Question for the LEOs
Okay, since they must be better drivers, please tell me how useful that training was when an officer rear ended my friend at a stop sign because he wasn't paying attention when the line of cars was slowly creeping forward and stopped. Conveniently, after he did that, he flipped on his lights and took off, basically completing a hit and run.
You being a quality instructor is irrelevant in terms of saying all LEOs are good drivers, unless you're the only trainer for California. Using the logic of your statement, I could say: I am a strict mathematics teacher and will fail any student who isn't qualified to go to the next class, this must mean all students who graduate high school are good mathematicians. We all know this is false. Just because you train well, does not mean everyone trains well. I'm sorry, but your use of logic is severely flawed.
However, disregarding your flawed statement and assuming all LEOs are highly trained and qualified, physics stays the same. A heavier car with lower coefficient of friction tires (do crown vics run summer only tires or all seasons?) does not do anything in his favor. Higher inertia and lower friction means slower turns and longer braking distances.
Even without these negative factors, if he's going ~1.6x faster than I am, and we negate the differences of driving a heavier car and worse tires, assume he had the same braking power and distance. Physics tells us he will still travel 1.6^2, or 2.56x the distance it requires me to stop. Not to mention his reaction time will have to be 0.625x mine while having my car obstruct his view of whatever is in front of my car, otherwise his braking distance will increase further by any additional time needed to react.
This street is a residential street, meaning 1 lane each way with many cars parked along the shoulder. If he had to emergency brake, he would have flown past me, or into me. As I stated earlier, I was going 25 on the residential. If someone was crossing the street, they easily could have been hit by him or by him forcing me into them, as there's no space to avoid the pedestrian. This is the cvc that covers the basic speed law, and unfortunately, it's based more off of physics than driver skill. The turn I took "too fast" has a red zone area which easily allows at least 5 car widths wide of open road because of an included left turn lane and no cars allowed to park on the shoulder so close to the corner. Continue to think what you will, but facts state his driving put a higher risk of person/property damage than my left turn ever did.
Also, you tell me not to judge before having an understanding. Didn't you do the same by assuming my driving training is so severely lacking compared to an LEO?
You being a quality instructor is irrelevant in terms of saying all LEOs are good drivers, unless you're the only trainer for California. Using the logic of your statement, I could say: I am a strict mathematics teacher and will fail any student who isn't qualified to go to the next class, this must mean all students who graduate high school are good mathematicians. We all know this is false. Just because you train well, does not mean everyone trains well. I'm sorry, but your use of logic is severely flawed.
However, disregarding your flawed statement and assuming all LEOs are highly trained and qualified, physics stays the same. A heavier car with lower coefficient of friction tires (do crown vics run summer only tires or all seasons?) does not do anything in his favor. Higher inertia and lower friction means slower turns and longer braking distances.
Even without these negative factors, if he's going ~1.6x faster than I am, and we negate the differences of driving a heavier car and worse tires, assume he had the same braking power and distance. Physics tells us he will still travel 1.6^2, or 2.56x the distance it requires me to stop. Not to mention his reaction time will have to be 0.625x mine while having my car obstruct his view of whatever is in front of my car, otherwise his braking distance will increase further by any additional time needed to react.
This street is a residential street, meaning 1 lane each way with many cars parked along the shoulder. If he had to emergency brake, he would have flown past me, or into me. As I stated earlier, I was going 25 on the residential. If someone was crossing the street, they easily could have been hit by him or by him forcing me into them, as there's no space to avoid the pedestrian. This is the cvc that covers the basic speed law, and unfortunately, it's based more off of physics than driver skill. The turn I took "too fast" has a red zone area which easily allows at least 5 car widths wide of open road because of an included left turn lane and no cars allowed to park on the shoulder so close to the corner. Continue to think what you will, but facts state his driving put a higher risk of person/property damage than my left turn ever did.
Also, you tell me not to judge before having an understanding. Didn't you do the same by assuming my driving training is so severely lacking compared to an LEO?
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According to DMV, under 07.A.09(3) the speed limit is 15 mph at intersections. 
Here's the verbiage:
The speed limit is 15 MPH at intersections if during the last
100 feet approaching the intersection you cannot see the other
roadways entering the intersection for a distance of at least 100
feet (blind intersection) and in alleyways.
100 feet approaching the intersection you cannot see the other
roadways entering the intersection for a distance of at least 100
feet (blind intersection) and in alleyways.
Sadly, anything that grabs a LEOs attention is a risk; regardless if it's actually breaking any laws.
OP: any screeching of tires? Any jerking movements of the car?
This does not help the poor image LEO's have in the public eye. If LEO's like this poor image, they should keep going with this unprofessional attitude.
Last edited by chimchimm5; Aug 27, 2013 at 04:33 PM.
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From: East Bay / Pomona
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Sadly, anything that grabs a LEOs attention is a risk; regardless if it's actually breaking any laws.
OP: any screeching of tires? Any jerking movements of the car?
This does not help the poor image LEO's have in the public eye. If LEO's like this poor image, they should keep going with this unprofessional attitude.
OP: any screeching of tires? Any jerking movements of the car?
This does not help the poor image LEO's have in the public eye. If LEO's like this poor image, they should keep going with this unprofessional attitude.
No screeching tires, nowhere near close to losing any traction creating jerky motions of the car. Basically, think of making a left turn at 35mph coasting the whole way through the turn on summer tires and upgraded suspension. The only thing the LEO brought up was the speed seemed too fast, something around 35-40. Nothing about looking out of control or screeching of tires. I think that's why he left me with just a warning.
Overall, no big deal. As I've stated multiple times, he was pretty nice in general with no bad attitude. I have no complaints about him, I started this thread wanting to know whether or not I was breaking a law or I was breaking someone's opinion of a law. And from the responses, it's the latter.
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Originally Posted by STi-owns-evo
...I started this thread wanting to know whether or not I was breaking a law or I was breaking someone's opinion of a law. And from the responses, it's the latter.
I expected this to be a full on iCrub flame war with multiple mod interventions by now.
This thread's gotten boring, I'm done with it.
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