Harriet Harman

[RollingThunder]

Well well well, here we go again -

Harriet Harman pleaded guilty to careless driving today and got 3 points and a £350 fine for the parking incident last year - while she was on her mobile phone... this takes her points total to 9. ( http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6980682.ece )

Now call me a cynic, but why was the charge of using a mobile when driving (worth another 3 points) dropped despite there being no argument that she was on the phone at the time?

[rippedoffagain]

Because if they didn't drop the charge she'd have scored 12 points and if you clock up the high score you win a ban by default. You can't ban a government minister. How would she manage to clock up all her expenses if she couldn't drive to the shops?

[andy_d]

And you can bet the insurance hike for next year will come directly out of her expenses, so we pay to keep someone who should have been banned insured and on the roads.

"MP" > Vote your own payrise, keep driving at our expense , nice easy High paid job when you loose the next election,methinks us honest folks are all in the wrong jobs..

[magneto]

Rolling Thunder, I believe that your new Mayor in Doncaster is a revelation. Is he?

[Danneh]

You'll probably see this on her travelling expenses for next year.

[volvo145]

I'll bet that most people on here have used a mobile phone stuck to there ear while driving and some are still doing it.
It does annoy me people saying you can't do this or that but continue to do it themselves and that includes people on forums.

[cumbrianmale]

Originally Posted by volvo145

I'll bet that most people on here have used a mobile phone stuck to there ear while driving and some are still doing it.
It does annoy me people saying you can't do this or that but continue to do it themselves and that includes people on forums.

I have had a fully fitted Nokia bluetooth kit since long before the ban on phone use while driving.

They are only around £60 for many different makes from Amazon, I can't see why anyone would risk it.

There again if there was more enforcement then people would be more inclined to fit one.

[rippedoffagain]

Originally Posted by volvo145

I'll bet that most people on here have used a mobile phone stuck to there ear while driving and some are still doing it.
It does annoy me people saying you can't do this or that but continue to do it themselves and that includes people on forums.

Not me. If the wife is with me she gets put in charge of my phone. If I'm on my own my phone is ignored until I pull over somewhere sensible.

Motoring groups are saying that it can be worse than drink driving. I can well believe it, I've seen some shocking displays put on by drivers while they use their phones, and sometimes when they mount the kerb and all the pedestrians run out of the way, they drive out seemingly oblivious to their error.

[Paul240480]

If Harman had commited two suspected offences, as in 'careless' & driving whilst using mobile phone. Plod cannot 'do' her for both. The mobile phone part will form part of the evidence of carelessness. If there was no evidence of carelessness then she could have been dealt with for the mobile phone offence.

If they charged/reported for both it would be seen as, 'if she is found not guilty of one, it's okay cos we'll get her for the other'. Plod ain't allowed to do that.

Plod will charge/report for summons for the offence that is most fitting to the circumstances. Then they send the file off to CPS. CPS will continue (or not) if they see it fit to do so. Very often CPS will alter the charge in any case.

[RollingThunder]

Originally Posted by volvo145

I'll bet that most people on here have used a mobile phone stuck to there ear while driving and some are still doing it.
It does annoy me people saying you can't do this or that but continue to do it themselves and that includes people on forums.

Nope, not me - never.

Its a pet hate and I hurl abuse at any driver I see on the phone when I'm walking down the street. There is no need for it, its selfish, stupid and if it was down to be it'd be an automatic 12m ban and a crushed car. I worked on the ambulances for a while and I've dealt with the results of car-pedestrian and car-car RTA caused by drivers on the phone. Its a totally avoidable 'accident', and as I said - totally selfish. No excuses.

Here endeth the sermon by 'hang em high' RT