance to put your notes and pictures to work. Ask the officer questions about the day to establish whether he really remembers the incident and you. If he doesn't seem to, ask him directly whether he really remembers what happened that day. Destroying the officer’s credibility is an excellent way to get acquitted. Ask about the radar or lidar equipment. If the officer refused to demonstrate the calibration, ask why and demand to know if the unit was truly calibrated. Each situation is different, but you should be able to use your notes to develop a strategy, which insinuates that the equipment used to clock your speed was not accurate. If you achieve this you will be acquitted. Ask the officer about the laws in the area. This includes turn controls, signalling devices, speed limits, and so on. If he doesn't get it right, use your pictures of the area to prove that he is wrong. Showing that the officer does not understand the laws in effect in the area is another good way to reduce his credibility as a witness against you. You can try to go for the attack that the clocking may have been racially motivated. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS and proceed with caution. If all goes well, you may make the officer lose his cool and throw a wobbly, this will drop his credibility. Or you may end up with a charge of contempt. Perhaps you could leave this approach out of the equation…

Courtesy and Appearance
Do not underestimate the impression of a shower, clean shave, haircut, and nice suit and tie at the trial. You will look more innocent in this type of dress, and your chance of acquittal or fine reduction will be improved. You must also be courteous to the judge and officers of the court. If you make the judge mad, you will be convicted, so don't make him/her mad.

Summary of Detection Methods
What do policemen use to detect speeders on the road?
Their primary method of detection is to use a laser gun. Being one of the newest technologies and unlike radar guns, a laser beam doesn't spread out much at all, so the police can pinpoint one car and get a precise reading on it. So, why don't police just use laser? You need a VERY steady hand to use a laser gun, because the beam travels so fast there and back and the computer calculates the speed based on perhaps a quarter second burst. So, if the policeman moves his arm so much as a millimetre while shooting the gun, and the beam moves to a point on the car that is closer or further away then the initial contact point, the reading will be totally off. Think about it, if a policeman were pointing the gun at a front licence plate that is 150 feet away, a tiny movement of his arm would move the beam to the windshield of the car. Because of these problems with laser, some courts in the USA have ruled that police cannot use laser for speed detection unless they can cross-reference their speed estimate by either a stopwatch or radar. Radar guns use 3 different bands, these are X, K, and Ka super wide. There isn't a huge difference in performance of any of these bands, they just use different frequencies. Even with all the new technologies out there, police still tend to rely on their radar guns, they are tried and true. They do have a number of drawbacks, however. The beam emitted from a radar gun spreads rapidly, which means it performs poorly in heavy traffic conditions. There are several other methods of detection the police may use. One of them is a speed trap such as Autovision, VASCAR, DS2 etc. in which a portion of road has been measured or had devices fitted in the tarmac, and when you enter the speed trap, the police start a timer, video or similar.... and they can calculate your speed based on how long it takes you to get through the speed trap. These can work very well. There's also photo radar, Gatso which may be built into traffic lights in medium to large size cities. The radar beam will calculate your speed, and snap a picture of your licence plate... and you'll get a ticket in the mail in 14 days.


Later Today:
Evasion Methods

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Avoiding The Speeding Ticket

Alrighty There People!

Slightly off topic again, but here goes... what happens when you get pulled for speeding? Try this...

What Must the Officer Do, and What Should You Do?

When you are being reported for speeding, the Police Officer must tell you that "you will be reported for consideration of the question of prosecuting you for exceeding the speed limit." It must either be given verbally or in writing at the time,or in writing within fourteen days or a summons be issued within fourteen days.Following this Notice of Intended Prosecution, he should then caution you by saying, "You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something you later rely on in Court. Anything youdo say may be given in evidence."Under Section 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act, 1988, section 1, it states, "A person shall not be convicted of an offence to which this section applies,(speeding, dangerous driving, careless driving, failing to conform to traffic lights,failing to conform to stop signs, continuous white lines in the middle of the road and other mandatory road signs) unless the Notice of Intended Prosecution was given."When being booked for speeding or any other offence, if possible switch on a tape recorder or Dictaphone so that you have a record of what the officer says. Be careful, some Police Forces do have the N.I.P. printed on the HO/RT/1 producer form or on specially printed forms for speeding offences.

