Who's fault?

[Chriz]

A little old maybe?
I was reading through some old emails,and I came across a story of a motorist who got taken to court in October, fined & had points docked because he splashed a council worker by driving through a puddle!

Surley if the council worker had done his job properly, there wouldn't have been a puddle in the first place??

[hopper]

Originally Posted by Chriz

A little old maybe?
I was reading through some old emails,and I came across a story of a motorist who got taken to court in October, fined & had points docked because he splashed a council worker by driving through a puddle!

Surley if the council worker had done his job properly, there wouldn't have been a puddle in the first place??

It depends what he did for the council, he may have been the dog warden and not the road sweeper!! Or was the puddle caused by a poodle?

[Jimmy Blake]

Originally Posted by Chriz

Surley if the council worker had done his job properly, there wouldn't have been a puddle in the first place??

If you change that to *a* council worker the statement would be correct.

AFAIK The only issue is that the council worker in question may work for the borough council and the roads are the responsibility of the County Council - unless they are a Metropolitan borough where they normally take care of both. Therefore a council worker should have taken care of it, but an employee of a different council - don't you love local government? ;-)

It is a real p*ss off that we're not offered the same level of protection as public employees - the amount of times I get splashed trying to get to meetings because the drainage is shite in Central London (well parts of it).

James

[bonkers the dog]

If anybody is splashed by a motorist, council official or not, they may report it to the police.

The driver has committed an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, section 3, Careless Driving. If there is a sufficiency of evidence they may be reported and subsequently prosecuted with resultant fines and points to follow.

In other words driving without due care and attention with regards to other road users, which a pedestrian is. In Law, a pavement or verge is classed as part of a road, as are bridges, tunnels etc etc whether temporary or not.

'Splashing pedestrians' is a Stated Case in law so as long as there were witnesses and a index number you have a good case.

The onus was on the driver to slow their motor vehicle so as not to cause any splashes that might affect the pedestrian.

Happened to me the other day. NOT amused!

Hope this is of use to you. It is a crappy thing to do to folks so anybody who does it deserves the fine and points. He who larfs last larfs longest and all that......

RM

[hopper]

Reminds me of the old Not the Nine O'Clock News sctech where a motorist rounds a corner to see a bus stop o the other side of the road with a massive puddle in front.

He swerves the car across the road, straight through the puddle and wets the queue at the bus stop.

As he drives past the camera at the end of the line, it focuses on the rear windscrene of the car where there is a triangluar sticker in the window with the words

BASTARD ON BOARD

How I laughed, all those years ago, must be 20 now atleast and it still sticks in my mind.

[aclivity]

I once chased a car that had splashed me - and caught it (a couple of years ago, I hasten to add, and probably a couple of stone lighter!).

I was ready to give the driver a mouthful of abuse, when she opened the passenger side window there was a tiny baby in the passenger seat and I just couldn't let fly. Instead I told her to pay more attention in future!

I probably scared the crap out of her, though, so maybe she was frightened off doing it in future.

hmmm ... now I recall that occasion, perhaps "my" attack was some kind of divine retribution? Although I didn't damage her vehicle, and I was entirely sober. If a trifle damp.