Not really sentient as at least something was at the controls.
Delays on M74 after dog 'drives tractor' on carriageway
"Mr Hamilton said he feared that he had not pulled the handbrake properly" wouldn't make nearly such good clickbait.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Sentient beings
(533 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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"the lorry he was driving came off the road and overturned on to rocks":
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-32532215
Naughty lorry.Posted 9 years ago # -
a "woman [was] trapped in an upturned car".
A very odd one, usually the cars flip themselves. This one was just upside-down. Maybe she didn't notice before setting off?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@kaputnik there is no indication that the woman was in the car when it became upturned so perhaps it did so to lure inquisitive human prey inside before trapping it...
Posted 9 years ago # -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-32735322
The police car hit a traffic island and three parked vehicles before landing in a garden in Drum Brae Drive at about 04:00.
Also a bit of absurd talk from the polis:
"... it is testament to their skill and courage that it wasn't even worse. This incident also highlights the absolute recklessness and selfishness of these criminals, who have no concern for the safety of themselves or the public"
The police drive into a central reservation and it's to their credit? But the people driving away from the police who didn't hit a central reservation are the ones that are a threat?
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
One of the injured men is understood to have suffered broken fingers and a suspected wrist fracture, while the thieves who stole the black Mini are still at large.
Tyre marks could be seen leading from the traffic island to the debris the police car left in its wake. Shattered glass covered the pavement, a fence was destroyed and the three cars are feared to be write-offs.
"
Posted 9 years ago # -
Those photographs... that was one naughty police car!
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm often at a loss to understand why (very) high speed pursuits are required. If its a simple stolen car, let them have it, do some actual police work and track it down later or coordinate and head them off.
Don't start chasing folk through residential streets encouraging them to go ever faster till someone is killed, nearly the police in this instance.
In this instance the value of the single stolen car is nothing compared to the damage done by the police car, the cost of the injured police constables and the rehabilitation and sick pay they'll need.
Posted 9 years ago # -
If all cars were fitted with GPS controlled speed limiters, including police cars...
they'd be much less desirable to steal for starters
Posted 9 years ago # -
GPS is nothing like reliable enough for that kind of application.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Even if it were, and despite not being blessed with second sight, I can almost guarantee what would happen...
Deaths and injuries would drop, especially in towns and cities, hurrah! The on some 60mph country road, someone overtaking would forget about the limiter, hit the limit, be slowed, and not finish the overtake before the truck coming the other way smashes into the car. This would happen maybe a dozen times, and people would start calling for the idea to be scrapped because it's killing people.
The government of the day would give in to the pressure, and the deaths of 12 people who couldn't drive properly would be deemed more important than the couple of thousand innocent lives that had been set to be saved, because those deaths are 'unavoidable', whereas the dozen deaths were 'caused' by the new tech.
Posted 9 years ago # -
A possible solution to the 'overtaking problem' (with limiters that WC describes) could be to allow the limit to be overridden for a short period of time (e.g. 30 seconds) for example by putting the accelerator to the floor.
To discourage overuse of the override (say more than 3 times in a hour), overuse could be 'punished' by reducing the limiter speed by 10mph for a certain 'punishment period' i.e. you'd be limited now to 50mph in a 60.
Or better, do what they do in Sweden and effectively ban overtaking on single carriageways by installing a central barrier.
Posted 9 years ago # -
sounds like you (edd1e_h and WC) are talking about ISA. The Scottish Government made a commitment (see end of 8.4) to promote ISA, within the next 2 - 5 years, in 2009.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm often at a loss to understand why (very) high speed pursuits are required.
I suspect an element of it is that police drivers really enjoy the thrill of the chase.
Posted 9 years ago # -
a grey Ford Sierra
Surely they could stump for a more modern motor than a 25 year old Sierra!
Posted 9 years ago # -
To be fair to the Spurtle, there is a hint of driver error in this article, but it feels like the right thread to put this in.
Nelson StreetPosted 9 years ago # -
"
He was turning downhill into Nelson Street at around 7.00pm but misjudged the angle of the junction.
"
???!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Yep, cos that's an explanation, reason and excuse that means he wasn't driving poorly, that he just misjudged the angle.
I love the fact he says he was travelling slowly. I do wonder what sort of speed is required to mount the high kerbs there AND break through cast iron railings. There is the hint of a suggestion that he only lost control because he hit the kerb as well (it was only at that point that the car became 'uncontrollable'), so in part it was the fault of the kerb, and also he was in total control, complete and total control, when he actually hit the kerb. Just misjudged the angle, that's all.
Posted 9 years ago # -
This one really was. The poor little car wanted to go paddling. I feel quite sorry for it, really...
http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/car-rolls-into-harbour-as-handbrake-left-off-1-3793831Even the EEN says that 'the lure of the sea proved too much' and 'it made a bid for freedom'.
Posted 9 years ago # -
They really should introduce some kind of test to stop these things doing that.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Headline is a classic of the genre, although the article itself makes clear that the driver lost control. Perhaps the EEN is finally getting the message?
Can't imagine how fast or how badly the car was being driven to end up in that position.
Posted 9 years ago # -
How you can drive that fast onto the roundabout and land upside down just beggars belief!
Posted 9 years ago # -
The article actually says that the "car was flipped onto its roof" (my emph)
I like the "Max Speed 30" sign in the background.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I wonder if they fell of the roundabout/slip road onto the underpass.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Other than a hefty insurance claim, what is the consequence for a driver who ends up in a situation like this? Could a Careless/Dangerous Driving charge be brought?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Having spent too long watching traffic cop shows i think they don't always bother if there is no injury.
One last week had a guy off the road in the trees. He admitted going too fast but they just sent him to driving course. Perhaps it's too difficult to prove what caused it.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Looking at the location as I passed tonight I suspect the driver drove up the ramped end of the concrete barrier. Ifse got the angle right Isuspect it could flip you at a surprisingly low speed, particularly if you react badly when it starts.
My question wouldn't be how fast it would be mobile, makeup or something else more important thanlooking where your going.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Agreed - I suspect the ramp. As little as 20mph would be enough to flip a car off that ramp, I reckon.
It does baffle me why a careless driving charge is seldom brought in such situations, given that drivers making such 'unforced errors' are surely much more likely to be involved in a KSI in future?
Posted 9 years ago #
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