Police take No Excuses for mobile phone use in Poole driver crackdown (From Bournemouth Echo)

I seen an AA man along Ashley Road last week on his mobile phone - book em Danno!

No excuses unless you're a copper that kills someone while on the phone.

Taking into account the main story in the Echo today, amazingly crass timing and someone at the top of the force should explain themselves..........
..

Letcommonsenseprevai
l wrote:
Taking into account the main story in the Echo today, amazingly crass timing and someone at the top of the force should explain themselves.......... ..

totally agree!

Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour.
Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke.
You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it.
You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority.
It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are.
If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour. Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke. You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it. You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority. It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are. If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

'Targets us??' - speak for yourself if you think you're above the law. We all have a choice not to put others at risk by significantly speeding, yabbering away on the phone oblivious to all or being plain idle and parking where you want, whether or not a hazard is caused by your actions. If those that behaved like this changed their ways, there would be no need or value in these campaigns. Not rocket science...

So what happend to the special police officer who killed and lied?
Maybe a reply from the police chief would be a start.

skydriver wrote:
So what happend to the special police officer who killed and lied?
Maybe a reply from the police chief would be a start.

If you read the story properly, you will see that the Police pushed very hard to have that woman prosecuted - but it was the Crown Prosecution who refused to do it - which basically means she has got away with murder/manslaughter for negligent driving :o/

Turst me Special Constables are not liked by the regular force - overtime?

No Excuse is absolutely right ... no one should use a mobile whilst driving and there is nothing so important as to warrant the use of one. Trouble we have is not enough means of catching these morons and not strong enough punishment as a deterent when they are caught. How about minimum £250 fine AND an immediate 28 days ban for the first offence ... may some people think twice. The worst I have seen is pulled up at a set of traffic lights and the woman driver in the adjacent car on her mobile phone with her right hand and feeding a baby in a child seat with her left hand .. one more hand and she could have done her make up????

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour. Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke. You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it. You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority. It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are. If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

The Echo should publish your comment as the new story. Totally agree and very well put.

HRH of Boscombe wrote:
No excuses unless you're a copper that kills someone while on the phone.

Oooh when did that happen? Can I read about it?

Was it local?

Is this a joke considering the latest news events?

What these articles and comments do show is the amount of fellow road users who think it is acceptable to exceed the speed limit and use a mobile phone whilst driving.Legalities aside, they put lives at risk no matter what spin you put on it, even the resident "professional drivers" who regularly comment in the Echo admit to practices while driving that would make the average responsible driver shudder.

"PCs Stroud and Palmer also stopped a motorist clocked doing nearly 62mph on the 50mph Dorset Way, scene of several serious road traffic collisions"

A fair cop and speed limits are there for a reason, so we are told, but lets not over dramatise it. The speed limit on this road was 70mph for over 20 years and hundreds of thousands of drivers exceeded 62mph quite safely.

My comments are in no way condoning bad driving, speeding or talking on the phone etc.
The point I am trying to make is that whilst people committing benefit fraud, selling drugs, shoplifting, breaking and entering and committing violent offences are often given warnings or let off the crime altogether the average car driver is persecuted and charged / fined immediately.
Before people start to spout off drivel about saving lives and making the roads safer why don’t you look at the numbers of people killed by Alcohol, Drugs and Violence, I think you would want the Policing focussed in these areas.
Look at the money stolen from us as tax payers by benefit fraud and then look again at where the Police should focus their attentions.
When you call to report your house burgled, crime and disorder in the community or that your car has been broken into there is virtually zero action as the Police say they don’t have the resources to pursue all the investigations yet surprisingly they have the man power to stand on the road for hours at a time to try and catch drivers!

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour.
Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke.
You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it.
You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority.
It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are.
If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

Whilst many speed cameras are merely cash generators that do target drivers that may still be driving safely. There is no doubt that driving while using your mobile is dangerous and I'm all for the police catching as many people as possible. It's pretty clear 3 points and a £60 fine isn't enough of a deterrent.

You clearly haven't got kids because there is nothing that does my head in more than seeing someone driving 50mph, 4 meters behind my kids while on their mobile.

Oh, and the Police tried their best to get the CPS to prosecute the constable so if we're going to be blaming anyone it should be the CPS who are clearly more worried about the legal bill than getting a successful prosecution.

