Police Drivers

Should ring him to find out what happened when he reports the accident to the police -
a) will they accept responsibility?;
b) will they book him for wreckless driving?; or
c) will they know nothing?

Bet you it is "c".

Kind regards

Geez , eh , maybe the fact he had the sirens going, lights flashing , and horns blowing , meant he was on his way to an emergency

Leaving the scene of an accident ???????

You may find that seeing as the police car was not involved with the actual impact, it was not in the collision.

You have to be "in" the collision to warrant a stop don't you?

If I swere to avoid "something" and dont hit that "something", then that "something" is not in the collision.

Bad luck to White car I'd say.

Hang on , there's a few assumptions being made here.

The Police car had its lights and sirens going , and honking horn . . , its doing the right thing.

AFAIK , Cop cars under these conditions have right of way FULL STOP.

Lights, sirens , and horns arent exactly quite , maybe the white car simply wasn't paying attention, talking on the phone , and had their stereo to loud ?

The cop car hit NOTHING , the white car did ?

Unless you know what job the cop car was on , its UNFAIR TO SAY HE SHOULD HAVE STOPPED OR NOT.

If he was on a life or death job , what would you have prefered him to do ?

At the end of the day , the white car is in the wrong.

At the risk of offending...

If the police officer was responding to a violent crime, a duress alarm, etc etc, what you you prefer if it were you waiting for the police to get there?

There's always more than one side to a story...

I spent 10 years in "the blue" and the saying "It's not what you see, it's what we do" is very true.

Sure, it could be said that he left the scene of the accident (maybe, maybe not, I wasn't there so won't offer an opinion), but the other side of the coin is this - why was he in so much of a hurry that he decided not to stop?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not defending what happened - I'm just opening another avenue the discussion may want to consider.

I know if it was my life or one of my loved ones on the line, and something terrible happened, and I found out the responding officer had to stop to attend a minor vehicle accident that occurred on the way...I wouldn't be waying many kind things.

I know quite a few police officers, and it's amazing the things people will do when they hear and see Police or any other emergency vehicle at that. I 've heard stories about cars just slamming their brakes on (resulting in permanent back injuries to the coppers), speeding up, going on the wrong side of the road to danger.

I think it's quite simple. A lot of people panic, whereas the best thing to do is to get out of the right side of the road and allow them to pass. If it's on the LH lane then pullover when you can to the left, or if there's no room then into the lane with the most traffic. In the case of an intersection, if you see one, use the rules of any traffic lights. If you can stop safely, do so without allowing the car behind you to run up your bot bot (it's another matter why they should leave plenty of room), if you can't stop go though. Sure coppers will occasionally make mistakes too, just like all of us.

Do the right thing and you may even get a friendly wave or finger (or the birdie if you don't) like I have on a couple of occasions.

This is not to say that the white car couldn't have avoided an accident, only he will ever know that.

Just my 3 cents worth

I think I just need to add here that I am not judging what I saw just that it was hard to take it all in.

The police car was obviously in a hurry, no doubt about that, a real hurry by the way they were driving.

This happneded in the CBD in amongst high buildings and I have no doudt that the driver of the white car or the other car could not have seen the lights or heard the sirens until they say the police car stopping right in front of them blocking a lane, risking being t-boned by the white car but then the white car swirved and managed to hit the other cat instead. I only looked around to see the police car a few seconds before the incident as I was a pedestrian stardning at the junction...

Anyway, life goes on

i am sure that that intersection is fitted with traffic monitoring cameras, there shjould be little difficulty in determining exactly what occurred.

Back when you could listen in to the Cops on the UHF (in Brissy) all of what is happening when under lights is logged by the copper and recorded on tape by the radio room.

I can remember sitting on the side of the road listening to a copper flogging the life out of a dunnydoor calling in the red lights he was running plus any illegal moves ie wrong way up a one way alley. Was an adrenhalin ruch for me hearing the sirens blaring, engine revving and this copper hooking around the suburbs. Now I know why my mate says driving an Ambo under lights is such a rush.

I believe the copper logs any incidents along the way for the very same reason this whole thread started. Im not going to commenton the who is in the right or wrong, but you can guarantee if it had happened in Qld it would be recorded for this very reason.

Cheers,

Glenn.

Boys in blue... damned if you do.. damned if you dont.

Full stop.. enough said I think.

My 2 cents.

