Speed Limits On Police Vehicles

[Falchoon]

Speed limits on police vehicles

By John Silvester

theage.com.au

Wednesday March 3 2004

Tough new driving rules for police answering emergency calls will result in some police vehicles being banned from exceeding the speed limit under any circumstances.

Units banned include the new critical incident response vehicles, designed to be the first to any terrorist incident.

The elite special operations group has also been instructed to slow down when driving to deal with armed offenders and sieges.

Under the new colour-coded system, every vehicle used by police has been given a top authorised speed.

Gold cars have an unlimited speed; silver a top speed of 150kmh; bronze 120kmh; and white cannot exceed the speed limit.

Special operations group four-wheel-drive vehicles have been assigned bronze status. But some of their custom-built vehicles, including a heavily armoured safety car used to rescue people trapped by gunfire, will not be able to exceed the speed limit.

The critical incident vehicles -- two specially equipped Mercedes vans valued at $300,000 -- have been given white status and restricted to posted speed limits.

Senior police said the restriction would remain until the vans' safety had been assessed. It was possible they would be upgraded to bronze status, allowing a maximum speed of 120kmh.

The move comes just weeks after coroner Graeme Johnstone completed an inquest into fatal police pursuits and was critical of police policies on high-speed chases.

Among Mr Johnstone's recommendations were that police review the maximum safe speed for freeway pursuits.

But Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon rejected calls for a ban on police pursuits, saying it would give suspects a green light to escape.

Under the new system, marked patrol cars are limited to a speed of 150kmh. The only vehicles with gold status are pursuit vehicles and special high-powered traffic cars. Only police with a special gold licence will be permitted to drive the high-performance cars at unrestricted speeds.

Police began a safety review of all operational vehicles after two officers were killed when their divisional van rolled in Northcote in May 2000.

The review found that alterations carried out on some police vehicles had affected safety.

The speed limit of vehicle types was decided after police and the Monash University Accident Research Centre conducted a safety review.

Police business management assistant director Gary Glover said there was a need to conduct the review to protect police and the public. He said there were enough high-performance vehicles to ensure police could respond to high-speed pursuits.

[ducatijb]

What a load of sh!t Damn socialists

[KrasH]

Are they serious. Fark... I have not heard of anything so stupid in my life.

[Guest]

This is Australia...

vik

[ktford]

So when you are on the Lamb you just got to make sure you aren't being pursued by a Bronze whaler.

Scotty

[100%]

Smartest thing the cops have done for ages I reckon! I wouldn't want to be going too fast in some of them death traps. The unlimited cars are the SS, XR8 and XR6T's, and so it should be. Can you imagine taking a Falcon ute with that barge of a canopy they put on it and trying to keep hold of it at high speed! And also to have drivers who are qualified to handle the cars at speed is great, not just some senior constable who got his promotion by being good at his job, but can't drive for S$#T! The main cars that are limited severely are cars like Hilux's and Cruisers and shouldn't be involved in a high speed chase anyway. Well done.

[plonky]

Downright stupid !!!!

OK, so the GD's trucks are restricted to a 150kmh top speed. Driving along doing urgent duty....maybe 100 in a 60 zone, slow down for the Red Light. Stop and then accelerate...doing about 30kmh then ...bang..some cretin T bones the GD truck, killing the occupant because it is a side collision so he breaks his neck in the rapid 'side by side' movement of his head which is stopped by the B pillar. Or the car that T bones the GD truck is some old heap of junk with no airbag/seatbelt is not worn/it rides on smooth tyres etc.

The GD truck maybe speed limited to 150kmh, the driver is driving according to the Safe Driver Policy (in the relevant State) but is killed in an accident where the speed being travelled was LESS than the posted limit.

An unlikely scenario you say? BS !! That's how most fatalities occur these days.

Victoria is fast becoming the "Nanny State" taking commonsense and personal responsibility out of the hands of the individual and placing it under legislation. This is Socialism at it's most stupid !!!

[plonky]

Another thing this wa*ker Coroner doesn't realise, is that he can make all the recommendations he wants, Section 305 of the Australian Road Rules still exempts any vehicle being used by Police in the execution of their duty.

The only thing he can do is recommend a Policy change within the Dept so their Policy (such as the Safe Driver Policy) can be modified to include these colour codings.

In NSW we have Cat 1 (fully marked, Holden, Ford Police Pack sedans) most suitable for Pursuit/Urgent Duty

Cat 2(Unmarked Police Pack Ford/Expensive Daewoo sedans) with portable light fitted to roof as well as Code 3's in rear window and one on dash

Cat 3 (Unmarked Police Packs Ford /Expensive Daewoo with internal strobes, unmarked/semi marked Camry's/Magna etc)

Cat 4 ( Solo cycles, 4wds etc)

Cat 5 ( large vehicles over 4.5 t - 7.5 m length)

I know that we have specific defensive drive courses for the SPG vehicles (F Series, Nissan Patrol etc) and there is NO WAY they will terminate a pursuit/urgent duty when responding to incidents which are our Primary Role - Protecting Life and Property !!

At the end of the day I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by six !!!

[Falchoon]

I knew that article would get a heated response from you Plonky! :lol:

[ducatijb]

I knew that article would get a heated response from you Plonky! :lol:

But falchoon most garbage these "do gooder socialist prims" bring out gets a heated response from level headed people