Marcus James wrote:
My comments are in no way condoning bad driving, speeding or talking on the phone etc.
The point I am trying to make is that whilst people committing benefit fraud, selling drugs, shoplifting, breaking and entering and committing violent offences are often given warnings or let off the crime altogether the average car driver is persecuted and charged / fined immediately.
Before people start to spout off drivel about saving lives and making the roads safer why don’t you look at the numbers of people killed by Alcohol, Drugs and Violence, I think you would want the Policing focussed in these areas.
Look at the money stolen from us as tax payers by benefit fraud and then look again at where the Police should focus their attentions.
When you call to report your house burgled, crime and disorder in the community or that your car has been broken into there is virtually zero action as the Police say they don’t have the resources to pursue all the investigations yet surprisingly they have the man power to stand on the road for hours at a time to try and catch drivers!

Got to admit it ... Marcus James is dead right!!!

Certainly been a marked increase in PMS (poor motorist syndrome) this week,needs to be treated soon before they think the whole world is against them

Letcommonsenseprevai
l wrote:
Taking into account the main story in the Echo today, amazingly crass timing and someone at the top of the force should explain themselves..........

..

Marcus James - good comments cannot fail to agree.

But this quote is also very valid. Even if the Echo may be setting out to raise the topical 'mobile phone in cars' temperature it is incredible that nobody on their grand salaries at Dorset Police HQ could work out that suspending this exercise for a few weeks might be prudent PR..

Marcus James wrote:
My comments are in no way condoning bad driving, speeding or talking on the phone etc.
The point I am trying to make is that whilst people committing benefit fraud, selling drugs, shoplifting, breaking and entering and committing violent offences are often given warnings or let off the crime altogether the average car driver is persecuted and charged / fined immediately.
Before people start to spout off drivel about saving lives and making the roads safer why don’t you look at the numbers of people killed by Alcohol, Drugs and Violence, I think you would want the Policing focussed in these areas.
Look at the money stolen from us as tax payers by benefit fraud and then look again at where the Police should focus their attentions.
When you call to report your house burgled, crime and disorder in the community or that your car has been broken into there is virtually zero action as the Police say they don’t have the resources to pursue all the investigations yet surprisingly they have the man power to stand on the road for hours at a time to try and catch drivers!

You're right but it's the government that doesn't give the police any money because it's all being spent on people choosing unemployment as a lifestyle. The police are left looking to generate revenue from other sources. I'm sure they would prefer to target the people you have highlighted but the sad things is the police are now a business that have to generate revenue and therefore justify where they allocate their resources.

It's pathetic that it's come to this. My car got broken into for the 3rd time last week. I didn't even bother to call them.

ragj195 wrote:

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour.
Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke.
You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it.
You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority.
It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are.
If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

Whilst many speed cameras are merely cash generators that do target drivers that may still be driving safely. There is no doubt that driving while using your mobile is dangerous and I'm all for the police catching as many people as possible. It's pretty clear 3 points and a £60 fine isn't enough of a deterrent.

You clearly haven't got kids because there is nothing that does my head in more than seeing someone driving 50mph, 4 meters behind my kids while on their mobile.

Oh, and the Police tried their best to get the CPS to prosecute the constable so if we're going to be blaming anyone it should be the CPS who are clearly more worried about the legal bill than getting a successful prosecution.

You really are missing my point, I do have kids and I do care about the standard of driving on the roads but what I cannot stand is the bare faced hypocrisy of the Police and people like Dorset Safety partnership.
All of these campaigns are nothing but money making schemes that penalise motorists whilst others who commit crimes are allowed to go about their daily lives of stealing, committing crime, fraud, sell drugs and not even have to worry that the Police will run a campaign to find them and prosecute them.
If you have kids which you seem to be suggesting you have, then I would have to ask you, are you not worried about the junkie stealing your kids bikes? The gangs walking round Bournemouth stealing peoples mobile phones? The paedophiles watching kids in play grounds?
Oh no sorry I guess 3 points and a £60 fine is a far better use of uniformed Police.

Marcus James wrote:
My comments are in no way condoning bad driving, speeding or talking on the phone etc. The point I am trying to make is that whilst people committing benefit fraud, selling drugs, shoplifting, breaking and entering and committing violent offences are often given warnings or let off the crime altogether the average car driver is persecuted and charged / fined immediately. Before people start to spout off drivel about saving lives and making the roads safer why don’t you look at the numbers of people killed by Alcohol, Drugs and Violence, I think you would want the Policing focussed in these areas. Look at the money stolen from us as tax payers by benefit fraud and then look again at where the Police should focus their attentions. When you call to report your house burgled, crime and disorder in the community or that your car has been broken into there is virtually zero action as the Police say they don’t have the resources to pursue all the investigations yet surprisingly they have the man power to stand on the road for hours at a time to try and catch drivers!

Drivers kill people. Everyone else you have mentioned don't.

