Your hard earned tax at work....

[Gwilo]

Police officer totals test drive.

to do that sort of damage, he's clearly been pratting about.

Would it be too much to hope the force would press charges for dangerous driving, bringing the force into disrepute etc?

I smell (yet another) police whitewash.....

There's no need for them to test drive a car that is already well known to be rapid, handle well at high speeds, cornering etc, is there?

[MartynVRS]

How did he manage that?! Rolled several times at speed is my guess. It's 4wd, plenty of grip, ESP, etc so he must have been driving like an absolute clown to lose it so spectacularly. What a waste of a great car

[ScoobyChris]

More details here -> http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1471840_police-officer-writes-off-loaned-40k-volkswagen-golf-in-trafford-park-test-drive-crash

Sounds like it was being driven without consideration for the icy conditions, but that may well be just media speculation.

I wonder if the Golf passed the test :wonder:

Chris

['daiking']

More details here -> http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1471840_police-officer-writes-off-loaned-40k-volkswagen-golf-in-trafford-park-test-drive-crash

Sounds like it was being driven without consideration for the icy conditions, but that may well be just media speculation.

I wonder if the Golf passed the test :wonder:

Chris

The roundabout in question does have a railway line crossing it and certainly going round one part of it there is a significant bump that could upset the car. But he should have known that sort of local knowledge.

[mdon]

There's no need for them to test drive a car that is already well known to be rapid, handle well at high speeds, cornering etc, is there?

Yes

[VladSoilerOfCarpets]

Yes

... but not to that extreme on a public highway.

Admittedly the car needs to be tested for high speed pursuit capability, but the manufacturer does do that for them already.

[CFB]

... but not to that extreme on a public highway.

Admittedly the car needs to be tested for high speed pursuit capability, but the manufacturer does do that for them already.

yes, the manufacturer does test the cars but in standard form.

The cars they loan to police are police spec vehicles with extra kit such as radio and other comms. Not like your average radio. Is is large and fits on a car width board behind the rear sats normally and is quite heavy.

Other kit adds to the weight too.

Police forces usually test cars that might suit the use they want to put it to, to make sure it lives up to expectations and can do it's job well. All kinds of factors are taken into consideration, such as officer comfort, ergonomics for the officers, space for extra kit like riot gear or weapons. Quite a few of the unmarked cars are used for specialist covert duties and carry even more kit which all adds to the need to know how the car behaves on actual duty.

As you can appreciate, this cannot be done by manufacturers or by looking at brochures and each forces requirements may be different.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[gac]

So what you're suggesting is that not only has he ruined a test vehicle, there's a chance he might have also nailed some pretty expensive police radio kit which presumably was either in active service or is a spare unit (since they probably don't have demonstrator units from the manufacturer like VW did with the car)?

[P6bJOHN]

There is another way of looking at this, the Golf failed the test......

[MartynVRS]

I'd say the driver failed. They said ice but really?

A senior source said: "The car was being tested and it went horribly wrong. Police do use public roads to test vehicles – the risk is reduced by the location and the time when this is done. Another officer in a powerful Audi had gone out on patrol with him at the same time – but was patrolling

But

"The Audi driver went to the scene immediately after the crash to help. The VW was on loan as the company are trying to sell them to the force.

My first thought is both went out to dabble each other to see how the Golf "compared" to the Audi. I also think the last thing said before the accident happened was "watch this!"

[ScoobyChris]

I would suspect the two cars were not being compared or raced, but would have been in radio contact - the Golf driver would have radio'd in for help and the Audi would be fastest to respond in the area. Also interesting that ice has now been ruled out as a factor in the crash.

A bit more info has been forthcoming (try and gloss over the fact the Golf is referred to as a "supercar") -> http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1472048_policeman-who-wrecked-40k-vw-golf-on-test-drive-is-star-of-bbc-show-car-wars-pc-paul-fletcher

I wonder if there was a film crew nearby? :think:

Chris

[cheezemonkhai]

I wonder if perhaps this is the guy that has been teaching certain high profile footballers to drive?

[KenONeill]

Vw was called "Scotty", and the last thing it said before the crash was "Ye cannae change the laws o' physics"!

[CFB]

So what you're suggesting is that not only has he ruined a test vehicle, there's a chance he might have also nailed some pretty expensive police radio kit which presumably was either in active service or is a spare unit (since they probably don't have demonstrator units from the manufacturer like VW did with the car)?

Probably?

There is another way of looking at this, the Golf failed the test......

Yes!

