No messing

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les
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No messing

Post by les »

Just been reading a piece about Chinese police. If motorists use full beam they are pulled over and made to sit and stare at the front of a police car with its lights on main beam for a full minute, plus a £30 fine, and made available for public viewing. Why dont we have the balls to do this? It won't be long before we loose control of some idiots over here through lack of action, then it'll be too late to pull it back.

amgrave
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Re: No messing

Post by amgrave »

The authorities in this country are too soft Les to do what the Chinese do. Look at the case of the chap that refused to leave a hospital, because of softly softly it took two years to resolve it, TWO YEARS. A few years ago he would have been thrown out in less than two hours. As for losing control it is already happening going by the number of stabbings I keep reading about recently.

irmscher
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Re: No messing

Post by irmscher »

Everybody gets a suspended sentence :evil: they should be suspended from a gallows .When did you last see a policeman walking round or even driving ? we need more police
rayofleamington
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Re: No messing

Post by rayofleamington »

I've got a headlight out - I noticed when I checked at the weekend.
I will fix it, and normally do it same day but it hasn't stopped me driving on well lit roads to/from work this week.

Yesterday 11pm on way home from work I drove past a traffic police car in a lay-by.
I was nervous about getting a grilling.. but them remembered I'm in the UK and its normal to have a headlight out!
Plod didn't move.

In that area I've seen someone do a dangerous overtake on pedestrian crossing.
Dangerous mainly because the car coming opposite way had to jam on brakes.. the car behind the one who braked was a police car...
Nothing - they did absolutely nothing :(
Therefore not just an issue of plod being there.

Studies have shown that zero tolerance approach reduces crime - I would be happy with that, even if I got a fine for my headlight.
Getting caught and punished makes more people follow the rules.
Other than speed cameras, I wonder how hard it is to get done for road issues nowadays!
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.

Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block :(
les
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Re: No messing

Post by les »

The trouble with only one light working at night is the vehicle could be mistaken for a motorcycle, especially if the offside one is out.

rayofleamington
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Re: No messing

Post by rayofleamington »

its got a decent sidelight.. (so good I nearly didn't notice there was a light out) but that doesn't make it suitable for non-lit areas and A-roads etc..! (although theres a % of people on the motorways etc.. who don't seem to care)

The other issue is bends, other vehicles and any other obstructions. Having headlights at both sides of the car means its pretty unlikely for something to be in the way of "the other guy" seeing at least one of them. Also people judge the "size" of car badly, not just thinking it's a bike, but anything else too..
I'm old enough to remember passing oncoming S1 Land Rovers.. Always a bit of a surprise

Same "blocked light" can apply with people putting on hazard warning lights when parked up in between other cars - the people passing only see the one indicator next to the road and think the car wants to pull out of the parking bay - it only causes more confusion. (hazards used in a parking bay - one of my pet gripes.. :oops: )
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.

Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block :(
les
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Re: No messing

Post by les »

There's no doubt road manners are getting worse, in fact its rather pleasing when someone is considerate on the road now.

kennatt
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Re: No messing

Post by kennatt »

on the subject of blown headlights,if you have a modern there is a very strong chance that you can"t change the bulb anyway,many need the front panels removed to gain access . ie Renault modus,took me about two hours on the wifes car(or should I call it a mobile shopping trolly) Many you need to remove the battery and so on. With the modus being a French car,where its a legal requirement to carry spare bulbs,so you can change at the road side ,how do Renault get away with it.Another reason for having a classic.
rayofleamington
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Re: No messing

Post by rayofleamington »

I've had it on a Fiat where I needed to remove engine bay parts to access the cover from back of headlight.

My headlight is done - not a problem on Vauxhalls - although on some you need to access via wheelarch.

Since then I've had a rear spring break.. parts are ordered :-?
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.

Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block :(
MollyOwner
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Re: No messing

Post by MollyOwner »

Interesting thread!
Changing the headlight bulb on my modern Jag is around an hours work!!
On subject of Police non intervention - it's hard even for me to tell what is a traffic Insignia or an Area Car. With so few officers on the streets Area Car crews are reluctant to get tied up with traffic offences.
That said I noticed yesterday a Mercedes in Sutton Coldfield parked completely blocking the pavement and mums with buggys having to enter the carriageway to get past. I quite thought the Unit Beat car behind me would have words and move him on..I certainly would have done. But no!
Mind you, when I joined we still had a few Minors supplementing the Allegros!!
Last edited by MollyOwner on Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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LobbyLudd
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Re: No messing

Post by LobbyLudd »

Don't know which is the lesser of two evils Non working headlight or the amazing number of out of focus headlight beams encountered on a nightly basis . Usually on one headlight blindingly dazzling coming towards you at night. It seem too many D.I.Y replacements are installed out of position without any consideration to beam direction. There is a temporary method of parking in front of a wall or garage door and noting maximum height as a check until proper checking can be done (i.e. to pass the next mot) Although I wonder how many dim wits 'chance it' and don't actually have a valid mot. -- Rant over :oops: :oops:
'69 4 door saloon, traf: blue.


'LIFE'- is what happens when you are busy planning other things. John Lennon
les
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Re: No messing

Post by les »

Felt I had to mention this------ In a line of moving traffic, traffic lights 200 yards ahead, with a car on my bumper, said car pulls out and passes virtually inches from my door mirror, swerves out round a keep left bollard on the right of it, carried on down the wrong side of the road, did the same thing with the next keep left bollard, swung back in and straight through the traffic lights which luckily were still green. I'm surprised he didn't wait 'till they were red and then driven off. What made me see red was that he had a quite large dog sat on the passenger seat.

amgrave
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Re: No messing

Post by amgrave »

He was probably late for an appointment at the dog grooming parlour Les :cry:

Blaketon
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Re: No messing

Post by Blaketon »

Forgive my ignorance but why are the Chinese pulling people over for using full beam? Is it that they are using them in street lit areas or just not dipping for on coming traffic?

As a cyclist (Who cycled at night during the 1970s) I am all too aware of what it's like to be dazzled by oncoming traffic. In the days of Ever Ready bike lights, hardly anyone ever dipped for you and the lights were so poor, that you either rode where there was street lighting or you went slowly!! If there is one thing, that has genuinely made cycling better, it's lights. Not only can you see to ride at any speed but you can hit back at anyone who doesn't dip. Cyclists need to remember that it works both ways and whenever I sell a powerful front light, I remind customers of the need to treat it like a car headlight.

One of my biggest criticisms, of modern car lights, is (Aside from them being over complex and model specific) this idiotic idea of putting the indicator inside the lamp unit, so that when the headlights are on, you can't see the indicator.

As to levels of courtesy, we now seem to have an unhealthy mix of what you might call the arrogance of the "Old time toff", combined with gutter manners; the worst of both worlds!! I'm not old enough to remember national service but I know what it's like to have a drill sergeant tearing a strip of you and personally, I don't think it does any harm at all.
dave1949
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Re: No messing

Post by dave1949 »

So who`s witnessed parking outside schools at child pick up times :o
SteveClem
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Re: No messing

Post by SteveClem »

You mean the 'yummy mummies ' who park at bizarre angles,block the road and get shirty when you look fed up? I've started going out at a different time to them.
Blaketon
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Re: No messing

Post by Blaketon »

I wonder how long it would take for us humans to lose our legs as we know them. There are times when people seem almost to get the car out when they need to put the bin out :roll: . I see very few people walking to the school near the shop.......and judging by some of the vehicles, you'd think they were going on a safari; I'm sure vanity has much to do with it.
les
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Re: No messing

Post by les »

Well, one has to out do ones neighbour doesn't one! :roll: Heaven forbid one is seen with a lesser tank.

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