It does make me laugh at the pathetic comments people put on this website.. Very quick to blame the police but I bet if they need them they would be the first on the phone.. A tough job in a tough world and not many people could do it! Using your mobile phone whilst driving is an offence, so is speeding! people are tragically killed by these offences as they are in murder and drugs...People really should not comment on topics they are clueless about..

As stated on another thread PMS (poor motorist syndrome) is clearly on the increase and some that are suffering are very volatile,approach with caution!

THE MEN IN BLUE ARE OUT TO GET US!!!!!!

Mocov1 wrote:
It does make me laugh at the pathetic comments people put on this website.. Very quick to blame the police but I bet if they need them they would be the first on the phone.. A tough job in a tough world and not many people could do it! Using your mobile phone whilst driving is an offence, so is speeding! people are tragically killed by these offences as they are in murder and drugs...People really should not comment on topics they are clueless about..

Thats very true and they are the first to throw their toys out when they get caught for "accidentally speeding"

retry69 wrote:
What these articles and comments do show is the amount of fellow road users who think it is acceptable to exceed the speed limit and use a mobile phone whilst driving.Legalities aside, they put lives at risk no matter what spin you put on it, even the resident "professional drivers" who regularly comment in the Echo admit to practices while driving that would make the average responsible driver shudder.

My apologies i omitted to state that one of the resident "professional" drivers boasted he had driven for 40years HGV,PSV across Europe yet it turned out he had no idea of the speed limits on the roads he travelled on the other boasts 25 years driving no fines no points,thinks he is above the law if he breaks the speed limit but will not disclose how "professional" he is,answers on a postcard and give a wide berth

Morrigan wrote:

skydriver wrote:
So what happend to the special police officer who killed and lied?
Maybe a reply from the police chief would be a start.

If you read the story properly, you will see that the Police pushed very hard to have that woman prosecuted - but it was the Crown Prosecution who refused to do it - which basically means she has got away with murder/manslaughter for negligent driving :o/

Should have got the stonecutters involved, they'd have secured a prosecution. Or maybe they were involved which is why one didn't happen....... We will never know...

Scoty2hotty wrote:
Is this a joke considering the latest news events?

Yes, it's called sarcasm....

Marcus James wrote:
My comments are in no way condoning bad driving, speeding or talking on the phone etc.
The point I am trying to make is that whilst people committing benefit fraud, selling drugs, shoplifting, breaking and entering and committing violent offences are often given warnings or let off the crime altogether the average car driver is persecuted and charged / fined immediately.
Before people start to spout off drivel about saving lives and making the roads safer why don’t you look at the numbers of people killed by Alcohol, Drugs and Violence, I think you would want the Policing focussed in these areas.
Look at the money stolen from us as tax payers by benefit fraud and then look again at where the Police should focus their attentions.
When you call to report your house burgled, crime and disorder in the community or that your car has been broken into there is virtually zero action as the Police say they don’t have the resources to pursue all the investigations yet surprisingly they have the man power to stand on the road for hours at a time to try and catch drivers!

Good point Marcus, totally agree.

Marcus James wrote:

ragj195 wrote:

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour.
Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke.
You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it.
You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority.
It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are.
If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

Whilst many speed cameras are merely cash generators that do target drivers that may still be driving safely. There is no doubt that driving while using your mobile is dangerous and I'm all for the police catching as many people as possible. It's pretty clear 3 points and a £60 fine isn't enough of a deterrent.

You clearly haven't got kids because there is nothing that does my head in more than seeing someone driving 50mph, 4 meters behind my kids while on their mobile.

Oh, and the Police tried their best to get the CPS to prosecute the constable so if we're going to be blaming anyone it should be the CPS who are clearly more worried about the legal bill than getting a successful prosecution.

You really are missing my point, I do have kids and I do care about the standard of driving on the roads but what I cannot stand is the bare faced hypocrisy of the Police and people like Dorset Safety partnership.
All of these campaigns are nothing but money making schemes that penalise motorists whilst others who commit crimes are allowed to go about their daily lives of stealing, committing crime, fraud, sell drugs and not even have to worry that the Police will run a campaign to find them and prosecute them.
If you have kids which you seem to be suggesting you have, then I would have to ask you, are you not worried about the junkie stealing your kids bikes? The gangs walking round Bournemouth stealing peoples mobile phones? The paedophiles watching kids in play grounds?
Oh no sorry I guess 3 points and a £60 fine is a far better use of uniformed Police.

As you have kids, you really should understand where Marcus is coming from. Trust me, he's bang on.

