Speeding and Pétards

Chief Superintendent Les Owen is facing disciplinary charges following the conviction of his driver for speeding en-route to a meeting (I trust it was an important one) – 82mph in a 40mph zone. Well, this being a senior police officer, you’d think that this was quite right, too – after all, the law is supposed to apply to them, as well as we mere proles.

The real beauty of this story is that Chief Superintendent Owen is, and I quote:

..a leading figure in the London Safety Camera Partnership, which coordinates the placing of speeding cameras on London streets.

Eighteen months ago he said: “We aim to educate drivers first and foremost about the hazards and the repercussions of speeding.”

On another occasion he said: “By making drivers aware of the consequences that speeding cars can have on themselves, their passengers and other motorists and pedestrians, we hope to change behaviour on the roads, making them safer for everyone.”

There’s plenty I could say about the hypocrisy here, but it is probably best left unsaid. The trouble is, Les Owen isn’t the only one. Last year Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas managed to hold onto his job following a speeding conviction after being caught travelling at 104mph on the M6 toll road.

Now I wouldn’t mind – I agree with Mr Thomas’ point that

“On the day in question, the driving and road conditions were good, and I was part of a group of around 15 cars all doing around the same speed.

“I considered that my manner of driving was safe.”

But we all say that, don’t we? And where does it get us? It’s that these people have the gall to lecture us about road safety if they catch us doing it that irks. If I was a traffic cop, I’d feel pretty let down by these two clowns. After all, it is the front line troops who have to dish out the lectures and tickets to errant motorists.

I’d like to think that both men were well and truly hoist with their own pétards, but while you and I would lose our livelihoods, these guys just carry on with little more than embarrassment and a slap on the wrist.

It’s a cliché, I know – and I try to avoid clichés – but this really is one rule for them and one rule for the rest of us.