Section 59.Traffic act - Are fhe Police abusing it?

[gripper]

There wasn't anyone around, i wasn't showing off, or racing. I just "felt like it"...

Now what's aggressive acceleration ? Can anyone clarify for a non-S2 owner

[re2500]

Ive been pulled for "aggressive acceleration" too when i accelerated rapidly in my MK2 16v up to the 40mph limit from some traffic lights on a dead road at 2am.
There wasn't anyone around, i wasn't showing off, or racing. I just "felt like it"...

I got breathalyzed, my wrist slapped, as he insisted i must have been speeding but couldn't prove it :corey:
He must have seen me (or more likely heard me) and decided to try and track me down.
Annoying thing was i didn't even give it ALL the beans, but thankfully i definitely didn't speed....

[Cottis]

Seen plenty of undercover cars baiting motorists like Ross says. Seen plenty of drivers take the bait. It always makes me chuckle a bit followed by a sigh.

It does annoy me when coppers do 36 regularly in 30's when clearly not on a mission but then feel free to dish out the tix when you do the same. Do as I say, not as I do.

Also see quite a few police cars without lights on around the lighting up time. I always flash them for a laugh as I wouldn't want them getting a ticket. Maybe they should put light sensors on squad cars if they cannot abide by the basic laws.

[Ross]

That would be my concern, the 'your with the wrong crowd so you get one too' reprimand or as others have said a complaint because you dispatch someone and they don't like it. Personally, I think any act or law that is open to abuse is a problem, guilty without trial and all that.

I have been pulled for 'aggressive acceleration', got a right grilling for a rapid 30-80 joining a dual carriageway in the rain. Undercover cop was quite far behind, nobody else on the road, apparently I was a hazard to other road users? The most dangerous move was his sitting on my bumper trying to bait me when he caught up. Obviously upset I was sat on the limit and not taking it! Funny thing is I had no idea he was a cop at that point and usually would have dropped a gear and got away from anyone acting so aggressive. Experiences like that make me think laws like this should not exist.

[sam80quattro]

I've had 1 for driving like a sick which is fair enough but ive also had 1 because a moaning old man didst like the exhaust on my jetta when i was 17. claimed i was doing donuts in the car park near his house.. fwd with a snapped handbrake cableand i certainly never put it in reverse in case anyone wonders.. but i couldn't argue as i didn't want to draw attention to my handbrake lol
a mate of mine has just received 1 as he was simply sat in the same car park as a load of idiots been stupid whilst talking to his brother...

[S2 EDS]

Its not a joke it needs to be substantiated and either the driver or the vehicle needs to be reported within the next 12 months before any seizure can take place.
It is a valuable tool, anyway what copper would know what an s2 is unless the driver is drawing attn to themselves...?

Lol. I know exactly what one looks like. I'm a Sergeant at Loughborough and I own one!

[Cottis]

In my experience, many police do not need a reason to make life difficult. That said, without them, we would be far worse off. I doubt very much that this law/act is abused much. You only ever hear the bad news but I bet it has dealt with a number of tools.

If you cannot drive correctly in built up areas and save your speed for the open road where dangerous is minimised, then you most likely deserve to be booked.

That said, I did overtake someone doing 45mph in a 60mph zone yesterday (in my little ZX ha ha) and they flashed me, accelerated and sat on my tail all the way home. They too are pricks along with boy racers who think it is funny to race their engines to 5k in a built up area. It is not funny. When I was their age, I was using my ***** on women rather than glueing it to my head whilst driving like an idiot.

[rynaqui]

In Malta, there are people who even take offence when you overtake and they are on the other side of the road, when there is plenty of room to overtake, they will just flash their middle finger at you like you have just killed someone.

Overtaking is very interesting here, sometimes you can overtake up to 6 or more cars at once because they would all be moving at a very slow pace behind a truck or old man/lady..what makes it worse is that our roads are all 3/4 of a lane, 1 lane or 1.5 lanes either side

We do not have any such thing as a section 59 here, it's mostly a free for all on the roads

[GazzaG60]

think yu could be sectioned for a few things.
do you overtake or overtake like a knob'ed.

it seems lately people take ofence if you overtake them evenif itsa very safe one. like road position is a given.
problem with tunedaudi is it sounds beastly overtaking.

[Sonic]

I guess it all boils down to the fact that coppers are just normal people and as with most normal people, a lot of them are c*nts.

Most, rather than just a lot.

[Error404]

I guess it all boils down to the fact that coppers are just normal people and as with most normal people, a lot of them are c*nts.

[andy10v]

Im sorry but peoples view of what is acceptable driving dtandard is subjective.

That is part of the problem, and not all police are equal/honest.

I am not saying it is constantly abused, I am sure most people are happy to have them handed out regularly to the local idiots who drag race through the town centre.

However this bit is rather nasty. Lots of people are annoyed by many legal and safe manouvers.

is causing, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public

(eg ever been flashed for overtaking somebody safely?)


Its pretty pointless anyway, as said very subjective, and people normally only tell one side of a story.

[zefsider]

I'm sure I can remember a guy I knew told me he got pulled and fined for what the Police called ''Reckless acceleration'' , even though he didnt actually exceed the limit on that road, just booted it up to that limit quite rapidly ....does anyone know if this is still an offence, or ever was ? Many years ago it was....he said he later got a 'drunk in charge of a bicycle' charge too at some point....dunno if he was just making it all up

I know in Australia they have the ''anti-hoon'' Laws that can be very strict ....''Furious Driving'' is an offence in some Aussie States ....that offence title puts me in mind of some Wacky Races characters

[Sonic]

It's a sorry excuse for allowing an officer to cause you some problems just because they fancy it.

There was a chap on PH who pulled out of a carpark in his focus RS after a meet, rev'd it up to 5k to get a move on, nothing anti-social or dangerous, and who then had an over-zealous officer come bombing up the road chasing after him where upon he received an s59. The video footage of the incident clearly showed the only person making a stupid maneuver was the cop.

I don't believe it's always abused, but it seems like the perfect type of legislation to allow abuse, just because somebody doesn't like the fact you accelerated quicker than they would or the police think you have a noisy car.

[Callumpears0n]

I was given a section 59 when I was 15 years old for riding a trials bike with no insurance or helmet. I was on private land that I had permission to be on and I was sat eating when the police turned up the bike wasn't even running. So yeah they can be given without any proof of an offense

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