Sleeping in Cars/Vans Again

Scotia said:
I spoke to my cousin about this a few years ago, he was a retired Sargent from the traffic division, in his words if you were charged for sleeping in the van the officer would have to be a total cnut. If it went to court he was confident it would be thrown out or the judge would take into consideration what was explained in the video into the circumstances and no further action taken maybe a caution. TAKE NOTE ! Police have a thing called the attitude test within the first ten minutes or so, if you go all guns blazing when approached expect a harsh return!
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Strange as 40 years back under the RUC my uncle got done in Bangor walking down the street to the car with keys in his pocket, intent to drive when under the influnce of alcohol, new police PSNI are a bit softer these days and dont go looking for things like that.
 
There is such a lot of nonsense talked about this kind of stuff. Nope, I have not watched the video as like alcam, I find that guy super irritating.
Even if you had some kind of jobsworth police officer who decides that someone who has keys with them must be in charge of the vehicle despite not even being in it or close it and so could be charged with drunk-in-charge if he has had a few drinks, what is the likelyhood of that actually getting to a court case and getting convicted, especially in a Jury trial where the chances are most of the jurors will have had a drink AND had car keys in their possession with no intention to drive it.
What about if you are flying somewhere on holiday and you park the car, and have a drink in the airport bar say? Gonna get done for being "drunk in charge" if you have a second pint?
 
Robmac said:
I got let off of a ticket once Sam. The Cop approached and asked why I was doing 60 in a 50 limit, I replied "Yeah, sorry it must have been a lapse in concentration" I then thought to myself that I might just have earned a further ticket for driving without due care and attention.

But no, the Cop said usually people get shirty or go into denial but it's very rarely that people actually admit it and say sorry, "on your way son and take your time".
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I twice got pulled by traffic cops going to work on early cover shift on the bike as I stopped to turn right. Both times I was doing 60 in a 30. Think it was around 3a.m. and out in the country few miles from Buxton so absolutely deserted. Both times I just got told to slow down.

The 118mph on the M180 they gave me the option of fixed penalty or court (should have been automatic court) and I replied with thank you very much officer. All down to attitude, well and a cop who isn't a complete bell end :)
 
Nabsim said:
IThe 118mph on the M180 they gave me the option of fixed penalty or court (should have been automatic court) and I replied with thank you very much officer. All down to attitude, well and a cop who isn't a complete bell end :)
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I recall being stopped at Northampton icoming off the Dual Carriageway by the M1 motorway junction (J14?) shortly after buying my Celica GT4 Turbo.
The policeman who stopped me said "It's your lucky day today. I am going to write down you were doing 99MPH". As we know, 30MPH or more over the limit and it is as Neil says, automatic court appearance.
Didn't feel that lucky getting stopped but I appreciated his approach and took the fixed penalty :)
 
Polar Bear said:
Might be worth a look as there are new laws about sleeping in Cars/Vans

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I fell for the click bait from the backstreet barista. He didn't say anything new. Hide the keys so they are not in your possession, close blinds, turn the seats around, turn the TV on all the things you would do at home. Do not submit to leading questions, you are resting it is up to them to state you are braking the law at which point you keep your mouth shut "no comment"
 
All this stuff is click bait. I haven't watched it but it won't be anything new. In all the decades I have been motorhoming, campervanning and wildcamping all the way back to my teens we never cared less about having a drink in or around the van here or in many other countries. Have encountered the rozzers on several occasions and even sat chatting to them several Leffes down with one in my hand.

Its not rocket science. You are lounging about outside a motorhome drinking. Its pretty obvious to any copper your not about to pack everything up and drive off up the road.
 
trevskoda said:
Strange as 40 years back under the RUC my uncle got done in Bangor walking down the street to the car with keys in his pocket, intent to drive when under the influnce of alcohol, new police PSNI are a bit softer these days and dont go looking for things like that.
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You are lucky. You have a police service.

The rest of us have a police FORCE.
 
wildebus said:
There is such a lot of nonsense talked about this kind of stuff. Nope, I have not watched the video as like alcam, I find that guy super irritating.
Even if you had some kind of jobsworth police officer who decides that someone who has keys with them must be in charge of the vehicle despite not even being in it or close it and so could be charged with drunk-in-charge if he has had a few drinks, what is the likelyhood of that actually getting to a court case and getting convicted, especially in a Jury trial where the chances are most of the jurors will have had a drink AND had car keys in their possession with no intention to drive it.
What about if you are flying somewhere on holiday and you park the car, and have a drink in the airport bar say? Gonna get done for being "drunk in charge" if you have a second pint?
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Airport car park my be private land and police have no control over that.
But you may be stopped boarding the flight if you seem to have a few to many, folk here dont drink, they get rat arc-d.
 
trevskoda said:
My brother is/was in the police and told me so, nomater who has the keys someone has to be in charge, you can even be at home with the van/car parked on public rd and get done for being in charge.
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Hang on a minute Trev, so you're sitting in your lounge at home having a few sherbets and plod knocks on your door and nicks you because you're drunk and your car is parked outside??

I doubt that one!
 
Hadn't watched the video, I think we'd know if anything had changed, and like most am aware what's possible, and how minuscule the chances are.

Anyway, hadn't realised how many fans BBB has here so I went and liked the video. :)
 
Robmac said:
Hang on a minute Trev, so you're sitting in your lounge at home having a few sherbets and plod knocks on your door and nicks you because you're drunk and your car is parked outside??

I doubt that one!
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I read a case about a few years back, the car was on the highway, so drunk in charge, think it was in england if my memory is correct.
 
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