Travis School of Motoring: January 2014

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Motorist in court for soaking school kids.

Motorist facing court for driving through a puddle and drenching a group of primary school children and their parents

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2543804/Motorist-facing-court-driving-puddle-drenching-group-primary-school-children-parents.html#ixzz2rCYLJeRC
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It is an all-too-familiar scenario. Whether carelessly or calculatingly, a driver ploughs through a puddle, drenching poor pedestrians on the pavement.

As the sodden victims curse, the motorist speeds off – sometimes with a snigger.

Usually, such deeds go unreported and unpunished. But one extraordinary exception has emerged in Essex.

There, a 22-year-old faces prosecution after allegedly driving through a puddle and splashing families.

The driver reportedly failed to slow down after creating a ‘large wave’ that drenched children and their parents on their way to school.

And unfortunately for him, there was a police officer in the car behind him who witnessed the incident. The motorist has now been reported for careless driving, meaning he could receive a court summons and a £5,000 fine or be ordered to attend a driver awareness course.

PC Mark Hercules, who was following the driver, said that the children, who were walking to St George’s Junior School in Colchester, were left screaming after getting wet.

He said: 'The vehicle was driven through the puddle at a relatively fast speed making no attempt to slow down or avoid it.

'As a consequence, a large wave of water absolutely soaked the children and their parents. We could hear the screams from the children as they got drenched in the cold, dirty rain water.'

The police officer stopped the motorist and told him he was reporting him for careless driving.

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He said: ‘His actions caused distress to the young children.’

Company director Debbie Pugh was walking to school with her son David, eight, and daughter, Emma, 11, when the incident occurred on Friday. Last night, she told the Mail it had been 'totally unprovoked'.

She said: 'I was walking the children to school as I do every day. It’s only about 15 minutes away.

'I walk on the kerbside and the children on the inside so they are safer and the first thing I knew about it was when a massive wave of water covered me and then the children.

Debbie Pugh, who was walking with her children to school, was allegedly splashed by a driver - who was spotted by PC Hercules (both pictured)

'The water went up over my shoulders, totally drenching me and the children – it was dirty, cold and it was disgusting. What he did was absolutely on purpose, there’s no doubt about it at all.

'The driver could have avoided the puddle by going around it but he chose to speed through it and soak us all. I was fuming at the time.

'My boy was in tears afterwards. The children were so wet I thought they might have to wear their PE kits when they arrived at school.

She added: 'I saw the police were behind him when it happened but I did not initially realise they had stopped him.

'When I came back from the school at about 9am there were blue lights flashing and they had pulled a car over and I realised it was him. At the time I was so angry – I am glad the police took action – people can’t go around driving like that.'

Essex Police said a 22-year-old man from Colchester had been reported for careless driving under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act.

The Act contains an offence of ‘driving without reasonable consideration’, and according to Crown Prosecution Service policy, that could include ‘driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed’.

Inspector Steve Brewer said: ‘Where possible drivers should try to avoid driving through large puddles of water but only if it is safe to do so.’

HOW SPLASHING PUDDLES IS A DRIVING OFFENCE

Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act is defined as: 'Careless, and inconsiderate, driving.

'If a person drives a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or other public place without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or place, he is guilty of an offence.'

In March last year a motorist who was prosecuted for accidentally splashing a police worker when he drove along a flooded road won his seven-month legal battle when the CPS dropped the matter.

Mick Davidson, 60, was driving his Volkswagen down Cheshunt High Street, Hertfordshire, in June 2012 when he went past PCSO Richard Moore.

Days later a PCSO and a police officer turned up at his home claiming he had been driving in a careless or inconsiderate manner - a criminal offence.

Mr Moore accused him of drenching him with a 'six foot high wall of water' by deliberately driving through a 10ft by 3ft puddle.

Mr Davidson was told to either go on a driving awareness course or face prosecution - and he decided to fight his corner, insisting the officer was telling a 'pack of lies'.

He spent weeks gathering his own evidence to prove that no such puddle could have existed.

The case got as far as the magistrates court but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped it, admitting their evidence was 'irregular'.

Monday 6 January 2014

Winter driving tips for new drivers

www.travis-drive.co.uk

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Winter driving tips

As the winter starts to get its grip I am thinking about all those pupils who passed the driving test in summer. So here are a few tips that I hope you might consider.

1. Put a spade in the boot of your car( in case you get snowed in).

2. Check the grip on your tyres. You need a minimum 1.6mm to be legal. Even more to be safer on the wets wintery roads.

3. Get a winter service done. Last thing you want is the car breaking down.

4. Check the wind screen wipers for there condition and ask yourself will they last the winter.

5. Check all your light(once a week).

6. If going on a long journey check weather forecast.

7. Keep a blanket in the boot.

8. Have deicer and scraper in boot for the frosty days.

9. When driving in winter remember that frost can be around all day, even on a sunny day in the shade and on bends.

10. When driving give yourself more time to get from A to B.

Drive safe

James

Driving in Cranfield

Been teaching a pupil who lives in Cranfield(near Milton Keynes) today. Every time she gets in the car her clutch control just gets better. It's good to see the improvements. Looking forward to the next lesson.
www.travis-drive.co.uk

Tip of the day

Tip of the day.
When it's raining leave a bigger gap from you and the car in front. 4 seconds should do.
www.travis-drive.co.uk

Travis School of Motoring

Monday 27 January 2014

Passed the driving test in Milton Keynes.

FIRST 10 only £159

Wednesday 22 January 2014