From a Victorian perspective:

From the Road Traffic Handbook.
"Sharing the road with police and emergency vehicles.
You MUST get out of the way of a police or emergency vehicle when its siren is on or it is displaying red or blue flashing lights. Give way and stop if necessary (despite any other rules), even if you have a green traffic light. These vehicles have exemptions to break the rules in the case of emergencies and may act unpredictably. You MUST also stop if the twin red lights outside a Fire Station or Ambulance Station are flashing."

From the Road Safety Act 1998
204. Exemptions for emergency vehicles etc.
(1) Despite anything in these Regulations the driver of an emergency vehicle, if it is expedient to do so and if it is done with due care and attention, may--
(a) on reducing speed and sounding a siren, bell or repeater horn--without stopping, proceed past--
(i) a traffic-control signal displaying a red or yellow circle or a red or a yellow arrow; or
(ii) a stop sign; or
(iii) a pedestrian crossing marking; or
(b) on sounding a siren, bell or repeater horn--
(i) drive in any direction on any part of a highway; or
(ii) overtake or pass on either side of another vehicle; or
(c) at any time--
(i) stop; or
(ii) leave standing; or
(iii) park--
the vehicle at any place; or
(d) exceed a speed prescribed in regulation 1001; or
(e) where the driver would otherwise be obliged by these Regulations to give way to a vehicle--on sounding a siren, bell or repeater horn--continue on course without giving way.
(2) If a person leaves a vehicle standing in circumstances permitted by sub-regulation (1) that person need not comply with regulation 1602.
(3) These Regulations do not apply to the driver of a police vehicle if the driver--
(a) exercises due care and attention; and
(b) if the vehicle is in motion--gives or causes to be given the best practicable warning of the approach or presence of the police vehicle.

Pretty much regardless of the description the police vehicle involved was not involved in the accident. The people approaching the intersection have not approached the intersection at a speed at which they can stop or slow to avoid an accident. The situation seems fairly clear.

Even on a code 1 I approach a green light at a speed at which I can stop or slow, likewise approaching intersections on open roads where you can't see clearly in either direction. The reason accidents occur at intersections are usually a combination of one driver failing to obey a traffic signal and a person approaching the intersection failed to do so in a manner which enabled them to avoid an accident.

IF the Police car had been involved in the accident it would be a different story.

Interestingly I have been in a similar situation. Leaving the ambulance station on a code 1 with lights and sirens operating a car travelling south saw us, braked hard and stopped (as is required) to give us clear passage. The p-plater following close behind ran fair up the back of him. Was the accident my fault? Or did the p-plater learn a valuable lesson about his responsibility to maintain a safe travelling distance in front.

Did we stop? No. We proceed on the emergency case we were already tasked to. If they needed an ambulance as a result of the accident they could call '000' and the response time would have been very good.

I'm sure the situation in NSW would not be a long way different.

Dave

As some members here are aware, I am a current serving member of the Victorian Police. A traffic cop at that.

Now legislation is different from State to State and I'm not familiar with NSW but I assume it would have the same basic principles.

Considering that incident happened within the CBD I would have thought there would have been plenty of other police units around. If an incident warrants the police members to go 'lights and bells' then there would have been more than one unit responding to it in the first place. Why the police unit didn't stop on this occassion, I don't know. By all means they should have but I don't know what the nature of their call was.

As far as Victorian law goes, that police vehicle WAS involved in the accident. Even though it wasn't damaged or didn't collide with another vehicle. Here in Victoria an accident is 'if owing to the presence of a motor vehicle an accident occurs whereby any person is injured or any property is damaged'. (Road Safety Act 1986 Section 59). I have no doubt that the driver of the white car was startled and some what panicked when he/she saw the police vehicle.

In relation to whether police have an exemption or not, well sorry to say but they do, do some degree. All police and emergency vehicles (police are not emeregency vehicles by the way) are exempt if acting in the course of their duties. But in order to claim that exemption then they must meet certain requirements.

1. It is reasonable that the road rules should not apply AND
2. Take all reasonable care AND
3. Give an appropriate warning (lights, sirens, horn etc)

All of these requirments MUST be met or they will NOT be exempt. This exemption is only in relation to the Road Rules, which include speed, signs, lights etc. But it does not exempt them from any other rule or section from other Actst, such as licences, registration, drink/drug driving, carless driving, dandgerous driving or stopping and exchanging names after an accident as examples.

Now all of this information is only relevant to Victoria. Each State has heir own set of Acts which govern the law. I can't speak of the other States as I am not familiar with their laws, but you will probably find it is very similar.

It is sad to see this sort of thing happen. It doesn't do a great deal for the police image. But remember, we are all humans and yes, even police can make mistakes from time to time.