Letcommonsenseprevai
l wrote:

Marcus James wrote:

ragj195 wrote:

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour.
Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke.
You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it.
You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority.
It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are.
If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

Whilst many speed cameras are merely cash generators that do target drivers that may still be driving safely. There is no doubt that driving while using your mobile is dangerous and I'm all for the police catching as many people as possible. It's pretty clear 3 points and a £60 fine isn't enough of a deterrent.

You clearly haven't got kids because there is nothing that does my head in more than seeing someone driving 50mph, 4 meters behind my kids while on their mobile.

Oh, and the Police tried their best to get the CPS to prosecute the constable so if we're going to be blaming anyone it should be the CPS who are clearly more worried about the legal bill than getting a successful prosecution.

You really are missing my point, I do have kids and I do care about the standard of driving on the roads but what I cannot stand is the bare faced hypocrisy of the Police and people like Dorset Safety partnership.
All of these campaigns are nothing but money making schemes that penalise motorists whilst others who commit crimes are allowed to go about their daily lives of stealing, committing crime, fraud, sell drugs and not even have to worry that the Police will run a campaign to find them and prosecute them.
If you have kids which you seem to be suggesting you have, then I would have to ask you, are you not worried about the junkie stealing your kids bikes? The gangs walking round Bournemouth stealing peoples mobile phones? The paedophiles watching kids in play grounds?
Oh no sorry I guess 3 points and a £60 fine is a far better use of uniformed Police.

As you have kids, you really should understand where Marcus is coming from. Trust me, he's bang on.

No he's not. Half of his initial post directs his frustration at the police because the driver wasn't prosecuted, when the police have publicly criticised the CPS for not prosecuting the driver.

Since when is benefit fraud dealt with by the police?

I'm sorry but if you have kids and care about driving I'm not sure how you can feel so strongly about an article linked to people using their phone while driving. A drug addict can take my kids bike, that can be replaced. The guy that died is gone forever because someone used their phone while driving. I really couldn't care about her line of work. It has nothing to do with it. What is relevant is that people continue to use their phone while driving so the current penalty isn't strong enough. Personally I would like to see it result in 4 week ban because just like drink driving it can kill.

ragj195 wrote:

Letcommonsenseprevai

l wrote:

Marcus James wrote:

ragj195 wrote:

Marcus James wrote:
Looks like if stopped you need to get your warrant card out and call in a favour.
Take note Dorset Partnership and Dorset Police, you have lost all respect from the general public, you are a joke.
You vilify the public motorist as a soft touch whilst your own get away with it.
You aim targets at us whilst drug addicts, drug dealers and benefit fraud is a lower priority.
It is such a shame that at a time when public support for Police is at such a low you continue these programmes of cash generation as that is all they are.
If the Police were concerned about public safety then these officers could be patrolling the deprived areas of Poole, Bournemouth and Boscombe and engage with the public and provide an active service the public would feel proud of and engage with.

Whilst many speed cameras are merely cash generators that do target drivers that may still be driving safely. There is no doubt that driving while using your mobile is dangerous and I'm all for the police catching as many people as possible. It's pretty clear 3 points and a £60 fine isn't enough of a deterrent.

You clearly haven't got kids because there is nothing that does my head in more than seeing someone driving 50mph, 4 meters behind my kids while on their mobile.

Oh, and the Police tried their best to get the CPS to prosecute the constable so if we're going to be blaming anyone it should be the CPS who are clearly more worried about the legal bill than getting a successful prosecution.

You really are missing my point, I do have kids and I do care about the standard of driving on the roads but what I cannot stand is the bare faced hypocrisy of the Police and people like Dorset Safety partnership.
All of these campaigns are nothing but money making schemes that penalise motorists whilst others who commit crimes are allowed to go about their daily lives of stealing, committing crime, fraud, sell drugs and not even have to worry that the Police will run a campaign to find them and prosecute them.
If you have kids which you seem to be suggesting you have, then I would have to ask you, are you not worried about the junkie stealing your kids bikes? The gangs walking round Bournemouth stealing peoples mobile phones? The paedophiles watching kids in play grounds?
Oh no sorry I guess 3 points and a £60 fine is a far better use of uniformed Police.

As you have kids, you really should understand where Marcus is coming from. Trust me, he's bang on.

No he's not. Half of his initial post directs his frustration at the police because the driver wasn't prosecuted, when the police have publicly criticised the CPS for not prosecuting the driver.

Since when is benefit fraud dealt with by the police?

I'm sorry but if you have kids and care about driving I'm not sure how you can feel so strongly about an article linked to people using their phone while driving. A drug addict can take my kids bike, that can be replaced. The guy that died is gone forever because someone used their phone while driving. I really couldn't care about her line of work. It has nothing to do with it. What is relevant is that people continue to use their phone while driving so the current penalty isn't strong enough. Personally I would like to see it result in 4 week ban because just like drink driving it can kill.

