I'd already be in prison if I did this

[theholycow]

http://www.connpost.com/ci_13807681
Summary: Cop doing 100mph on a 40mph road, not responding to an emergency, his strobe lights not on, hits a left-turning car and kills two teens. Unlike what would happen to me if I merely did 100 on that road without hitting anyone, he is not currently behind bars.

The video is from the dash cam of another cop car coming from the same place.
[yt]JCqEhrX4ruU[/yt]

[IndyFetch]

Wow. I don't even know quite what to say to that.

I almost went to jail after being clocked at 76 mph in a 50 zone. It was an elevated expressway with no on- or off-ramps on that stretch. The road was empty.

[dkjones96]

What a piece of crap!

[GasSavers_TomO]

To protect and to serve, huh? I don't even see that motto on any law enforcement vehicles anymore.

Not to mention they are supposed to be role models...not the kind of role model I want in my city.

[VetteOwner]

lol dont come to my town, cops will be on one end, turn on thier lights (sometimes) go 55+ in a 30 mph zone (turns every block, always kids/pedesrians/bicyclist around/tons of old people) just to get to the other end of town to take radar.

or get back to the police station in the middle of town.

[IndyFetch]

The standard excuse for police speeding is that they have "special training" and are "expert drivers." I don't believe a single-day course learning how to not spin a tail-happy Crown Vic while taking a 90-degree turn at 25 mph qualifies someone as an expert driver. The video shows that the cop did not swerve to miss the car at all. He only braked at the last second. You could see that the car was going to turn well before then.

I hate cops that fly through residential areas. I hate cops that weave through traffic with no apparent cause (no lights). I hate cops that tailgate you so closely that you cannot even see their headlights in the mirror, but pull you over if you speed up OR slow down. I am fed up with cops that get in the left lane of the interstate and do not pass anyone. They run 55 mph in a 65 zone next to a truck and back traffic up for a half mile.

Otherwise, I like cops.

[theholycow]

If he had "special training" he obviously forgot it. He was not qualified to drive 100mph on that road, where you can obviously expect people to turn left who don't expect oncoming traffic to be going so fast.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I've had that "special training", and was in charge of training my new drivers at the rescue squad. The general rule is you obey all traffic rules while your lights & siren are off. With lights & siren, as safe as conditions allow. I'd say the fastest I'd feel comfortable going on that road is around 55 - and that's with all lights & sirens. He should be charged.

[bobc455]

Originally Posted by Fetch

The standard excuse for police speeding is that they have "special training" and are "expert drivers."

I've never heard of that before.

As someone who has participated in several types of motorsports & auto racing, and as someone who has above average reflexes and attentiveness, I suppose I'm qualified to go even faster then!

The only justification I've ever heard is when a police car is on a multi-lane road, if they do the speed limit they essentially become a moving roadblock and cause unnecessary traffic congestion and unsafe conditions. Frankly, I agree- if a cop does 65MPH in a 65 zone, who's really gonna pass them (except maybe at 66)? This creates a huge block of cars with some drivers trying to sneak around other drivers, etc. I actually support cops doing 85 down the highway, I feel better about doing 75.

-BC

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

In all this discussion, I don't recollect any mention of the fact that the cop hit someone who was making a left turn in front of him. (After re-reading the comments, there was one...)

Was the cop using his lights and siren? I didn't see a light bar on top of the car, but then again, when I was growing up in Glendora, CA, the cops there didn't have light bars on top of their cars, either. Just a red spotlight and a flashing yellow light in the back window.

In any event...you don't make a left turn in front of oncoming traffic unless you KNOW you have enough room...this often annoys people behind me, but I haven't been hit by someone coming at me (at least, not yet).

It's a sad thing, and my heart goes out to the families of those killed, but the driver making the left turn is still at fault...