AIBU to think that driving at 97 is a tad unreasonable?

Hadteachers can, and should, alert the police (give them a kick up the bumper) and ask that a unit attend school and give inconsiderate parents a verbal warning.

I don't believe the police can take further action unless they actually see Prince Philip driving without a seat belt themselves. He has been given a warning, however politely phrased.
Photographic evidence is not sufficient to prosecute, unless it comes from a speed camera, as residents of our village who collected it were told when they tried to persuade the police to take action about the dangerous and illegal parking that occurs all term time outside the local school.

Sparkle it was a question which you haven't answered. I find your accusations insulting because they are not based on fact. What have I said which is not based on fact? I note you have still not admitted you don't understand the word 'accident'. When I make a mistake I apologise.

I think everyone would agree that his latest offence, driving on a public road without a seat belt, is not accidental.

Thank you for your personally insulting post nonnie. I've got better things to do than to rise to your sarcastic comments.

Anja I totally agree with you.

Marye & Sparkle you both have an amazing ability to misinterpret posts. Is it because you don't understand what others write or because English isn't your first language? Interesting to note that neither of you has given me an explanation of the word 'accident' so let me give you the OED definition:

1An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

‘he had an accident at the factory’
mass noun ‘if you are unable to work owing to accident or sickness’
More example sentencesSynonyms
1.1 A crash involving road or other vehicles.
‘four people were killed in a road accident’
More example sentencesSynonyms
1.2euphemistic An incidence of incontinence by a child or animal.
‘he had a little accident, but I washed his shorts out’
2An event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause.

‘the pregnancy was an accident’
‘it is no accident that Manchester has produced more than its fair share of professional comics’

Do you still believe it wasn't an accident?

IMO that is not acceptable Sparkle and he ought to be treated according to the law and the correct penalty applied.

Anja Apparently, according to the BBC, the police "gave him advice". If he's got to 97 and still needs that advice, heaven help us!! Even a teenage learner driver knows the score.

...driving...

I’ve just heard that the local police have ‘spoken with’ PP because he’s been spotted on a public road since the accident without a seat belt.

The costs of using the civil courts is charged to the relevant parties - I think you are quite muddled about the differences between civil and criminal courts Nonnie

No Nonnie I did not take your post personally at all. I just think your reasoning/logic is a bit skewed. You seem to think everything is black or white with no grey areas at all.

Nonnie firstly there are two different courts involved - criminal and civil. In the latter, settling out of court is very common but court proceedings are initiated before this stage can happen. It’s popular because it avoids further publicity and/ or costs less.

I think you took my post personally Sparkle when it was not. I was not referring to your accident but to someone suggesting there was bound to be a court case. I don't see why there should be as it is normal for such an accident (yes it was an accident) to go to court. Usually the insurance companies deal with it without resorting to the tax payers for a court hearing.

Nonnie I don't think I have made your point for you at all.

Sparkle I think you have made my point for me, most cases don't go to court because there are too many. Those that do would probably be private prosecutions or the insurance companies who generally don't think it is a financially viable option.

If it's found to be PP's fault and the women want to bring charges, they're entitled to do that.

Nonnie I took the driver who hit our car to court because I was injured. The case took 6 years to get to court, but it did in the end.

Sparkle no, it was not your post I was commenting about, it was you who commented on mine! I would ask both you and Marye to explain to me how 'not an accident' can be anything other than deliberate? An accident is something that happens by accident. Anything else is done deliberately. I think my explanation is basic but am happy to read any other explanation of the word 'accident'.

I would be very surprised if there were a court case. No was was killed or permanently disabled. Our courts would never cope if every car accident was referred to them.

Well said Bluebelle
"No lessons have been learned"
The people in the other car may not be so lucky next time it happens.
And it will.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

No i m sure he doesn’t have the start of dementia he’s just a stubborn privileged arrogant old bugger always has been

Thanks Sparkle your long term physical effects illustrate exactly why no one should dismiss any ‘accident’ as minor, or no harm done ( as does the long term psychological effects on me although I was very lucky). Arthritis in later life in bones broken/ injuries years earlier is not uncommon. As for the mother of the baby - how on earth is she feeling? It probably hasn’t even hit her properly yet. People talk about poor PP losing his independence if he loses his licence ( utter tosh btw) but I bet this young mother really needs her car and to feel safe driving.

maryeliza54 I am so sorry you went through that and completely understand because something similar happened to me on a wide and straight country road. I was a front seat passenger, we had right of way, and a driver leaving the pub shot out of a side road and we couldn't avoid hitting him. We were spun round in the road and fortunately traffic coming in the opposite direction where we ended up managed to avoid us.

I injured my neck and right arm and 29 years later I am still suffering pain, I developed arthritis in the injury and have spent a fortune on osteopaths over the years.

Whilst driving myself a year later, a car nearly came out of a side road in a repeat scenario, and although he braked in time, I burst into tears while driving and had to pull in.

For your accident to have happened to you on the motorway, Maryeliza, must have been horrific, and as you say, it is worse when you are completely innocent.

Still, we survived!