Acceleration ticket?

[AdamW]

I was attempting to drive my car today, unfortunately every time I tried to move there was someone in front of me who appeared to be pulling away in 4th gear. You know the type, you sit behind them at the lights, lights go to green, they then take a mile (usually in the outside lane) to get up to the speed limit (in this case 40) but despite their slothfulness they carry on accelerating and end up breaking the speed limit. Idiots.

Anyway, in the many minutes I spent waiting for the opportunity to change up to 2nd gear, I was thinking: has anyone ever got a ticket for accelerating too quickly or too slowly? Obviously people have got them for driving too slowly on the motorway, or too quickly anywhere.

If I had a powerful car (BMW M3, Alfa 156 GTA etc.) then I would occasionally like to make use of the acceleration where it is safe to do so. But would doing 0-60 in 5-6 seconds flat, in a 60 limit, attract the attentions of a policeman for dangerous driving? I mean, to the guy in the cop car behind you, they might think it suspicious behaviour to burn away from them so rapidly and switch their blues on.

Conversely, if I recall, the Highway Code has rules about not impeding traffic. Surely accelerating like a slug crawling across treacle is indeed impeding traffic?

So, to sum up, does anyone know of a case where someone has been stopped and/or ticketed due to accelerating too quickly or too slowly?

 

[TexMex]

I had an uncle who, in his later years, took to driving at 10mph everywhere. He swore it was far more relaxing, and he had plenty of time, so why rush about at 20mph.

He was pulled up in a 30mph zone by the police and asked to explain his actions. I don't know what answer he gave them but they took him to court for "driving without due care and attention!". He lost his licence and was ordered to resit the driving test before he could have it back. He never bothered.

Strangly enough, before his retirement, he was a lorry driver and had been for all of his working life. He took a philosophical view that, he should have lost it years ago for driving under the influence, (he had previously had a drink problem).

 

[2scoops0406]

Yes, a mate of mine burnt rubber away from a set of trffic lights, he was prosecuted for dangerous driving. Never heard of anyone being prosecuted for slow acceleration, I suppose technically you could be charged with failure to make sufficient progress, which is something you can be failed for on your driving test.

 

[pipme]

Unless you reverse into someone at the lights negative acceleration at a pinch. ...

 

[2scoops0406]

Unless you reverse into someone at the lights negative acceleration at a pinch. ...

Unless acceleration is defined in terms of rate of change of speed as opposed to rate of change of velocity in legal terms!

 

[pipme]

Did say 'at a pinch'

 

[2scoops0406]

Indeed, I've been pinched by the old blue meanies a couple of times

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

when the mk2 ford xr2 came out i borrowed my girlfriends car to see my mate,picks him up & pulls away from traffic lights rather quickly
sees a copper flashing me in my mirrors so pulls over he says "did you not see me at the traffic lights sir" i replied "if i did i would'nt be here talking to you" (was young & cocky then) was asked the reg no. of car ?
said i did'nt know it as the car was'nt mine.to cut a long story short girlfriend bailed me out of trouble but we broke up soon after.can't understand why

 

[AdamW]

What if you had reversed up to the traffic lights, then pulled away in first. OK, so you wouldn't do it outside of a computer game (GTA San Andreas to be released soon!). Although you would be on the wrong side of the road...

That's a point, is there actually any law insisting you must drive forwards? Brakelights have to be on the rear of the car, but I don't remember reading anything in the highway code saying that the rear of the car must go last. Provided you aren't reversing up a one-way street, or driving dangerously, surely it is fine.

Anyone fancy testing the theory, drive home from work in reverese tonight. In traffic jams you can wave at the people behind you... in front of you... the ones you are looking at.

 

[2scoops0406]

No, you go first, let us know the results !

 

[AdamW]

Another thing: is a burnout technically an offence? If you have the handbrake on, front wheels spinning away, you aren't moving. Now, what if you sat on a red light burning rubber, then when it goes to green, pull away slowly and sensibly: if the police stop you (and surely they would!) what can they do you with? Dangerous driving/without due care and attention? The car was stationary, no-one was driving it! Being daft in charge of a vehicle? Provided you haven't been drinking then surely that is no offence.

Causing damage to the road? Prove it! a little rubber on the road might improve it!

 

[2scoops0406]

Yes, you are spinning the wheels, therefore not in control of the car.

 

[AdamW]

Ah, but the point is, the car is not moving. Thus how can they say you were driving it? You are in control, after all you want the car to remain stationary and there it sits.

And I wonder if anyone has ever used relativity to get out of a crime? "I was stationary in my rest frame holding a knife, the universe then moved 10 feet to the left and the other bloke ended up on the end of the knife.

 

[2scoops0406]

It's not me you have to convince, tell the magistrates !!

 

[AdamW]

It's not me you have to convince, tell the magistrates !!

Yes, that is a good point. My godmother is a magistrate and I used to sit there asking her hypothetical questions, like "If someone does this, but because of x, is that a crime?"

Some of them surprised me, like for example: if you set your VCR to record an episode of your favourite TV programme, that is fine. But, if you forgot, and decide to download it from a P2P network instead, that is technically illegal. I can't imagine the BBC taking someone to court over a single episode of Eastenders, but they would have a case! Reason being, it would be classed as duplicating and distributing.

Perhaps I should ask her "If I sit at the traffic lights facing backwards, doing a burnout whilst stationary on a red light, is there a case against me other than one calling for compulsory castration due to stupidity?"