[Irvtheswerv]

My God give him some slack. As has been said, there will have been extra kit in the car, it's a test drive. The car would be likely used to pursue other high performance vehicles, the cops need to test it at high speed in all conditions.

I wrote off a transit van when in the cops, I crashed into another marked police vehicle when chasing a nicked Golf Gti. If you want the cops to catch people, sometimes accidents will happen.

[CFB]

My God give him some slack. As has been said, there will have been extra kit in the car, it's a test drive. The car would be likely used to pursue other high performance vehicles, the cops need to test it at high speed in all conditions.

I wrote off a transit van when in the cops, I crashed into another marked police vehicle when chasing a nicked Golf Gti. If you want the cops to catch people, sometimes accidents will happen.

+1

[richie]

My God give him some slack. As has been said, there will have been extra kit in the car, it's a test drive. The car would be likely used to pursue other high performance vehicles, the cops need to test it at high speed in all conditions.

I wrote off a transit van when in the cops, I crashed into another marked police vehicle when chasing a nicked Golf Gti. If you want the cops to catch people, sometimes accidents will happen.

+2. I had a POLAC when I was a probie, its the worst feeling in the world. Accidents happen. I do like the way this site likes a bit of police bashing...... NOT!!

[VWD]

+2. I had a POLAC when I was a probie, its the worst feeling in the world. Accidents happen. I do like the way this site likes a bit of police bashing...... NOT!!

OK- I don't BIB bash - but as you say -accidents do happen - AND when vehicles are pushed to limit ( as in testing) - slips/slides Can happen . Lets just say - the driver got it wrong . Admit that even a class 1 driver can make mistakes ,and then those of us mediocre drivers ( even those with over forty years clean slate / masive NCB ) can feel a bit superior.

[mdon]

+2. I had a POLAC when I was a probie, its the worst feeling in the world. Accidents happen. I do like the way this site likes a bit of police bashing...... NOT!!

+3 I've not had a polac yet or PVA as we call them but when you consider the miles we do and the type of driving we undertake hardly surprising mistakes happen every now and then.

[VladSoilerOfCarpets]

OK- I don't BIB bash - but as you say -accidents do happen - AND when vehicles are pushed to limit ( as in testing) - slips/slides Can happen . Lets just say - the driver got it wrong . Admit that even a class 1 driver can make mistakes ,and then those of us mediocre drivers ( even those with over forty years clean slate / masive NCB ) can feel a bit superior.

Even though I feel this was an entirely unnecessary accident, I don't agree with this- the style of driving we use is totally different to what an active police officer would use. When was the last time you chased someone down at 90mph down winding country lanes?!

I'd love to get advanced driving lessons similar to theirs, even if I never fully exploited the services rendered.

[CFB]

When was the last time you chased someone down at 90mph down winding country lanes?!

I'd love to get advanced driving lessons similar to theirs, even if I never fully exploited the services rendered.

+1 on the that Vlad

[sharkrider]

+3 I've not had a polac yet or PVA as we call them but when you consider the miles we do and the type of driving we undertake hardly surprising mistakes happen every now and then.

+4 I'm and advanced driver, and I have had an accident while on blue lights (albiet I was only driving at approx 3 mph at the time, and we got out £60,000 vehical back!) ...

but the point is, accidents can happen... its simple maths, a set of circumstances will one day happen that causes an accident that is unaviodable..

as in my case, I was not punshised, as the investigation proved i was doing everything right, and it couldn't have been avioded. sometimes you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time...

I once attended an accident, where spilled fuel on a wet bent caused 2 cars to go off in the same place, and then the police car that went to the scene go off into them too!

had it not been for the police officer in the road waving at me, I may have slid into the back of all three of them! (I didn't) and the road was treated afterwards to clean it up.

[Buster]

I live not too far from there, so not sure if it was icy, but the roads round there are pretty shockingly bad with potholes and the railway tracks crossing the roads, plus the grooves in the roads caused by the lorries. Not surprised and accident happened, and not doubt a greasy road. I think the companies round there that have all the lorries coming and going to should be taxed heavier to pay for the repairs to these roads!

['daiking']

I hope the rozzers are so forgiving the next time some boy racer stacks it in a hedge.

Oh yes, GMP are very lenient

http://www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk/runcorn-widnes-news/featured-stories/2011/06/02/widnes-police-officer-fined-after-driving-suspect-s-mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-into-a-garden-55368-28802718/

[mdon]

I would say the courts were lenient with the GMP officers. Btw punishment has nothing to

Do with the police, it's the courts that decide.