How to Avoid Being NICKED When You Are Stopped

In a word: Act. However much you want to tell the police how crap his last manoeuvres were, you actually do this... Dependent on how bad the offence is, because remember, by the time he gets to your car he has pretty well made uphis or her mind what they will be doing. Try your utmost to make the officer truly believe that he has really got to your soul. He will always have a cautionary tale of something gruesome that just happens to have occurred right next to where you are. They make these lectures often. They want to feel that by telling you they can 'make a difference'. Make sureyou stop the very instant you know you are going to be stopped, be on the pavement looking seriously glum. If your licence has already has points on it, you are going to need talent.Go with the super-miserable, "Oh god, I of all blokes should know better by now..." If you can raise a Hollywood tear you are Oscar material. No matter how base, low and stupid it makes you feel, exult in the aftermath when you get a good tickingoff - but no ticket.

What To Do If Caught

Firstly, not enough people who are caught fight it in court, they simply accept it, get the points and pay the fine. If more than 10% fought the ticket the judicial system dealing with this would be overwhelmed and brought down on its knees. If in doubt, fight it. The worst thing that can happen is that you will be convicted of your original offence. You can get a heftier fine and more points in court, but unless you were doing silly speeds, it’s unlikely. Make the systems life HELL when fighting it. Remember it is going to cost the system a huge amount of money to prosecute you, in the officer's time, court'stime, prosecutor's time etc. The best thing you can do is make it worse. Here are some steps you can take.

What To Do At The Scene

It is critical that you start contesting your ticket at the scene of the alleged offence. You must judge the officer’s temperament and situation and decide for yourself. You are more likely to get let off by a normal officer (black hat, black uniform) than by a traffic officer (white hat, green overcoat). Remember, its a traffic cop's job to catch you, the normal cop probably does not want the added paperwork. If the officer asks you how fast you think you were going you can take one of three approaches:

1. You can deny it outright and tell him you weren't speeding, that you checked the speedometer. DO NOT get into an argument, but do not admit guilt. This is unlikely to prevent him from giving you a ticket, but you can tell judge at a trial that you were not speeding and you checked the speedometer, you can have the officer confirm that in your cross examination of him. This will serve to make your case stronger.

2. You can say that you are not sure, your mind was elsewhere. If he insists you were speeding, then sidestep by saying something like, "I guess I must have been otherwise you would not have stopped me." DO NOT admit guilt, this approach simply reiterates the officers accusation. This is difficult to use as evidence in court on both sides.

3. Be honest and admit guilt. If you are stopped by a traffic officer, then you are going to get a ticket anyway so this is a stupid approach. If it is a normal officer, you may get off for being honest. This approach relies on luck. Forget fighting it in court if you admit guilt.

NEVER admit guilt, even if you do not intend fighting it, none of the "I have aplane to catch", "I'm late for work", "My house is on fire," etc.All speed-pacing police cars have to have their Speedo's measured and certified. Only traffic police cars are done, and the Speedo will have increments of 1 mph's. If you are stopped by a non-traffic officer, and told that he/she followed you andyou were speeding, simply ask as a matter of course when his Speedo was last calibrated. It is likely he will let you go since normal police (Beat) cars do not have certified Speedo’s; theirs is the same as yours and mine.

NEVER surrender your licence at the roadside; you will get a chance to take it to a police station. Surrendering your licence at the roadside is an admission of guilt. Surrendering it at a police station later is just abiding by the law.
If you are given a ticket, study it carefully before leaving the scene. The officer will ask if you have questions about the ticket.

DO NOT get cocky at the scene, you have nothing against the police officer, he/she is only doing his/her job. It is the system that you want to fight.


TOMORROW...If You Were Caught on a Radar Gun

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