DIYbanter - View Single Post - OT Idiot lights-out drivers

Bod[_3_]

On 14/02/2016 04:45, wrote:
On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 21:52:16 -0000, "Mr Macaw" wrote:

On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 21:39:00 -0000, wrote:

On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 20:23:33 -0000, "Mr Macaw" wrote:

On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 20:13:24 -0000, wrote:

On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 15:32:20 -0000, "Mr Macaw" wrote:

On Sat, 13 Feb 2016 04:19:59 -0000, wrote:

On Fri, 12 Feb 2016 19:44:50 -0700, rbowman
wrote:

On 02/12/2016 04:31 PM, Mr Macaw wrote:
An even stupider thing about daytime running lights is they don't turn
the tail lights on, which means there are now loads of people driving
around at night with only the front lights on, not realising they are
unlit at the back. If you have no front lights on in the day, when it
gets dark you notice.

Been there, done that, and had a hard time explaining to the cop that
headlights with no tail lights did not mean the tail lights were
defective. That I had to explain how it worked speaks to the relatively
few vehicles with DRL's here.
And the "ignorance" of law enforcement officers

No, the stupidity of the car manufacturer. If the front lights are going to be on all the time, then so should the back ones, that's how Volvos always worked.

You've never seen a volvo with DRLs?

My father had one decades ago, before DRL was anywhere but Sweden.

Anyway, not putting on your taillights is just as bad if not a worse offence than having defective ones, as you could say you didn't realise they were defective.

Ignorance is no excuse. As a driver YOU have the responsibility of
checking your vehicle and making sure it is in safe operating
condition.

That's what I bloody said you moron. You said above that the law enforcement officers were being ignorant, which is irrelevant.

I never said the police officer was BEING ignorant - I said he WAS
ignorant of how DRLs work. VERY different

Those are the same thing. He doesn't know how DRLs work, so he is ignorant of that particular piece of knowledge.

No "being " ignorant is being a prick Being a prick IS irrelevant.
Not knowing how the lighting system of a vehicle works - and that DRLs
usually don't turn on the tail-lights, for a law enforcement officer,
is NOT irrelevant.

Forgetting to put your lights on is as serious as having faulty ones. The net result is the same, no lights. And in fact it should be MORE serious, and in the UK it is. If I forget to wear a seatbelt, or forget to stay under the speed limit, I get a fine. If I have a bald tyre or a faulty bulb because I haven't checked it recently, I have to get it fixed within 2 weeks, but no fine.

Here in North America - either Canada or the USA, you also get a fine
if you forget to put your lights on and get stopped. (or drive without
seat belts) But here you can also be charged with operating an unsafe
vehicle for driving on a bald tire or with defective lighting
equipment. The officer MAY give you a "grace period" if it is not a
commercial vehicle, but he doesn't have to. You are usually charged on
the spot - with the priveledge of explaining in court why you should
not be found guilty and why you should not be fined.

Ouch, glad I don't live there. Here in the UK I was stopped for going 95mph in a 70mph limit, driving with half my exhaust missing, one bald tyre, one soft tyre, one tyre with a split in the side, and a non-functional handbrake. I got a "pink slip" to get the defects fixed in 2 weeks then stamped by a mechanic, and they forgot the speeding offence.

Damned sure I'm glad there is an entire ocean between where you drive
and where I drive, is all I can say about that.

Here that car would be pulled off the road and it would cost you a
hefty towing bill to get tit to a garage to have it repaired AND you
would be charged with operating an unsafe vehicle on a public road,
AND in Ontario you would be getting close to having your vehicle
immediately impounded and your licence suspended for a minimum of 7
days, with that suspension being held against your record for 3 years.
Just about 5mph short. Exceding the speed limit by 50kph (roughly
30mph) will get you that charge - with an associated fine of between
$2000 and $1000 and a possibility of 6 months in jail upon summary
conviction. The suspension may also be extended to up to 2 years, and
good luck getting anything resembling affordable auto insurance for
the next 3 to 5 years minimum.
Oh - and you pay the towing and impound fees too - which can be quite
sizeable...

Bear in mind that Mr Macaw lives in Scotland. His behaviour on the road
here in England would not be tolerated by our police. The car would have
been removed from the road and he'd be in big trouble.
Mr Macaw doesn't respect laws and is a law unto himself.

--
Bod

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