A fair and realistic point of view.

Don't see many of them these days.

Its a real shame people do not stick to the topic obviously hidden agendas somewhere

If spotted, either:
 
a) drop the mobile into your lap and say it was on loudspeaker and you started the call before you got in the car
 
or b) claim you were just holding it, not using it (like a certain Scottish MSP)

retry69 wrote:

retry69 wrote:
What these articles and comments do show is the amount of fellow road users who think it is acceptable to exceed the speed limit and use a mobile phone whilst driving.Legalities aside, they put lives at risk no matter what spin you put on it, even the resident "professional drivers" who regularly comment in the Echo admit to practices while driving that would make the average responsible driver shudder.

My apologies i omitted to state that one of the resident "professional" drivers boasted he had driven for 40years HGV,PSV across Europe yet it turned out he had no idea of the speed limits on the roads he travelled on the other boasts 25 years driving no fines no points,thinks he is above the law if he breaks the speed limit but will not disclose how "professional" he is,answers on a postcard and give a wide berth

I find it amusing that every time you come on here and have a pop at people you disagree with that you find it necessary to hit the "report this comment" button when someone has a go at you back.
Your sarcastic comments about this forums professional drivers who despise the revenue generating actions of Dorset Police is aimed primarily at me (and perhaps one other) and anyone familiar with this and several other threads here knows that.
Yes I have been a professional driver for 25 years and have a clean license. I do not use a phone in my vehicle and I always wear my seat belt. I don't need to go into any further detail than that so stop asking. Neither am I some bitter person having a go at the police because I've been caught, far from it. I just want them to concentrate their efforts on serious crime and not be hiding out in bushes by the side of the road trying to snare someone not wearing a seat belt or travelling a few mph over a deliberately reduced speed limit for profit on a safe road for.

Also an interesting point to those who like to quote stats at people to prove a point (which i dont ever do) but a recent survey by Brake and Direct Line showed that "professional" drivers are the worse text offenders with 31% writing or sending a text while driving and as a side issue 75% of "professional" drivers exceed the speed limit in built up areas.Would i use these stats as amunition NAH but it is interesting isnt it?

Not really. Drive on a motorway during the week then make the same commute on a weekend. The difference in driving standards is very very clear. The more experienced you are at something the better you will be at it. Professional drivers have much much more to lose when they get 3 points.

When I started driving around the country for work, within a year it became pretty obvious that doing that many miles a year would mean I would have to change my driving style as I simply couldn't afford to get 3 points from being slightly over in a built up area. Put it this way, I changed to always being slightly under. Many professional drivers would say the same thing. You just can't do the things you are suggesting on a regular basis without ultimately getting to 12 points and potentially losing your job,

I've now had a clean license for 5 years and in those 5 years driven 4 times more miles than the average driver.

There are so many ways you can get 3 points that serial speeders and mobile phone users will sooner or later hit that threshold and from my experience it's my friends that don't drive much who are the ones getting close.

ragj195 wrote:
Not really. Drive on a motorway during the week then make the same commute on a weekend. The difference in driving standards is very very clear. The more experienced you are at something the better you will be at it. Professional drivers have much much more to lose when they get 3 points.

When I started driving around the country for work, within a year it became pretty obvious that doing that many miles a year would mean I would have to change my driving style as I simply couldn't afford to get 3 points from being slightly over in a built up area. Put it this way, I changed to always being slightly under. Many professional drivers would say the same thing. You just can't do the things you are suggesting on a regular basis without ultimately getting to 12 points and potentially losing your job,

I've now had a clean license for 5 years and in those 5 years driven 4 times more miles than the average driver.

There are so many ways you can get 3 points that serial speeders and mobile phone users will sooner or later hit that threshold and from my experience it's my friends that don't drive much who are the ones getting close.

I have been posting comments for over a year now regarding motoring issues and although you get the hysterical type who seem to think that the law and the world is against them, i have yet to find out who classes themselves as a "professional" driver,its a serious question that i have tried to get answers to but people think i am taking the proverbial.So because you drive around the country for your work do you class yourself as a professional driver?

Nope, driving isn't my profession, software is. I just happen to drive lots. I've had faults in my driving pointed out in advanced driving courses etc by people who I would describe as professional drivers. People whose profession is driving, such as trainers, track drivers etc. I've only ever read the term "professional driver" in the media and have never come across someone who drives a lot describing themselves as one.

The more I read about this item of news the more I feel the police should try to reopen the case and get her the punishment she totally deserves , at least 5 years in prison, and not an open prison either.